Former Georgia LB, staffer Juwan Taylor joins Dell McGee as defensive GA at Georgia State

New Georgia State head coach Dell McGee has gone to a familiar place to add to his staff. McGee is hiring former Georgia linebacker and young assistant coach Juwan Taylor to the staff at Georgia State, according to Matt Zenitz.

McGee was previously the running backs coach at Georgia before taking the job at Georgia State. Taylor worked with McGee at Georgia as an assistant director of player development.

Taylor will be a graduate assistant on staff at Georgia State, according to Zenitz.

Taylor played linebacker at Georgia from 2015-2018. He played in 46 career games for the Bulldogs and recorded 52 tackles as a senior in 2018 as Georgia made an appearance in the SEC Championship Game. Taylor also had a pair of forced fumbles and a pass defended during his senior campaign with the Bulldogs in 2018.

Georgia State brough in McGee in late February

McGee is reportedly signed a five-year deal with Georgia State.

McGee has spent the past seven seasons with Georgia, most recently serving as the team’s run game coordinator and running backs coach. He is replacing Shawn Elliot, who accepted an offer to become South Carolina’s run game coordinator and tight ends coach last week.

Georgia State went 7-6 last season, finishing the 2023 campaign with a convincing 45-22 win over Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. McGee has deep ties in the Peach State, dating back to his high school days.

Under McGee’s guidance, Georgia averaged 191.2 rushing yards per game last season, the 20th-most in the country. In his seven seasons at UGA, McGee has coached four 1,000-yard rushers: Nick Chubb in 2016-17; Sony Michel in 2017; D’Andre Swift in 2018-19; and Elijah Holyfield in 2018.

Chubb and Michel finished their careers as two of top three rushers in UGA history, amassing over 8,400 combined yards and 87 touchdowns. McGee was key in recruiting both of the standout talents to Georgia.

Before McGee joined the Bulldogs, he served as Georgia Southern’s running backs coach in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. McGee has only notched one game as a head coach when he served as GSU’s interim head coach during a bowl win in 2015.

McGee has also spent time in various roles at Auburn and Carver-Columbus High School. The Georgia native was a two-year starter and four-year letterwinner at Auburn from 1992-95, helping preserve the Tigers’ undefeated 1993 season with a critical interception against Alabama.