Georgia expected to hire Chidera Uzo-Diribe as next outside linebackers coach
According to On3’s Matt Zenitz, Georgia is expected hire Chidera Uzo-Diribe from TCU to fill the open coaching position on the defensive side of the ball. He fills the spot left empty after former outside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning left Georgia to become the head coach at Oregon.
Hired as the Horned Frogs’ defensive line coach after making the move from TCU to SMU with first-year head coach Sonny Dykes, Uzo-Diribe will coach outside linebackers for the Bulldogs in Athens. Prior to his time in the Dallas-Fort Worth area though, Uzo-Diribe spent two seasons as the outside linebackers coach at Kansas (2019-20) and was a graduate assistant working with the defensive line and outside linebackers at Colorado for another three (2016-18). He initially joined the Buffaloes as a recruiting intern in 2015.
Uzo-Diribe played his college ball at Colorado, finishing his career tied for sixth in sacks (20), tied for 17th in tackles for loss (21) and second in school history for forced fumbles (10). In 2013, Uzo-Diribe earned a spot on the final watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award, given annually to the top defensive end in college football, as he ranked second in the country for forced fumbles with five. His percentage (83.9%) of solo tackles (99) to total tackles (118) is highest in CU history. Uzo-Diribe would go on to sign as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2014 and was one of the last to be waived during training camp before returning to his alma mater the next year.
In the Summer of 2018, Uzo-Diribe participated in the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program with the San Francisco 49ers, a program generated to offer minority coaches more opportunities to learn, coupled with exposure to job opportunities. Furthermore, Uzo-Diribe’s trajectory at such a young age, 29, earned him a spot on 247Sports’ 30-Under-30 list.
Uzo-Diribe is married to wife, Hana, and a cousin of former New York Giants’ Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora. He’ll be working with the likes of returning starters Nolan Smith and Robert Beal in the outside linebackers room, as well as five-star signee Marvin Jones Jr. Smith passed up the NFL Draft to return for his senior season after making 56 tackles, fifth most on the team, in 2021, including 9.0 tackles for loss, good for second. Meanwhile, Beal returns for his super-senior year of eligibility after leading the team in sacks with 6.5 quarterback takedowns this past season.
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