REACTION: What Larry Knight Brings to the Georgia Football Staff

The Georgia Bulldogs are set to hire Larry Knight as the program's outside linebackers coach.

Nov 22, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts to the action against the Charlotte 49ers during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Georgia Bulldogs are set to hire Larry Knight as the program's outside linebackers coach.

The Georgia Bulldogs had a void created on their staff earlier in the offseason as outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe was hired by the Dallas Cowboys for the same position. After a couple of weeks of searching, it appears the Bulldogs have landed on Larry Knight as the next coach at that position.

So what will Coach Knight be bringing to Georgia's staff?

What Larry Knight Brings to Georgia's Football Staff

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks toward the field during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For starters, Knight had just recently been hired by West Virginia to coach the edge room and be a pass rush specialist. Worth noting, considering that was something Georgia's defense struggled with this past season.

This past year, he coached at Arkansas State as the defensive ends coach and run game coordinator. The Red Wolves registered 39 sacks last year. They ranked the best in the Sun Belt conference and ranked sixth in the country for average sacks per game (3.0). Last year, the Red Wolves had a season-best nine sacks against Troy, tying for the best single-game mark in the nation.

Knight also had stops at Temple and Georgia Tech. He was with the Yellow Jackets from 2019 to 2022 as the defensive line and defensive recruiting coordinator. He helped Georgia Tech land one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in program history and helped develop Kyle Kennard, who went on to win the Bronko Nagurski award with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Coach Knight has also had two internships in the NFL. Once with the Atlanta Falcons in 2015 and with the Green Bay Packers during the spring of 2025.

All in all, this is a coach who has gained a lot of experience at multiple programs throughout his career. Knight has also been tied to spurts of success at multiple programs, with Arkansas State being the biggest headliner on his resume.

Sources told Georgia Bulldogs on SI during the search process that they would be targeting a pass rush specialist and they found one in coach Knight. The Bulldogs ranked 107th in the country for sacks last season (20.0) after ranking 20th in the country in that category the season before that.

With the amount of young prospects Georgia has on the roster at edge and outside linebacker, Knight could be a massive difference maker in their development ahead of the upcoming season.