Georgia names defensive coordinator following College Football Playoff

The Georgia football team has announced that their defensive coordinator, Dan Lanning, will stay with the Bulldogs through the College Football Playoff, per a statement from Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. The plan is for Glenn Schumann and Will Muschamp to become co-defensive coordinators for the Bulldogs.

Multiple reports announced today that Lanning will officially become the next head coach of the Oregon Ducks. He will do so once the Bulldogs are finished with the College Football Playoff. Former Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal recently took the head coaching job for the Miami Hurricanes.

This season, Lanning coached the Bulldogs’ defense to historically good levels and their numbers had been amazing for much of the season. He’s thought of as one of the brightest minds in college football today and it showed for much of the season for Georgia.

The Bulldogs, however, got absolutely torched in the SEC Championship Game, by Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. The California native made some history of his own by carving up the Georgia defense to the tune of 421 passing yards, setting the all-time passing yardage record for the SEC Championship Game.

As humbling and humiliating as the SEC Championship Game was for his defense, there’s no disputing Lanning’s defense put up incredible numbers for this year.

Longtime college defensive coordinator D.J. Elliot raved about the Bulldogs’ defense when asked about them. In an article written by Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, he gushed about Georgia’s front seven, “Georgia’s front seven may be the most talented front seven in the history of college football.” There’s a lot of truth to that, even if they didn’t play like it in the SEC Championship Game.

Lanning is one of the top recruiters in college football

Lanning is one of the best recruiters in college football and landed the likes of star linebackers Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith, and five-star signal caller Brock Vandagriff for the Bulldogs. Not only will his schematic presence be missed on the field, but his elite recruiting ability will be greatly missed in Athens.

Georgia faces off against Michigan in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff. The Capital One Orange Bowl will be played in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST on Dec. 31.