The Georgia Bulldogs have built a program that has become the standard for college football. The Bulldogs' back-to-back SEC Championships have proven that the conference now runs through them.
Georgia currently holds a win streak against every SEC team, with some being far more lopsided than others, and it's this dominance that can be seen in the latest coaching hires of some of UGA's biggest rivals.
Tennessee, Florida hires prove Georgia dominance
Both the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators have made splash moves to try and compete with Georgia. Both historic programs, the Vols and the Gators have struggled to find a way to beat Georgia under Kirby Smart. Smart is 9-1 against Tennessee and holds a nine-game winning streak against the Vols. Likewise, Smart is 8-2 against the Gators and holds a five-game winning streak against them.
Tennessee went all out and hired Jim Knowles to be their defensive coordinator. Knowles is one of the most well-known coordinators in football, as he has led historic defenses at Ohio State and most recently at Penn State. The Volunteers offered Knowles a huge deal, giving the coordinator $6.6 million plus bonuses over three years. That number is nearly 50 percent more than what the Vols were to pay previous coordinator Tim Banks in total.
Not only hiring new head coach from Tulane Jon Sumrall, but Florida also went out and hired Buster Faulkner to be their offensive coordinator. Faulkner has served as offensive coordinator for Georgia Tech for the past few seasons after serving a stint as Georgia's QB coach from 2020-2022. Faulkner had been in conversation for several head coaching jobs with the offenses he has created with the Yellow Jackets. Not only that, but his offense put up over 40 points and nearly beat Georgia just a season ago.
Georgia's rivals are ready to end these streaks held against them. Do not be shocked if more big names are hired for coordinator roles within the SEC. Georgia has become the prime example of success of the conference, and every team will face them like it is their Super Bowl until proven otherwise.