Kirby Smart praises co-DC Glenn Schumann, reveals the Alabama alum's impact at Georgia

When Glenn Schumann arrived at Georgia in 2016, he had never been an on-field coach. He was a student assistant and eventually graduate assistant at his alma mater, Alabama, before he followed Kirby Smart to Athens.

Now, with six years on staff and back-to-back national championships under his belt, Schumann garnered some high praise from Smart at SEC Media Days.

Smart spoke highly of Schumann, Georgia’s co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. Considering his background as an Alabama alum and son of a former Crimson Tide player, he’s all about getting better — and that’s what stands out to Smart.

“First off, Glenn Schumann’s an incredible man and person,” Smart said. “He’s a graduate of Alabama. He came there on the ‘Bear Bryant Scholarship.’ His dad played football at Alabama. He’s the son of a football coach, he’s extremely bright, he’s extremely passionate. I rely heavily on Glenn for input on practice schedules, defensive design, thinking outside the box. There’s not a time that when I think of who can I ask on my staff that understands what we want and what we need, Glenn Schumann’s that guy. He’s very talented.

“And Glenn Schumann will be the first to admit, he came to the University of Georgia without ever getting an on-the-field coaching position, and I was very confident in his role to do that. What has he done with that? He has produced one of the most productive inside linebacker rooms in the country, and he’s one of the people that really believes in growth being a part of his process and he continues to grow to this day.”

Glenn Schumann has proven he can get Georgia inside linebackers to the NFL

Schumann played an integral role in developing some of Georgia’s top NFL Draft talent over the last seven years. It started with Roquan Smith and has resulted in the back-to-back national championship talent. Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker were the Nos. 19 and 22 overall picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, and Nolan Smith was the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

In fact, the recent success at Georgia has resulted in potential NFL opportunities for Schumann. He interviewed to for the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator job this offseason after the Bulldogs’ second consecutive title, but ultimately decided to stay with Smart at Georgia.

The 2023 season will be Schumann’s second as co-defensive coordinator alongside Will Muschamp, who slid into the role in 2022 after Dan Lanning left to become Oregon’s head coach.