UGA football: Assembling the modern Bulldogs ‘dream coaching staff’
UGA Football Dream Coaching Staff – Defensive Coordinator
Mel Tucker. 6. player. 805. . Head Coach. Spartans
While he may be in enemy territory to the north now when Mel Tucker was Georgia’s defensive coordinator the Bulldogs played with a fire and intensity that hadn’t been seen in years.
Honestly, any of the last three UGA defensive coordinators would be good picks, but Jeremy Pruitt didn’t quite raise the unit to the level Tucker did, and although Georgia’s defense was one of the best ever in 2019, it was also a group current defensive coordinator Dan Lanning inherited from Tucker.
UGA Football Dream Coaching Staff – Linebackers Coach
Most Georgia fans are probably doing a double-take seeing Brian VanGorder’s name on this list, but the fact is, despite his failings as a defensive coordinator, VanGorder is absolutely one of the best linebacker coaches in the nation. He got the most out of players such as Boss Bailey and Odell Thurman. He understands how to position linebackers and the best ways to utilize them in both pass and run defense.
UGA Football Dream Coaching Staff – Defensive Line Coach
842. . DL Coach. Tigers . Rodney Garner. 8. player
Rodney Garner leaving to head back to his alma mater Auburn was a big loss for the Georgia coaching staff in 2013. Not only was Garner one of the best defensive coaches in the nation, but he was also — like Will Friend — one of the best recruiters, and has lured some of the top defensive talent in the country to Auburn since returning there. Garner would return some fire to a Georgia defensive line that hasn’t exactly been intimidating in recent years.
UGA Football Dream Coaching Staff – Secondary Coach
Jeremy Pruitt. 9. player. 839. . Head Coach. Volunteers
On his fast-track to becoming a Division 1 head coach, Jeremy Pruitt made his bones coaching some incredibly good secondaries. When he came to Georgia in 2014 as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, he transformed what had been a slipshod, inconsistent secondary with some unknown players into one of the best units in the nation. He was also able to do the same at Alabama. While the Volunteers have plenty of faults, pass defense is not among them.