Georgia football: Who could be the new defensive coordinator?

With Mel Tucker now confirmed as the new head coach of Colorado, who will end up as the new defensive coordinator under Kirby Smart?

Mel Tucker put together a hell of a defense in Athens. His confirmation as the new head coach of Colorado, however, leaves Georgia football with a big hole to fill in their staff. Not only was Tucker one of the top DC’s in college football, he was also an exceptional defensive backs coach. While that remains a specialty for Kirby Smart, he’ll want to find someone else who can come in and take that role because he knows how important it is for his scheme to have great DB’s.

So who could be in line to take Tucker’s spot? I personally expect it to be an internal promotion. Smart loves to hire young and aggressive assistants who are hungry and I think he’ll want to promote someone. He himself climbed through the ranks under Nick Saban and I expect that he’ll want to do the same with his staff. With that being said, there are only three other defensive coaches on this staff in Tray Scott, Dan Lanning and Glenn Schumann. So would any of them be likely?

Glen Schumann, ILB Coach:

The front-runner if many ‘insiders’ are to be believed. Schumann was the first coach Kirby Smart hired and his background is very simlilar to Smart’s. He was one of three people responsible for Alabama’s defensive gameplans alongside Smart and Nick Saban. He’s the youngest coach on the staff but he’s one of the best recruiters and has everything Smart would be looking for. He’s grown up in this system and should be able to take over a seamless transition.

His youth and connection to Smart could also mean that he would be in the role for a decent period of time just like Kirby was back at Alabama. He’s unlikely to jump ship for the first head coaching opportunity having seen first hand how important it is to find the right program like Smart has. That’s valuable when you consider how much coaching changes can drain from a program.

Dan Lanning, OLB Coach:

Brought in last year to be OLB coach, Lanning spent some time at Alabama with Smart. He was brought in from Memphis where he revamped their recruiting and has done a stellar job on that front since arriving in Athens. Lanning doesn’t have the experience Schumann does in the system but he might actually be a better recruiter. He’s held on to Nolan Smith, recruited the top JUCO player Jermaine Johnson to this year’s class and is the lead recruiter for Nakobe Dean, 2019’s top-ranked ILB.

If Lanning doesn’t get this promotion, there’s a good shot that he’ll end up as a DC somewhere soon. He’s just a few years older than Schumann and is another rising star in UGA’s coaching ranks.

Tray Scot, DL Coach:

Scott is the least likely to get the internal promotion for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he is an outsider to the Kirby Smart defense having only now operated within it for two seasons. He’s also yet to crush it on the recruiting trail so far although his 2019 and 2020 DL classes look pretty damn good right now should he close them. Much like Sam Pittman and the offensive side of the ball, line coaches don’t often get the promotion to DC which also doesn’t help Scott’s case. That being said, he’s come on a lot this year as a coach and is another guy who deserves some recognition.

Who could be the secondary coach?

Now that is the million dollar question and to be honest, I have no idea. Jake Rowe of 247sports has an article listing some of the potential candidates today. I’m a big fan of Derrick Ansley who he mentions. He’s a young, hungry coach who ticks all the Kirby Smart boxes and did a great job at Alabama. I also love that he’s now got sme NFL experience which certainly didn’t hurt Tucker. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see Tyson Summers get a shot. He’s one of Kirby Smart’s closest friends and was working as an analyst this year which might have been to get him acclimatized with the program should Tucker leave. He failed miserably as a head coach but was considered a solid defensive mind back before taking the Georgia Southern job.