Georgia, football coach Mark Richt agree to part ways – USA TODAY
One of the longest, most successful and also frustrating coaching tenures in recent Southeastern Conference history is over. After 15 seasons, 145 wins and two SEC championships, Mark Richt and Georgia parted ways on Sunday.
The official release said the two sides “mutually agreed” that Richt would step down following a meeting with athletics director Greg McGarity on Sunday. But make no mistake, Richt had spent the last month fighting to keep his job and coach in 2016. He flew to the West Coast to post social media pictures with Jacob Eason, the top-ranked quarterback recruit who is committed to Georgia. He won close games against Auburn, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech to finish 9-3 this season, following a 10-3 record last year.
It simply wasn’t enough, as Richt’s record in the last three seasons lacked any heft or, more important, SEC East division titles.
Though Richt supporters pointed to his overall record and consistency, the first eight years of his tenure were markedly different than the last seven. Between 2001 and 2008, Richt posted six top-10 finishes and two SEC titles. Since then, however, he had two 8-5 seasons and couldn’t capitalize on a weak East division. The Bulldogs came within one play of beating Alabama in the 2012 SEC championship game, which would have put them into the national title game against Notre Dame, but it was the outlier in the second half of Richt’s tenure.
USA TODAY Sports reported earlier this year that Georgia administrators considered firing Richt after last season when the Bulldogs slipped from national relevance after a loss to Florida and a home loss to Georgia Tech but school President Jere Morehead was not on board with a change. Instead, he was given a contract extension and a raise.
Things changed this season, however, after Georgia’s 4-0 start against weak competition was exposed in October. The Bulldogs weren’t competitive against Alabama in a 38-10 loss, blew a double-digit lead at Tennessee and lost soundly to Florida 27-3. Around the same time, anecdotal evidence of dissension on the coaching staff started to leak out from the program.
Though Georgia rallied to win four in a row — none impressively and all against weak competition — the decision had been made. According to one person with knowledge of the situation, Georgia quietly made moves to start a coaching search over the last week. And McGarity, according to another person with knowledge of the situation, was not part of the locker room celebration after the Auburn win, which was noted by the coaching staff.
The next day, when Richt flew across the country for a very public meeting with the Bulldogs’ future starting quarterback, it signaled he knew sentiment of Georgia’s most prominent supporters had turned against him.
Coaches consider the Georgia job among the best in the country because it is the pre-eminent program in a state that put more players in the NFL draft this year than any other except Florida. The population of the Metro Atlanta area is 25% bigger now than when Richt took the job in 2001. Georgia has the facilities and support to win national championships and plays on the easier side of the SEC.
Much speculation initially will focus on Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, a Georgia alum who is also firmly in the mix at South Carolina. But Georgia is a big enough job to attract sitting successful head coaches if McGarity wants to aim high.
One person with knowledge of the situation said earlier this season that McGarity had a high opinion of Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen. The two worked together at Florida when McGarity was the department’s No. 2 and Mullen was Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator.
Another name that could get some traction is Houston coach Tom Herman, who was the primary recruiter for the Atlanta area when he was Ohio State’s offensive coordinator.
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