NEW ORLEANS – It's been of the bigger mysteries for media members covering the Sugar Bowl. Which defensive assistant would head coach Kirby Smart be sending out for Saturday’s obligatory press conference to preview Tuesday night’s game against No. 15 Texas? (8:45, ESPN)

With former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker now the head coach at Colorado, outside linebacker coach Dan Lanning drew the short straw.

Smart doesn't let assistants talk to the media during the season. He allows his offensive and defensive coordinators one appearance in the preseason, one more in whatever bowl Georgia happens to visit.

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will speak to the media on Sunday.

“Coach Smart and I talked (Friday) about coming up here and doing the podium experience,” Lanning said. “It’s my first Sugar Bowl presser, so it’s a little bit different than Park Hill South High School when I was an assistant coach. But the football field is still 100 yards long the last time I checked. We’ll be OK when we step out on that.”

The first-year Georgia assistant seemed to handle the hot seat well, showing the ability to deflect questions about his future with the finesse of a 15-year pro.

Lanning’s name previously was mentioned as a possible candidate to follow Tucker to Colorado as that team’s defensive coordinator; the position ultimately went Tyson Summers. Yet many have wondered if he might be up for the same job with the Bulldogs.

“I don’t want to speak to that,” Lanning said. “Right now, our focus is on this game. I have all the respect in the world for Mel Tucker. He’s a mentor and friend in this business. But right now our focus is on this game.”

Lanning also declined to say if he’s interviewed with Smart to be the Bulldogs’ new DC.

“Look, there’s a ton of interest. This is the Georgia defensive coordinator’s job. We’re going to be able to attract a lot of great candidates for this position. We’ve got a lot of great people on staff and in-house,” Lanning said. “I think everybody is kind of taking a piece of the pie, moving forward for this game and what it will look like from a play caller, signal caller standpoint. After the game, I think there will be some decisions made as far as what that looks like moving forward.”

Lanning became Georgia’s outside linebackers coach this time a year ago, coming over from Memphis. In the year he’s been on Smart’s staff, he’s already earned a lot of respect from his players. Even ones at positions he doesn’t coach.

“Coach Lanning—I don’t think that guy ever gets tired,” defensive back Tyrique McGhee said. “The first meeting he ran, he told everybody to stand up. He just wanted to get everybody involved, juiced up. He’d ask questions of guys who don’t usually get a chance to answer them. He gives everybody the opportunity to learn. I love Coach Lanning to death.”

As far as Tuesday night’s Sugar Bowl is concerned, Lanning indicated he won’t have any extra on his plate of responsibilities than normal.

That includes any changes in regards to how defensive plays will be called.

“I think a lot of people put a lot more into that than is probably the actual case. We make a lot of those decisions each week before we actually get to the game. So when you look at a specific situation in the game, a lot of those decisions have already been made,” Lanning said. “The right answer is that everybody is going to be involved just like they've been all week—a combination of Coach Smart, Coach (Glenn) Schumann, Coach (Tray) Scott, and myself are working really hard to put together a great plan for these guys. But when we get into the game, a lot of those decisions have already been made.”