Georgia football: Mel Tucker likely to be Colorado boss

Georgia football looks likely to lose one of its top assistants after the season with DC Mel Tucker being reported to be the new Colorado head coach.

This story might not be a huge surprise to many, but the destination is for me. I’ve suspected for a while that this would probably be the final season Georgia football would have Mel Tucker as a defensive coordinator. He’s been one of the best assistant coaches in the country since arriving in Athens and with his NFL experience, has been someone I have long expected would be offered a head coaching opportunity sooner rather than later.

Last season he interviewed for the Tennessee job although they opted for Jeremey Pruitt instead. Last night, reports from Rival’s affiliate CUSportsnation suggested that Colorado has made a move to make Tucker the head man. If that’s the case then I can only applaud the Buffalos for making a hire that I think is going to work out very well for them.

It’s worth remembering that back in 2015 when Kirby Smart was hired, he could have kept Jeremy Pruitt to be his DC. Pruitt had improved that unit and recruited well during his time in Athens, but instead, he turned to Tucker who had so much success during his time in the NFL before eventually moving back to college. Since coming to Athens, Tucker has been exceptional, helping build one of the best defenses in the country for the past two seasons and recruiting his tail off. He’s a passionate, honest and fiercely competitive guy that I believe is going to be a terrific head coach.

If this story is true then I’m sure all of Dawgnation is hugely happy for Tucker. There still are not enough African American head coaches out there and Tucker has succeeded at the highest level for over a decade. It’s great to see Kirby’s faith in him paying off and giving him the chance to run his own program. In going to Colorado, he also won’t exactly be in UGA’s backyard which I’m sure Kirby Smart won’t mind one bit. As I said, Tucker is one heck of a recruiter and even though he’s going to be 2000 miles away, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him poach a recruit or two from the Southeast that UGA coverts.

This move and the timing isn’t the end of the world for Georgia. Alabama also looks like they’re going to be losing their offensive coordinator Mike Locksley to Maryland after the SEC title game. Great coaches build good coaching staffs and that means other teams want them. It’s now up to Smart to identify who he wants to be the defensive coordinator when Tucker leaves and he’s got some exceptional internal candidates. ILB coach Glen Schumann has long been considered a protege of Kirby Smart’s and might well be the favorite should Tucker choose to leave.

I’m sure this news will be a long way from the player’s mind right now as they gear up for the biggest game of the season. But by the sounds of it, Tucker might well be coaching his final game for the Georgia Bulldogs and I have no doubt that if that’s the case, he’ll do his damnedest to put together the best performance of his career. If that’s the case, then I think his side of the team is going to really rise to the occasion and send out their guy with a bang. Hopefully, that will give the Dawgs a fighting chance against Alabama.