Mel Tucker will not coach with Georgia for the Bulldogs’ Sugar Bowl date with Texas after Colorado officially named him that program’s head coach Wednesday afternoon.
Exactly what the Bulldogs will do isn’t exactly clear, although there are obviously a couple of options.
One, of course, is head coach Kirby Smart could coach the defense himself. He could delegate more responsibility to inside linebacker coach Glenn Schumann, a possible replacement for Tucker as defensive coordinator should Smart elect to promote from within. It remains unclear if he plans to have a replacement in place before the Bulldogs’ date with Texas in the Sugar Bowl.
Graduate assistant Bacarri Rambo could also see an expanded role in helping to prepare the secondary for the game against the Longhorns.
It's likely Smart will wait until after the game on Jan. 1 before making his choice as he focuses on recruiting with the three-day early signing period set to begin Dec. 19.
News of Tucker accepting the offer to become Colorado’s new coach was broken Friday night by UGASports, but wasn’t made official by the school until Wednesday afternoon due to background checks and finalizing what is a five-year contract.
According to Colorado AD Rick George, the athletic department has proposed that CU's Board of Regents approve a five-year deal for Tucker worth $14.75 million of which the first-year salary would be $2.4 million and then increase by $275,000 annually, not including additional pay if any of several incentives in the contract are met.
"Colorado has always been a place that I thought should be relevant in the national championship conversation year-in and year-out, because of its tradition and a seemingly endless list of what the school has to offer," Tucker said via a statement. "What we have to offer are some of the best facilities in the country, strong academics, and an amazing environment as a whole. Colorado should be a 'no excuse' program. There's absolutely no reason we can't achieve success at an extremely high level.”
Smart said Tucker will be missed.
“When I came to Georgia in December of 2015, one of my top priorities was to bring Mel Tucker in as defensive coordinator,” Smart said in a statement. “He is an exceptional coach, coordinator and trusted friend He has a great combination of college experience, time in the NFL and has been a remarkable mentor to our players. Mel has been one of the major influences in the success we have had and we will certainly miss him.”
NOTES: Bulldog cornerback Deandre Baker Wednesday confirmed an earlier report by UGASports that he will indeed play in the Sugar Bowl and not skip the game in order to prepare for the NFL Draft. ... Both Jonathan Ledbetter and D'Andre Walker will take part in the Senior Bowl.
