What a weekend to remember in the SEC coaching soap opera: Les Miles, riding off on the shoulders of his players as fans chanted his name, survived an overthrow attempt by LSU’s athletic director and donors.
Mark Richt wasn’t as fortunate. Hours later, he was out at Georgia.
Richt was 145-51 in 15 seasons at UGA. That’s a sterling overall record, an average of 9.7 wins a season. But critics -- and those who ultimately decided to fire him, including AD Greg McGarity -- pointed to a decadelong SEC title drought as the reason for change.
“With the talent in Atlanta and in that state, players who go to top college programs and wind up in the NFL, there’s no reason you can’t win more SEC titles than that,” an NFL scout told me. “For one thing, you should never lose to Tennessee.”
Where will McGarity and Georgia’s administration look to replace Richt? They probably already have been in pursuit, or at least preparing for today. Many believe losing to Florida and first-year coach Jim McElwain sealed Richt’s fate weeks ago.
Kirby Smart, Alabama defensive coordinator
Coaches and agents anticipate that Smart, a former Bulldogs safety, is the favorite.
“There’s going to be a lot of interest in this job from big names -- a lot of interest,” an agent told me. “What they’re balancing is that level of candidate versus one of their own. [Smart] knows the place. It makes sense if that’s what they decide, but you wonder because of the types of candidates out there for a job this good.”
There would be certain risk involved hiring a 39-year-old first-time head coach, but the association to the school and time spent working -- and winning -- with Nick Saban is said to hold great value to McGarity and UGA’s decision-makers.
Richt was essentially the same candidate when hired, except he was an offensive coach who learned from Bobby Bowden. Richt did win two SEC titles in his first five seasons. Another example to note: Will Muschamp, also a former Saban defensive coordinator, was a very similar hire at Florida. We know how that one ended.
What undid Muschamp was failing to make good offensive hires. The same is undermining Charlie Strong at Texas.
Those close to Smart say USC interim coach Clay Helton would be the top choice to run his offense, if Helton doesn’t stay at USC or get another head job. If Smart could get him, Helton would be an outstanding choice. The Trojans are in this week’s Pac-12 title game, thanks in large part to an efficient offense that has helped produce a plus-11 turnover margin in seven games.
And in a getting-the-band-back-together move, Muschamp would be the odds-on favorite to return to his alma mater as Smart’s defensive coordinator. That would also provide a very strong recruiting nucleus.
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State head coach
If the choice isn’t Smart, the link between McGarity and Mullen is an obvious one; they worked together at Florida.
It should be noted that administrative connections have not led to hires so far in this cycle. Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock did not go with Rich Rodriguez, despite working together at West Virginia. Missouri will not go with Justin Fuente, who was just hired by Babcock. So those close to the UGA search are skeptical whether Mullen is truly a prime candidate. There are also questions, too, as to how close Mullen and McGarity were at UF.
Mullen is 54-35 at Mississippi State, including an 18-7 mark the past two seasons. Given that recent success, and losing all-conference QB Dak Prescott, those close to Mullen have wondered if he’d try to get out while his name has high value. If the Bulldogs slipped back to be a 4-8 or 5-7 team the next couple of years, the job prospects would be more limited.
He loves the area and he’s making more than $4 million, but Mullen looks around the division and understands he’s outgunned in about every imaginable way. Moving to the other side of the conference would make some sense, which is why he also could look at South Carolina.
Tom Herman, Houston head coach
I’ve been told for weeks that Herman would have interest if Georgia opened. And that’s not surprising, considering the level of the job.
The questions in this case would come from Georgia’s end. Centrally, it would wonder about a guy who has never coached in the SEC. That didn’t seem to hurt Saban or Herman’s former employer, Urban Meyer, but it is still a stigma for some administrators.
Herman could point out, too, that he was Ohio State’s primary recruiter in Atlanta, so he does know the landscape. Herman was able to hire a staff to recruit the state of Texas at a high level, so it’s reasonable to believe that he could do the same in Georgia. Good recruiters are good recruiters, coaches say. He could easily hire assistants and staff to fill in the gaps such as specific high school relationships and other SEC nuances.
Any concerns about Herman running a spread offense at pro-rooted Georgia should be offset by an understanding that he doesn’t run a full-blown up-tempo, no-huddle style. It’s a Meyer-type spread with wrinkles, and it’s also personnel-based. What he did with J.T. Barrett at OSU wasn’t the same as what he used in the playoff with Cardale Jones, which isn’t the same as what he’s running with Greg Ward at Houston. He would adapt based on players, especially when one of those players is Nick Chubb.
Herman has repeatedly called DC Todd Orlando the best coordinator in the country, but he’d be wise to consider retaining current DC Jeremy Pruitt. They have similar personality types and Pruitt, having worked at Alabama, FSU and Georgia, would be the perfect assistant to introduce him to Southern football and the SEC.
Jimbo Fisher, FSU head coach
Fisher and agent Jimmy Sexton likely just leveraged a raise after he was thought to be Miles’ replacement at LSU. More than that, it’s hard to see Fisher leaving FSU -- where he’s already waged and won battles with administrators -- for UGA, where Richt was regularly at odds with McGarity and school officials for more resources and backing.
Example: When Georgia’s administration opted to voluntarily sit star running back Todd Gurley, some coaches were appalled at the lack of support for Richt. They thought Gurley should have played until the NCAA had made a decision in his autographs case.
Later, those close to the program said Richt was miffed when the school wouldn’t give OC Mike Bobo a raise to prevent him from taking the Colorado State job.
You never say never, but it’s difficult to see Fisher taking on those challenges after persevering through similar issues at his current school.