Why Kirby Smart should add Hines Ward to the UGA staff

Hines Ward is still serious about becoming a coach for his alma mater.

Related Story: Recruit: UGA will win a national title under Smart

Former Georgia Football and NFL Star Hines Ward has expressed interest in coming back to coach for his beloved school. Ward confirmed how strongly he feels about it this week to Dawg Nation,

“I’m dead serious. I want to coach at Georgia. I’ve expressed that to Kirby. I haven’t had any talk with him about what all goes into it, but I think I’ve put it out there. I’m serious. I want to give back to my alma mater.”

Ward had a storied career in both college and the NFL and now works as a studio analyst for NBC’s NFL coverage. However, the 40-year-old still follows UGA football closely and is motivated to help the Bulldogs in any way he can.

“Sometimes I get upset. I see kids leave the state of Georgia to go play for other teams. I knew if I walked into that room, there’s no way that kid’s leaving the state of Georgia,” Ward said.

What a presence Ward would have. After all, Ward does command immediate respect as he has done it all. The All-SEC wide player had a solid career at UGA and is remembered as one of the best receivers in school history.

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Ward had even more success in the National Football League as he spent 14 seasons at the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he tore it up. His phenomenal career included over 12,000 receiving yards and 85 touchdowns.

Ward is the all-time leader in receiving yards in the Steelers’ history and finished with two Super Bowl rings. He also holds the honor of being named MVP of Super Bowl XL.

When it comes to being hired at his former school, Ward’s best position would probably be as some type of recruiting assistant. As mentioned above, he’s got a lot of street cred with recruits because he has been a superstar at the highest level.

This has got to be a priority for UGA head coach Kirby Smart to add Ward to the staff. Recruiting alone would be a good enough reason. Also, Ward could potentially slide into coaching the wide receivers when current UGA receivers coach James Coley moves on. This move has nothing but positives, and let’s all hope this gets done.