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Georgia Football: Say hello to new WR coach Cortez Hankton

By Alistair Penny

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cortez Hankton grabs a pass against the New York Jets Oct. 8, 2006 in Jacksonville. The Jaguars won 41 - 0. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Cortez Hankton grabs a pass against the New York Jets Oct. 8, 2006 in Jacksonville. The Jaguars won 41 - 0. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /
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The Georgia Football staff has seen a few changes after a special 2017. We’re going to dive into who these new guys are, starting with Wide Receiver coach Cortez Hankton.

He was the last coach to join the 2018 Georgia Football team. But Cortez Hankton should end up fitting right in with his peers at UGA. Derek Mason, his former head coach at Vanderbilt spoke very highly of Hankton after the WR coach left to head to Georgia. His final quote should leave UGA fans pretty excited:

"“His football IQ was through the roof but just the polish and the finish, the edges really got smoothed out and Cortez is going to be a superstar. I think he’s going to be a coordinator in a couple of years and go on to be a head coach.”"

That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. While Mason wants to keep his best staff members, he understands how the game works. UGA is a step up for Hankton and considering his pedigree it’s not a surprise to see him make that leap.

Hankton played in the NFL for 6 seasons despite being an undrafted receiver from a tiny Texas college. He also continued to play in the now-defunct UFL. In many ways, he’s a great example of how graft and hard work can overcome challenges. When I first heard about his hiring, I started doing some research. I can’t lie, I’ve been impressed by what I found.

Like a lot of Kirby’s staff, Hankton is a young coach who can relate to his players. He’s a self-made guy who pulled himself up and has made himself a success in football. He’s also someone who continues to make an impact on people outside of the game. Hankton created Black Ice Concept to help subsidize and encourage more minorities to get into winter sports. To me, that’s pretty awesome.

Next: 3 big questions for the spring

In short, he’s a pretty interesting guy who I think fans should take notice of. Not only did he play the position at the highest level, but I think Mason is right about him being a future superstar. I can see him becoming a fan favorite pretty quickly, especially if he helps guys like Mecole Hardman reach their potential.

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