Georgia football coach Mark Richt on Wednesday hired Brian Schottenheimer as the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Bulldogs.
Schottenheimer has spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams. He replaces Mike Bobo, who was named last month as the new head coach at Colorado State.
"I'm excited to have Brian join our coaching staff," Richt said in a statement. "His NFL experience will be a perfect fit for how we like to play offensive football here at Georgia. He'll be excellent in developing our players in both the running and passing games, which will benefit them while they are at Georgia and for their future."
Schottenheimer was offensive coordinator with the New York Jets from 2006 to 2011, helping the Jets to the AFC championship after the 2009 and '10 seasons. Before that he was quarterbacks coach with the San Diego Chargers (2002 to '05) and the Washington Redskins (2001).
The son of former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer began his coaching career with the Rams and Dick Vermeil in 1997. He worked under his father with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998 and again with Washington in '01, and in between he coached Syracuse's receivers in 1999 and Southern California's tight ends in 2000.
"This is a great opportunity to become a Georgia Bulldog for both my career and my family," Schottenheimer said. "I'm thrilled to be part of an elite program with such national tradition and a great staff already in place. I look forward to working with young men and being a positive and significant influence on their lives as we develop them athletically, academically and socially."
Reaction to the hiring of Schottenheimer was mixed.
"An absolutely great hire by Mark Richt," ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit posted on Twitter. "Outside the box thinking."
Others pointed out that Schottenheimer's last offense with the Jets in 2011 ranked 25th among the NFL's 32 teams with 311.8 yards a game and that his three Rams offenses ranked 23rd (329.0), 30th (304.8) and 28th (314.7).
Perhaps the most important feedback came from Tony Eason, the father of 2016 Georgia quarterback commitment Tony Eason. Rivals.com ranks Eason as the No. 1 overall prospect in the '16 class, while 247Sports.com ranks him as the No. 1 quarterback.
"It's a really great hire," Eason told 247Sports.com. "It's a home run. His resume speaks for itself. Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Brett Favre, Sam Bradford, and Mark Sanchez -- he helped develop all of those guys.
"I couldn't ask for anything better for my son."
Schottenheimer was a high-school quarterback in Kansas who attended the University of Kansas before transferring to Florida. He played for the Gators from 1994 to '96 and backed up Danny Wuerffel on Steve Spurrier's '96 national champions along with Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise.
He graduated from Florida in 1997 with a degree in exercise and sports science.
This is the second time Richt has turned to the NFL for a prominent hire. In January 2010, he hired Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Todd Grantham as his defensive coordinator.
Richt is still seeking an offensive line coach to replace Will Friend, who is now Bobo's offensive coordinator in Fort Collins.
Getting started
The Bulldogs have eight early enrollees this year, including linebackers Jake Ganus and Chuks Amaechi. Ganus transferred from UAB, while Amaechi arrived from Arizona Western Community College.
There are six newcomers directly out of high school -- tight end Jackson Harris, safeties Johnathan Abram and Jarvis Wilson, and defensive linemen Michael Barnett, Johnathan Ledbetter and Natrez Patrick.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.