The morning of Sunday November 29th was a sad, sad morning for not just UGA football fans, but college football fans from around the nation. November 29th was the day that Mark Richt and Georgia decided to part ways. It was decided that after Richt coaches the team one last time in their bowl game, he would no longer be Georgia’s head football coach.
Richt came to Georgia 15 years ago, and has accumulated 145 wins and only 51 losses over his years as UGA’s head coach. In those wins he has 2 SEC championships in 2002 and 2005 and 6 of their 7 total SEC East Division Championships. Although he never got UGA a national championship, Richt was more than just a coach not only to his players, but also to Georgia fans and the Athens community.
As the news was dispersed all over social media and ESPN, players, former and present, had some things to say about their coach. A few of the main players who showed their support for Coach Mark Richt included, Aaron Murray, Todd Gurley, Chris Conley and Damian Swann. Not only did players voice their opinions, but other coaches, like Nick Saban, also voiced their opinions of this decision during press conferences. Everyone who spoke about the situation all seemed to agree on one thing: Mark Richt was a great coach, and he is a man that young men need to look up to.
With Richt leaving after this year’s bowl game, UGA’s current top-five recruiting class is in danger. The most notable of the recruits, Jacob Eason, has been known to say that he may change his mind about going to Georgia if Richt is not there, and with Sunday’s news came Eason’s scheduled official visit to Florida. As other schools have witnessed, with the loss of a head coach comes losses in recruiting classes and in the upcoming seasons.
As an end to an era nears, Georgia football fans are all asking, “now what?” Although Georgia's new coach will not begin until after this season is over, Kirby Smart will replace Mark Richt as soon as the season ends. Many think that this is a "smart" hire due to Kirby's great defensive coordinating for the Alabama Crimson Tide, while others are still asking if they can have Richt back. Kirby who was a UGA letterman from 1995-1998 will be the one to fill the new head coach opening, and will have big shoes to fill.
Richt was more than just a coach; he was a symbol of what Georgia football stood for, and that is going to be hard for Kirby to live up to. In order to live up to such high expectations, Smart will be bringing in his own staff. Fans will have to get used to not only a new head coach, but other coordinators and assistant coaches as well.
Thank you Coach Mark Richt for not only being a great coach to Georgia players for the last 15 years, but for also being a man of God and showing young men all that they are cut out for whether it be on the football field or off. As your time comes to an end here at Georgia, it’s sad to think that generations below will never hear “Commit to the G” and picture you leading the way on the run through the “G” banner before every home game, or in the middle of a huddle pumping up 25 football players or giving the crowd a thumbs up after every win. Best of luck to you wherever life takes you next, and best of luck to Kirby as he will try to fill in your shoes for the upcoming years.
