Has Georgia Assembled Best Coaching Staff in Program History?

The talent on Georgia Football's roster is constantly in the spotlight, and for good reason. The Bulldogs are loaded at practically every position with numerous All-American, award finalists and first-round draft picks peppered throughout.

Just as talented as the Bulldogs's roster is the coaching staff. This group is packed with former and future head coaches. Sure, this staff hasn't proven anything yet. But on paper, is this arguably the best coaching staff in school history?

Let's with head coach Kirby Smart. He's taken some flack for some questionable choices throughout his career. Georgia could have a national title by now, according to some. However, he's only in his sixth season as a head coach. He is way ahead of most head coaches at this stage, most head coaches are still at G5 schools at this point.

Smart has clearly learned from his mistakes, especially on offense. Poor recruiting at wide receiver led to a bare cupboard in 2019, but he solved that by signing an elite crop of receivers and tight ends in 2020.

During Georgia's loss in the 2019 SEC Championship Game, he realized his philosophy on offense wasn't going to win championships anymore. So what did he do? He lured Todd Monken from the Cleveland Browns.

Former head coaches headline offensive staff

Monken is a former D1 head coach at Southern Mississippi and his offense was a spectacle in 2015. Prior to that, he was the coordinator of a top-notch offense at Oklahoma State. In fact, that offense was one of the more influential in college football. Every team with national title aspirations is running some form of that explosive offense these days.

Georgia didn't just need to overhaul its offensive scheme for skill players after 2019; it also needed to make a change on the offensive line. Line coach Sam Pittman accepted the Arkansas head coaching job before the season ended, and Smart made no compromises with finding his replacement. Enter Matt Luke, fresh off a three-year stint as head coach at Ole Miss.

Luke's tenure as the Rebels' head coach didn't yield much success, but he earned that opportunity for good reason: He's a great offensive line coach. Throughout his career, Luke has regularly sent offensive linemen to the NFL, including a pair of top-50 picks in 2005.

Future head coaches litter the defensive staff

Let's get one thing out of the way: 2021 is likely Dan Lanning's last year as Georgia's defensive coordinator, so don't get attached. In only two years on the job, Lanning has built such a strong name for himself that he has already received Power-5 head coaching offers. You can bet even more offers will come his way after this season.

Schematically, Lanning always seems to be one step ahead of opposing offensive coordinators. As an outside linebackers coach, he's fantastic in player development as evident by Azeez Ojulari's quick progression following his injury in the spring of 2018.

Don't fret Georgia fans, because when Lanning does leave, the Bulldogs already have his replacement on staff. That's right, co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann. You were thinking of someone else? Well, hold on a minute.

Few defensive coaches in the college game today understand football as much as Schumann. He's the guy Smart takes with him to every coaching clinic for a reason. Schumann is cut from the same cloth as Smart. When he eventually becomes a defensive coordinator, his first head coaching offers will follow soon after.

Schumann's record as a player developer speaks for itself. If a player can excel at linebacker at Georgia, he will go to the NFL with the tools needed to contribute early.

Roquan Smith recorded a sack in his first NFL snap, and he's started 42 of the 44 games he's appeared in with the Chicago Bears. Tae Crowder, Mr. Irrelevant in the 2020 draft, started three games as a rookie. Monty Rice was the 92nd overall pick in this year's draft despite obvious injury concerns because fundamentally he is ready for the NFL.

The icing on the cake

Perhaps the biggest difference-maker on Georgia's staff is the guy who doesn't have an on-field role. Will Muschamp joined Georgia's staff as a defensive analyst in February.

Muschamp's head coaching career may have been a dud, but there's no denying his ability to coach defenses. His defenses have always been among the nation's best regardless of school or conference. The knowledge he brings to this team is incalculable, not just on defense.

As an analyst, he can go to Monken and tell him exactly how he would defend Georgia's offense based on the defense of the opponent. As another former head coach, Muschamp adds another perspective for Smart to listen to. As a defensive genius, he brings valuable knowledge to defensive meetings.

Has Georgia Assembled Best Coaching Staff in Program History?

Former head coaches headline offensive staff

Future head coaches litter the defensive staff

The icing on the cake

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