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Report: Colorado Interested In UGA’s Richt
Georgia fans calling for Mark Richt’s head should like the news coming out of Boulder this weekend.
According to a Denver Post report, Georgia coach Mark Richt has emerged as one of two early candidates to replace former Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins.
Hawkins was fired earlier this week after 5 consecutive losses and 5 losing seasons with the Buffaloes.
Richt is in his 10th season in Athens and holds an impressive 95-33 record. In addition, he’s led the Bulldogs to 2 SEC championships and 3 SEC East titles. But even though Richt is one of the winningest coaches in the NCAA, he’s experienced a great deal of criticism since last year’s disappointing 8-5 record. The pressure has only intensified this season as Georgia went 0-3 in SEC play to start the year and then lost to an overmatched Colorado team 29-27. Georgia (3-5 SEC, 5-6 overall) now needs a win over Georgia Tech on November 27th just to become bowl eligible.
Still, it is widely believed that Richt will not be fired this season. Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said he has not been contacted by Colorado and expects Richt to be back next season.
“Sure I do,” McGarity said before the game against Auburn. “Absolutely.”
Richt makes about $2.8 million as Georgia’s coach, and Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn has said the school likely won’t pay more than $2 million for its new coach.
Former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti is the other candidate Colorado has expressed interest in. A search committee is expected to be named by next week.
When asked about the report in the post-game conference, Richt had only one thing to say: “Georgia is my home.”
