ATLANTA – When Kirby Smart announced that Will Muschamp and Glenn Schumann would serve as Co-Defensive Coordinators for the Bulldogs, there were some who cast a skeptical eye wondering how this combined effort would work.

Any worries about fit or function were unfounded.

“It's been outstanding. Glenn has done a phenomenal job this year, does a great job relating with our players, sending the message through our head football coach to our players,” Muschamp said Tuesday. “The expectation doesn't change, and I'm really proud of these guys sitting with me today and how they've approached this season of what we perceived to have lost last year, the guys we lost on our defense, and how these guys have handled this year.”

For Schumann, the opportunity and its subsequent results are a testament to why he’s considered one of the brightest young coaches in the game today.

"I think when I was a GA (graduate assistant) I always took the approach that I wanted to prepare every day that when I got the opportunity to expand my role, that there would never be a moment,” Schumann said. “There's nothing like experience, right, in whatever role, but I wanted to always prepare when I was a GA that when I got the opportunity to be on the field, I had confidence that I had done everything I possibly could to prepare myself for the next step.

"From the day I got here, I've tried to prepare myself for whatever opportunities come after that and to not wait. You don't wait.”

Of course, Muschamp and Schumann do not have the only say in the Georgia defense.

Head coach Kirby Smart obviously plays a huge role in what’s happening, but as both coaches explained, every defensive coach on the staff plays a role.

“There are a lot of voices in the defensive room, starting with Coach Smart and myself, and we have an outstanding defensive staff,” Muschamp said. “So, it's not anybody running a one-man show. It's a lot of people involved in what we're trying to do, and obviously the expectation we understand on defense at Georgia to be elite. ...we understand that, and you leave your egos on the shelf and understand what you've gotta do and what your role is in the organization to be successful.”

Schumann agreed.

"All of our voices are heard. I think that's important,” Schumann said. “Coach Smart will listen to anybody in the building, whether it's a GA or analyst, somebody in the nutrition or training room, it doesn't matter your role. Obviously, there's a hierarchy for decision-making, but I think he does a great job. You see his personality in that regard, but he does a great job of listening to everybody on the staff."

The results speak for themselves.

Despite losing five defensive players in the first round of the NFL Draft, Georgia’s defense has exceeded the expectations of most.

The Bulldogs come into Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Ohio State ranked second nationally in scoring defense (12.8 points per game), and first in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (77).

"We coach our guys hard, and they receive hard coaching. I think you can do that if there’s a certain connection, and that’s a word we talk about in our organization a lot,” Muschamp said. “I think there’s a huge connection, because you can be very honest with somebody when you have a connection, probably not so much when there’s no connection. They know we have their best interest, and that’s to help them be the best football player they can be, which helps us be the best team we can be at the University of Georgia.”