Vanderlinden could quickly fix that problem

Green NFL draft-eligible after next season, the window of opportunity will get much smaller.I have compiled a list of five candidates I believe the University of Georgia should hire. There are three popular names you will not see on this list.You will not see Tommy Tuberville on my list because he had already told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he has no intention of being a coordinator earlier this year.You will not see Will Muschamp. If he refuted rumors of the head coaching job at Notre Dame, he is not coming to UGA to be a defensive coordinator. He seems to be the coach-in-waiting at Texas, and he is perfectly content despite being a UGA graduate Lastly, I did not add Brian VanGorder Yes, he was great at UGA prior to Martinez. However, he is now a defensive coordinator in the NFL, and I do not think he is leaving that for a college job he had already left.If either of these three would take it, I would want Richt to jump on it as soon as possible. However, chances are less than five percent that any of these coaches accept the position.As a result, here is my list of realistic candidates..

While I am against hiring an inexperienced defensive coordinator, Ron Vanderlinden might be the exception.As linebackers coach for Penn State he has mentored some of the top linebackers in the nation. He has been the main ingredient in developing several All-Americans over the past nine years. You have to believe with Vanderlinden as our defensive coordinator, the days of multiple missed tackles on one play will come to an end. Vanderlinden could quickly fix that problem.I believe that Vanderlinden is going to be a great defensive coordinator one day. However, we should only hire him if the other four do not accept the position.

While it is not clear if Ron Zook will be fired this season as head coach of the University of Illinois, it is clear he could be a great addition to the UGA staff.To understand his potential as a defensive coordinator, you have to forget his last eight years as a head coach.Some coaches are born to be lifelong coordinators; others are better fit to be head coaches Zook should have been a lifelong coordinator. The greatness of Ron Zook as a defensive coordinator is debatable. However, two seasons later he was reassigned by Steve Spurrier as defensive coordinator once again.He also served as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, and that speaks volumes.Regardless, he would clearly be a huge step up from our current staff. He would also fill a recruiting void that is going to be present when Rodney Gardner does not get the promotion he desires It should also be said that he is more than a recruiter. If he wasnt, then why did the Saints hire him as defensive coordinatorPlus, there has to be some level of desire for him to come back to the SEC and defeat the team that fired him, the University of Florida.. During that time, Alabama has been among the toughest defenses in the nation. Smart is a fan favorite to led Georgias defense back to SEC dominance.

However, there are legit questions that must be asked about how successful he would be at the University of Georgia. The first question is how much of the Tide's defensive success has been Nick Sabans doing and how much is because of Smart This is a valid question. However, the same questions were purposed about Will Muschamp, and that has worked out pretty well.Also, Saban has taken Smart everywhere he has gone (LSU, NFL, Alabama). Saban is not known as a loyal guy, so he must see something great in Coach Smart.The second question is has he burned any bridges It has been rumored that he and Mark Richt do not have a great relationship because of recruiting tactics that Smart used in the past against UGA.However, Richt knows he is on the hot seat this coming season, and he cannot risk another mediocre season. As a result, he would have to swallow his pride if these rumors are factual.. Tyrone Nix might be the most underrated defensive coordinator in all of college football.