Glenn Schumann to coach inside linebackers for UGA
By John Buhler
Glenn Schumann’s role with the Georgia Bulldogs’ defense was clearly defined by head coach Kirby Smart Wednesday morning. Schumann will coach the inside linebackers.
Tuesday morning, all nine assistant coaches for the 2016 Georgia Bulldogs coaching staff were officially on-boarded by the Georgia athletic department, as former NFL defensive coordinator and 2015 Alabama Crimson Tide defensive backs coach Mel Tucker became the ninth and final member of Kirby Smart’s staff at UGA.
However, there was a bit of confusion surrounding what roles Mel Tucker and former Alabama defensive assistant Glenn Schumann would have on the UGA staff. Smart finalized in the positional allocations of his defensive staff in his press conference Wednesday morning in Athens.
Seth Emerson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and DawgNation writes that Glenn Schumann will become the Georgia Bulldogs’ next inside linebackers coach, replacing Mike Ekeler who spent the last two years on Jeremy Pruitt’s defense before leaving the program after Mark Richt’s dismissal.
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Smart also clarified that Mel Tucker would coach the Georgia secondary as well as coordinate the defense. This isn’t a surprise at all, as coordinators also act as position coaches along with their coordinator duties. Tucker replaces Pruitt both as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Georgia Bulldogs.
The big revelation in all of this is that Glenn Schumann did receive a promotion in following Kirby Smart to Athens. He was merely a defensive assistant to Smart in Tuscaloosa the last few years. Both Schumann and Tucker come to Athens in bigger and better roles with the UGA program than they had in 2015 while with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Finalizing the roles of both Glenn Schumann and Mel Tucker on the defensive staff serves as an added benefit to the two remaining defensive coaches from Mark Richt’s 2015 staff. Both defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and outside linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer will have the same roles for the third straight year in Athens, even after an otherwise complete coaching staff overhaul catalyzed by Kirby Smart’s return to Georgia.
Not having Rocker or Sherrer switch roles helps maintain continuity to what was largely a strong defensive unit in for the Georgia Bulldogs the last two seasons. It seems that defense will become the staple of the UGA program under Smart, as he spent has playing days in the Red and Black in the Georgia defensive backfield in the 1990s.
Next: Kirby Smart completes Georgia Bulldogs coaching staff
Now that all nine assistant positions have properly been filled, it is full steam ahead for the Georgia Bulldogs, as Kirby Smart and his coaching staff prepare for National Signing Day, 2016 Spring Practice, and most importantly the 2016 NCAA season. Go Dawgs!