Rumors Everywhere, Here is One from BUI

First, I have no inside sources within the Georgia Athletic Department. Let me be very clear about this. I am not a big Hartman donor. I am just a middle-aged man (it hurts to say that) running a blog on Georgia football.

Get a grain of salt if you want to keep reading.

Having said that, I do have a few casual relationships with a person or two that run in circles that claim to be peripherally in the loop. One such man called me tonight. He called to complain.

“Mike, you don’t know what the hell you are talking about” is how the conversation began.

His son had informed him of my blog. He read some recent posts where I had cited published stories regarding Georgia’s contact with Bud Foster and Foster’s turning Georgia down.

He took specific issue with the suggestion that our talks with Bud Foster indicated any budget Georgia was allocating to the hire. He said that no one had been offered the job. No one.

He informed me that while it very well may be Mark Richt sole discretion to make the hire of his choice, any financial package beyond what currently exists will require an approval process. According to this old quail hunter, Damon Evans’ rubber stamp has a very specific ceiling, anything total financial outlay above that requires a committee clearance.

All of that sounded reasonable to me. He continued, “Mark Richt will not offer the job to anyone that is not going to accept it. Several people have been contacted. Richt is taking the temperature of the marketplace.”

I specifically asked about Kirby Smart. He stated, to his knowledge Richt has not spoken directly to Smart but others have and Smart was “obviously interested.” He did not know if Smart was atop Richt’s wish list but guessed he was not.

He did not think anyone was a clear leader at this point. He does not believe that Richt is in a hurry to make a decision. He did not believe that National Signing Day or the current recruiting period was a factor at all.

He said Richt will be very deliberate in the search. Richt is not worried about beating any others to the punch. The firings were made prior to the bowl game, not in an effort to assist the deposed coaches’ job search, but to let the coaching community know there is a great opening and that they should “hold their water.”

As for being concerned about the new DC leaving quickly for a head coaching position, Richt is not concerned at all. In fact, that would be the goal. It would mean success. It would also make the next hire easier. He wants his coaches  to move up the ladder. “Neil Calloway’s departure was not the end of the world,” he said smugly.

He said the stated goal was to have a new DC in place well before the start of spring training.  He also told me not to fall for anything coming out in the press because Richt was only disclosing his process. He would be talking with several respected people. Many of the conversations have been/will be purely about defensive philosophy.

Now that I have posted this, we will probably have an announcement tomorrow naming our new defensive coordinator. I don’t know what to make of it. I told him I was going to post it, he said go ahead.

So there you have, I have officially become a rumor monger.

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