Offensive Line Coach Search- Who's Next?

Athens, GA- Games are won in the trenches on Saturdays in the SEC. This was Kirby Smart's first objective when he arrived in Athens back in 2016. He knew he had to get bigger, tougher, and add depth on both sides of the ball.

Fast Forward 7 years later, Georgia is the reigning National Champion in College Football and an opening at a very important position has created itself. University of Georgia associate head coach/offensive line coach Matt Luke is stepped down from his position to spend more time with family according to an announcement Monday by UGA head coach Kirby Smart.

This job figures to be an attractive one and Georgia should have a long line of candidates to pick from. A loaded roster of talent, a fertile recruiting ground, and what is probably a nice salary bump (Luke was due to make $900,000 in 2022) for the incumbent.

So what/who is Kirby Smart looking for? Recruiting is always going to come first and foremost under Coach Smart. That's his bread and butter and he has always stated the coaching and schemes are no match for talented players. In his most recent hires, Kirby has also looked for another attribute.

“I am big on fit,” Smart said about the hiring of McClendon. “Does someone fit the culture we are trying to create? We don’t look at a lot of things that people on the outside world look at. I look at, can they make our staff better, can they make our players better, do they fit our culture.”

Considering the recruiting dead period ends on March 1 and spring practice begins on March 15, expect Georgia to move quickly in locating its next offensive line coach.

Here's am Initial list of names we have been hearing for the Opening:

• Will Friend - Auburn offensive line coach

• Mike Munchak - Former Denver Broncos Offensive line Coach

• Eric Mateos - Baylor offensive line coach

• Greg Studrawa - Former Ohio State offensive line coach Greg Studrawa

• Nick Jones - Former Dawgs and Assistant Offensive line Coach for LA Rams

• Cody Kennedy - Arkansas Offensive Lin Coach and Worked at UGA in 2018