Georgia new defensive assistants Travaris Robinson, Donte Williams fitting right in
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia added a pair of new assistants on each side of the ball this offseason, and both on defense happen to come in the secondary. With Will Muschamp and Fran Brown out the door, in come Travaris Robinson and Donte Williams to bring their own spin on coaching defensive backs.
For Robinson, that looks very similar to Muschamp. The two spent time together twice at Auburn (2006-07, 2015) along with Florida (2011-14) and South Carolina (2016-20). In their final stop alongside each other, Robinson acted as Muschamp’s defensive coordinator, helping take the Gamecocks to a trio of bowl games in five seasons. Along the way, “T-Rob” picked up a thing or two from “Boom.”
“I’ve known Coach T-Rob for quite a little minute now since I was a Florida kid and he was at Miami. So he recruited out of Miami, then he’s here at Georgia now. I would say I’ve known him for a little bit,” Georgia safety JaCorey Thomas said about his new position coach. “He’s a cool coach. Him and Coach Muschamp’s been coaching together for they said like 15 years, so they’re pretty much the same person.”
Meanwhile with Williams, there’s a bit more of a change. Not having any obvious ties to Georgia or the staff in Athens, he brings a different style. Williams has shown a willingness to get involved in defensive backs drills himself as a way to relate to his players and show them exactly how things should be done.
“Fran Brown was a coach who wanted the best out of us at all times. Both of them are great coaches, but the thing about Donte, Donte will like put cleats on, put a helmet on and do the drills with us,” redshirt sophomore cornerback Julian Humphrey, slotted by many as a starter this upcoming season, said. “He’s sending us videos of different drills we’re going to do, sometimes has gloves on and gets out there to do all the drills and show us how it’s done. I think that’s been helping us as a whole, seeing him do it right there and us mimicking the same thing he’s doing. I think it helps a lot.”
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knows a thing or two about coaching defensive backs. A former UGA safety, Smart made his name in the sport while working with the position specifically, doing so at Valdosta State under Muschamp’s watch before transitioning to LSU where he worked with both Muschamp and Nick Saban. Then came eight years at Alabama with Saban.
All told, Smart would spend 12 seasons with the two former defensive backs and masterminds of the secondary. He’s become a bit of a mastermind himself, so needless to say, he understands what it takes to be successful in the shoes of both Robinson and Williams.
“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Smart said about Williams wearing a helmet while coaching during an earlier spring practice session with media viewing. “I don’t know if that’s legal. I hope it is, since he’s got a helmet on out there like an extra player. He may need it for safety, because some of those corners may be coming after him.”
“They both have great energy. They have great relationships with their players. They’re really good recruiters but they’re also passionate and have a lot of energy on the field,” he continued, speaking on both new defensive assistants. “Everything that we heard about them and the things we wanted them to come into our program for, they’re here for. I’m really proud of both those guys and how they’ve transitioned thus far.”
Georgia will pass the halfway point of spring practice with its next session on Thursday, the eighth so far. The Bulldogs will suit up for their first scrimmage of the spring on Saturday with two weeks to go until the annual G-Day spring game on April 13th.
