Georgia football: 3 Reasons Stacy Searels is an outstanding hire

Georgia football will see Stacy Searels get the run blocking back to an elite level

One of the biggest positives about Stacy Searels becoming the Georgia football offensive line coach again is his ability to produce incredible rush blocking lines.

Offensive production is something Searels succeeds at, and now the Dawgs’ offensive line will get that magic touch.

North Carolina’s offense in 2021 was one of the most productive in college football. The Tarheels averaged 35.2 points and 468.2 total yards a game. However, the most impressive stat is how North Carolina led the ACC in rushing yards with 2,763 — 17th nationally. Two years in a row, the Tarheels have led the ACC in rushing yards, led by Searels and his offensive line.

Not to mention, there have been five 1,000-yard rushers to come out of Chapel Hill in the last three seasons. Explosive plays were right up their ally with 80 plays of 20-plus yards, 42 plays of 30-plus yards, and 13 plays that went for over 50 yards.

That production was even better in 2020 for the Tarheels. Sure, a lot of things go into having those kinds of numbers on offense, but it all stems from having an offensive line that can block well enough to let it happen.

Those explosive play numbers are what Georgia wants to see, and Searels’ offensive line helped make them happen. Most of the Dawgs’ explosive plays came through the air, but it would be nice to see more of them come on the ground again because we love a good 50-yard touchdown run.

When he was at Georgia, Searels produced an offensive line that helped increase the production. Georgia averaged 177.2 rushing yards and 32.6 points a game in his first year. The Dawgs’ offense averaged 31 points and 426 total yards during his second season. Georgia averaged 161 rushing yards a game in 2009, and in Searels last season, the Dawgs saw 31 points a game.

However, there was a seven-game stretch to end the regular season where Georgia averaged 41 points a game and scored 40-plus points in five games.

Georgia had a great rush attack in 2021 under Matt Luke, but it always felt like it took a while for the offensive line to get that push needed to produce big runs. Searels will be able to come in and teach this line how to get that push right away and increase production on an already productive offense.