Kevin Sherrer: Possible UGA defensive coordinator?

Kevin Sherrer, the Georgia Bulldogs outside linebackers coach, may emerge as a leading candidate to replace Jeremy Pruitt as UGA’s defensive coordinator.

With former Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt going back to his alma mater at the University of Alabama to replace for Alabama defensive coordinator and new Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, Smart will have to look for a replacement for Pruitt when composing his UGA coaching staff. Would it make sense to promote linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer to defensive coordinator for the sake of defensive continuity?

Sherrer joined Pruitt’s staff in 2014 after being the defensive coordinator of the South Alabama Jaguars in 2013. He is responsible for a great deal of the fantastic pass rushers in the UGA 3-4 Base defense. Sherrer has proven himself as a strong recruiter and has worked with Kirby Smart in Tuscaloosa as part of Nick Saban’s coaching staff in recent years.

Though he has not been officially retained as a member of Smart’s 2016 coaching staff, Kevin Sherrer has been on the recruiting trail for the Dawgs even after Mark Richt’s dismissal. With UGA having already made two big splashes on the offensive side of the ball in new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and offensive line coach Sam Pittman, would Smart opt to promote from within and replace Pruitt with Kevin Sherrer?

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The idea of Kirby Smart promoting a defensive coordinator from within is most likely to happen with Kevin Sherrer than either defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, who initially was going to stay on Smart’s staff, but that’s now up in the air, and inside linebackers coach Mike Ekeler, who will likely join on another staff in a similar defense/special teams role he had with UGA the last two years.

With Kirby Smart now heading back to Tuscaloosa to help the Crimson Tide in their efforts to win another National Championship as a part of the 2015 College Football Playoff, his focus is now very much split between UGA and Alabama. While he is recruiting and planning for 2016 at Georgia, Smart still feels the need to coach the Tide for the rest of the season on their Playoff run.

This CFP run could serve as a distraction for Smart from actively pursuing a marquee replacement for Pruitt. However Smart, who is a defensive-minded coach, may have a great feel for who he hires as his defensive coordinator. He could very well end up calling his own plays defensively like he did at Alabama. Keep in mind that former head coach Mark Richt called the offense for the first few years in Athens before handing off play calling duties to former offensive coordinator Mike Bobo a decade ago.

Kirby Smart could have a similar idea in place with Kevin Sherrer. Sherrer was UGA’s top defensive assistant up in the booth in 2015 and he could reprise a similar role on Smart’s coaching staff. With Sherrer still recruiting for Georgia and his previous work experience on Smart’s defensive staff in Tuscaloosa, a promotion for him could very well happen.

I doubt that UGA makes a high-profile hire defensively, as no name would jump off the page more than Kirby Smart’s arrival in Athens anyway. He would likely want to cultivate his own defensive coordinator, similarly to how Richt brought Bobo along.

Next: Georgia Bulldogs: Reactions to Chaney, Pittman hires

The longer we have to wait to find out who will end up replacing Jeremy Pruitt as the next defensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs, the more likely in my opinion that Smart will promote from within. If that seems the most likely route, then it wouldn’t shock me to see Kirby Smart name Kevin Sherrer as the next defensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs.

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