DiderotsGhost
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After watching Georgia get humiliated in that Florida game, I knew there would be calls for Mark Richt's head. As I was watching, I thought to myself, "this is the biggest waste of talent I've seen since Ron Zook." It's true that Georgia's QB situation is less than ideal, and they've lost their best player (Nick Chubb), but they are still loaded at most positions. They shouldn't be struggling this much.
On the other hand, there's this.
1. Mark Richt is Georgia's Best Coach in History
Sounds like a bold claim, but it's very defensible. Richt is 141 - 51 at UGA for a .734 win percentage. The man who is considered Georgia's greatest coach of all-time is Vince Dooley. Dooley was 201-77-10 for a .715 win percentage. Also factor in that Mark Richt likely had a higher strength of schedule in the 00s and 10s than Dooley had in the 70s and 80s. Then also consider that Dooley's record was dramatically improved by having arguably the greatest college football player of all-time, Herschel Walker. Dooley went 33-3 in the Walker years, so his win % drops to .687 without Walker. Based on all this, I think the claim that Mark Richt is Georgia's greatest coach looks very strong.
2. Vince Didn't Win Big Till His 17th Season
Amazing stat, but Dooley never won a national title till his 17th season at UGA. Interestingly, Dooley's 14th and 16th seasons were considered huge disappointments, going 5-6 and 6-5. He recruited Herschel Walker in his 17th season and the rest is history. Now he's known as the best coach in Georgia history. For the record, Mark Richt is in his 15th season, so he's almost at exactly the same point in his career where Dooley had a few disappointing seasons, but then turned it around and won a national title.
3. Georgia's 2016 Class May Be Its Best Since the Herschel Walker Class
Seriously, it's only ranked #6 right now, but they have the #1 QB recruit in the nation with Jacob Eason, and the rumor is that there are 5-6 silent commits right now. This likely includes 5 star WR Mecole Hardman, 5-star DE Derrick Brown, and a handful of 4 star recruits. If this is true (and it seems very plausible), then it's likely that Georgia ends up with a top 3 class, and maybe even a #1 or #2 class in the nation.
Don't Think UGA Will Pull a Hamilton
While I don't think Georgia should pull the plug on Mark Richt yet, I also don't think they'll pull a Hamilton and hire incompetents like Kiffin and Derek Dooley. They'll get a top-notch coach and it won't be a disaster, but they might end up losing this one spectacular class that could have the potential to be national title worthy.
Georgia Should Fire Schottenheimer
While Richt certainly deserves some blame for this season's debacle, it really all goes back to one very terrible hire: Brian Schottenheimer as OC. Schottenheimer was known for overly complex, mediocre offenses in the NFL. I'm not really sure why Richt decided he was the perfect fit for the job, but after the Florida game, it's starting to look like his reputation might be deserved.
For whatever reason, UGA can't seem to have two good coordinators at the same time. Mike Bobo, in spite of constant criticism from UGA fans, regularly had some of the best offenses in college football. Yet, UGA was held back by Todd Grantham's awful defenses for several years. Finally, Grantham takes a new job (Louisville inexplicably decided he was so good, he deserved a raise!) and UGA gets a better DC. Then Mike Bobo leaves and Georgia hires an incompetent OC.
If UGA just found a good OC and kept this class together, they'd probably be a threat to win a national title once again.
As a UT Fan, I'm Torn
As much as I'd like to destroy Georgia for the next 10 years, I'm not sure that either option really yields that. Mark Richt's 2016 class is special and so long as he can replace Schottenheimer and find a quality OC, they'll be a threat to win the East again soon. On the other hand, if Georgia fires Richt, we may gain a short-term advantage, but they may end up with an even-better long-term coach like Justin Fuente.
I suppose as a UT fan, I'm hoping UGA fires Richt and then hires Kirby Smart, or some other unproven coordinator. That would be the best case scenario for us. I see UGA hiring Justin Fuente as the worst case scenario for us (particularly given his Memphis recruiting ties). And Mark Richt staying as a sort of middle ground.
On the other hand, there's this.
1. Mark Richt is Georgia's Best Coach in History
Sounds like a bold claim, but it's very defensible. Richt is 141 - 51 at UGA for a .734 win percentage. The man who is considered Georgia's greatest coach of all-time is Vince Dooley. Dooley was 201-77-10 for a .715 win percentage. Also factor in that Mark Richt likely had a higher strength of schedule in the 00s and 10s than Dooley had in the 70s and 80s. Then also consider that Dooley's record was dramatically improved by having arguably the greatest college football player of all-time, Herschel Walker. Dooley went 33-3 in the Walker years, so his win % drops to .687 without Walker. Based on all this, I think the claim that Mark Richt is Georgia's greatest coach looks very strong.
2. Vince Didn't Win Big Till His 17th Season
Amazing stat, but Dooley never won a national title till his 17th season at UGA. Interestingly, Dooley's 14th and 16th seasons were considered huge disappointments, going 5-6 and 6-5. He recruited Herschel Walker in his 17th season and the rest is history. Now he's known as the best coach in Georgia history. For the record, Mark Richt is in his 15th season, so he's almost at exactly the same point in his career where Dooley had a few disappointing seasons, but then turned it around and won a national title.
3. Georgia's 2016 Class May Be Its Best Since the Herschel Walker Class
Seriously, it's only ranked #6 right now, but they have the #1 QB recruit in the nation with Jacob Eason, and the rumor is that there are 5-6 silent commits right now. This likely includes 5 star WR Mecole Hardman, 5-star DE Derrick Brown, and a handful of 4 star recruits. If this is true (and it seems very plausible), then it's likely that Georgia ends up with a top 3 class, and maybe even a #1 or #2 class in the nation.
Don't Think UGA Will Pull a Hamilton
While I don't think Georgia should pull the plug on Mark Richt yet, I also don't think they'll pull a Hamilton and hire incompetents like Kiffin and Derek Dooley. They'll get a top-notch coach and it won't be a disaster, but they might end up losing this one spectacular class that could have the potential to be national title worthy.
Georgia Should Fire Schottenheimer
While Richt certainly deserves some blame for this season's debacle, it really all goes back to one very terrible hire: Brian Schottenheimer as OC. Schottenheimer was known for overly complex, mediocre offenses in the NFL. I'm not really sure why Richt decided he was the perfect fit for the job, but after the Florida game, it's starting to look like his reputation might be deserved.
For whatever reason, UGA can't seem to have two good coordinators at the same time. Mike Bobo, in spite of constant criticism from UGA fans, regularly had some of the best offenses in college football. Yet, UGA was held back by Todd Grantham's awful defenses for several years. Finally, Grantham takes a new job (Louisville inexplicably decided he was so good, he deserved a raise!) and UGA gets a better DC. Then Mike Bobo leaves and Georgia hires an incompetent OC.
If UGA just found a good OC and kept this class together, they'd probably be a threat to win a national title once again.
As a UT Fan, I'm Torn
As much as I'd like to destroy Georgia for the next 10 years, I'm not sure that either option really yields that. Mark Richt's 2016 class is special and so long as he can replace Schottenheimer and find a quality OC, they'll be a threat to win the East again soon. On the other hand, if Georgia fires Richt, we may gain a short-term advantage, but they may end up with an even-better long-term coach like Justin Fuente.
I suppose as a UT fan, I'm hoping UGA fires Richt and then hires Kirby Smart, or some other unproven coordinator. That would be the best case scenario for us. I see UGA hiring Justin Fuente as the worst case scenario for us (particularly given his Memphis recruiting ties). And Mark Richt staying as a sort of middle ground.
