Report: Georgia Defensive Coordinator Mel Tucker Expected to Be Named Colorado Head Coach
Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is expected to be named as Colorado's next head coach, "barring a late change," ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reports.
The announcement is expected to come Saturday after the Bulldogs play Alabama in the SEC Championship game.
Tucker has served as Georgia's defensive coordinator for the last three seasons after coming over from Alabama with Kirby Smart. He constructed the defense that led the Bulldogs to an SEC title and the College Football Playoff championship game in 2017 and back to the SEC Championship in 2018.
The 46-year-old assistant spent nine seasons in the NFL, including a brief stint at the interim head coach for the Jacksonsville Jaguars in 2011, before Alabama hired him in 2015 as their defensive backs coach.
He had ties to the Crimson Tide's head coach, Nick Saban, from his time as a graduate assitant at Michigan State during Saban's tenure with the Spartans in the 1990s. He spent time at Miami University, LSU and Ohio State before entering the NFL in 2005 as the defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns.
Tucker will replace Mike MacIntyre as the Buffaloes head coach, who was fired on Nov. 18 after Colorado lost its sixth straight game. MacIntyre, who went 30-44 in six seasons, is scheduled to receive a $10.3 million buyout.
Tucker’s name has frequently been mentioned for coaching vacancies within the last week, including openings at Maryland, North Carolina and Louisville. He was also a finalist for the Tennessee job last year that ultimately went to Jeremy Pruitt.
