Mark Richt isn’t going anywhere, Dawg Nation, so calm down
By John Buhler
There’s no need for the Mark Richt hate now, Dawg Nation.
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Mark Richt’s Georgia Bulldogs lost a pitiful game to arch rival Florida Saturday afternoon, 27-3. Even if Richt has a 5-10 record against the Gators, hasn’t won the SEC since 2005, and has never gotten his team to a National Championship, the Head Coach of the Georgia Bulldogs isn’t going anywhere.
The pain felt by Georgia Bulldogs’ fans is certainly understandable. UGA hasn’t lived up its potential in the Mark Richt Era and many will argue that it’s more of the same in his 15th season leading the Dawgs.
Georgia routinely has a top ten recruiting class and normally starts out the year in the top half of the AP Top 25. Yet Dawg Nation remains starved from that illusive National Championship appearance. In times of intense struggle (2010 and present day), many UGA fans want Mark Richt gone. Be careful what you wish for.
Both the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas forced out their legendary head coaches in recent years: Tennessee’s Philip Fulmer after 2008 and Texas’ Mack Brown two years ago. The Volunteers and the Longhorns are two of the most storied college football programs in Division 1.
It was been painful to watch Tennessee struggle under its now third head coach since Fulmer, the always nerve-racking Butch Jones. Texas is a shell of itself under Charlie Strong, something never more evident than during Saturday’s shutout loss to Iowa State, 24-0. Can Dawg Nation be certain Athletic Director Greg McGarity can find a better replacement than Mark Richt in the college football universe?
Frankly, Georgia’s season was over on the first play from scrimmage in the Tennessee game, when Heisman contending running back Nick Chubb tore multiple ligaments in his knee. The team’s offense has been putrid since Chubb’s injury.
Let’s not forget, Georgia has a new offensive coordinator in Brian Schottenheimer, as well as three other coaching changes on the offensive side of the ball. Many members of Dawg Nation wanted former offensive coordinator Mike Bobo gone, too. They got their wish, as he and former offensive line coach Will Friend are now in Fort Collins coaching the Colorado State Rams.
Sometimes things need to get worse before they can get better. Georgia made a drastic change on defense in hiring defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt away from Florida State after the Seminoles won the 2013 BCS National Championship. Pruitt has done wonders in recruiting, and has performed the Herculean task of restructuring the defense after whatever Todd Grantham did to it.
Admittedly, the quarterback situation in Athens is bleak. Even behind a great offensive line, the quarterback play remains incompetent and will stay that way until highly touted quarterback prospect Jacob Eason enrolls in January.
Eason is the biggest recruit Mark Richt has had at Georgia since corralling Matthew Stafford from Highland Park, TX in 2006. Cutting ties with Richt would force Georgia to wait potentially years for some other quarterback savior to arrive. Eason’s commitment to Georgia is contingent on Richt being the head coach.
Richt has three main influences as a head coach: Nebraska’s Tom Osborne, Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, and Georgia’s Vince Dooley. All are iconic head coaches, and all won national titles after many years of building their respective programs. Dooley didn’t win his championship until Year 17 in Athens. Richt still has time and boasts a 141-51 record in Athens.
With the way Georgia continues to recruit under Richt, one day the stars will align and the Dawgs will contend for a College Football Playoff spot. Had it existed for the entirety of the Mark Richt Era, Georgia would have no doubt made it three times already (2002, 2007, and 2012). Would that have been enough to keep the always barking Mark Richt haters mum?
The losing is getting old, as is holding out for hope that Georgia will play for a National Championship under its current head coach. However, by losing far and away the team’s best player in back-to-back years to unforeseen circumstances (Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb), the stumbles are understandable. What championship contender can survive losses of Heisman-caliber players unscathed?
Richt has built a culture of family in Athens for a decade and a half. Georgia has not been as consistently strong for any fifteen year stretch in school history. If Richt can convince Jacob Eason to leave the Pacific Northwest to sling it for the Dawgs the next four years, then Richt may have the pleasure to win a title with his prized recruit at quarterback.
It’s tough, but try to stay patient, Georgia fans.