Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is on the shortlist for the Broyles Award, which the top assistant coach gets each year, and no offense to the rest of those guys on the list, but they need to go ahead and give it to Lanning.
There are some excellent names on the list from multiple conferences, but what Lanning has done with this defense is something no one else can say they did.
Georgia’s defense is the most elite unit in all of college football. They smother teams, make opponents quit, and while a couple of teams have better yardage stats, the Dawgs are still better.
Lanning is a key piece to this coaching staff and whatever he does has a whole defense buying into being one of the most lethal units.
Georgia’s pass and rush defense is currently No.2 in the country. This defense has given up 76 points all season, averaging 7.6 points a game, not to mention, they hold teams under 100 yards rushing as well. Opponents only convert 33.33% of third downs, and I could go on, but a big reason for that is Lanning and what he continues to implement into the program.
Georgia is likely going to rack in a lot of awards this season, and it’s long overdue. Lanning deserves this award for transforming an entire defense in three short years, but it isn’t just this season. Since he took over the defensive coordinator job, Georgia has had one of the best defenses, and he continues to rebuild it as playmakers leave.
Lanning is also killing it on the recruiting trail, so his defense doesn’t miss a beat, so is there honestly another assistant coach that is out there doing this? To some fanbases, they will believe it’s their assistant coach, but Lanning is doing more on the field and off it, and well, numbers don’t lie.
Georgia has a rising superstar in Lanning, and athletic director Josh Brooks needs to give him a raise he cannot ignore, along with every other coach on staff. Lanning will be a hot commodity in a few years, and the Dawgs need to keep him on lock.
For now, though, Broyles Award people, just going ahead and pencil his name in on the winner line and ship the trophy to Athens because we all know he will win it.