'Extremely bright' Glenn Schumann continues to produce at Georgia

Kirby Smart‘s first known hire at Georgia wasn’t a big name. As it relates to coaching circles, few had ever heard of the guy. It was current co-defensive coordinator and play caller Glenn Schumann. After spending the previous eight years at Alabama in numerous roles but almost always working closely with Smart, Schumann got an on-field opportunity.

“What has [Schumann] done with that?” Smart said at SEC Media Days. “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.

It didn’t take long for Schumann, 33, to make his mark at Georgia. At inside linebacker, the position Schumann has coached since arriving in Athens, the Bulldogs were solid in year one but nothing special. The second season, however, saw a breakout star emerge in Roquan Smith. Georgia went 11-1 in the regular season, won the SEC Championship game, made the College Football Playoff, beat Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, and came up just short against Alabama in the National Championship game.

One of the guys most responsible for that success was Smith, who became Georgia’s first ever winner of the Butkus Award, an honor that goes to the nation’s top linebacker. Smith was a unanimous All American and defensive MVP of the SEC Championship game. From that point on, most who followed UGA football knew that the Bulldogs were in good hands.

Schumann would go on to have two more Butkus Award finalists in Monty Rice and Jamon Dumas-Johnson. He had another winner of the award, too, in Nakobe Dean. Tae Crowder was also a semifinalist for the honor.

Schumann moves up…

Mel Tucker, after three successful years as the defensive coordinator in Athens, moved on to become a head coach after the 2018 season. Smart turned to Schumann and Dan Lanning, after one year with the program as outside linebackers coach, as co-defensive coordinators

Lanning got the play-calling duties but Schumann, as he did early on at UGA and at Alabama before that, participated heavily in the defensive game planning. He served as the eyes in the sky for the Georgia defense, providing input from the booth.

Schumann and Lanning worked closely the next three seasons, helping the Bulldogs break a 41-year National Championship drought in 2021 with one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory. Lanning got his shot to become a head coach before the playoff, taking the job at Oregon.

Another co-coordinator situation but with a different role…

With Lanning leaving and veteran coach Will Muschamp on staff, Smart had a decision to make. Muschamp had called defenses before, many times. Many consider him one of the best defensive minds in the sport. Those close to the program know how much Smart, a few years younger, reveres Muschamp.

But the Georgia head coach, then heading into his seventh year, tapped the guy in his early 30s who had never called the defense before. Schumann got his shot. He made the move down to the field where he communicate with players face to face.

What happened next is no mystery. Georgia won a second straight National Championship and that was after losing five defenders to the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Departures forced the Bulldogs into a defensive rebuild and they still went 15-0 with a group that ranked in the top five nationally in almost every meaningful metric.

Alabama was in need of a defensive coordinator after the season and word on the street is that the Crimson Tide came calling. Schumann decided to stay put. Then the Philadelphia Eagles made a move, but Schumann decided that Georgia was where he wanted to be for at least one more season. His salary nearly doubled to $1.8 million, making him one of the highest-paid assistants in the sport. All worth it to his long-time boss.

“He is extremely bright, extremely passionate,” Smart said. “I rely heavily on Glenn for input on practice schedules, defensive design, thinking outside the box. There’s not a time when I think of who can I ask on my staff that understands what we want and what we need, Glenn Schumann is that guy. He’s very talented.