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Friday, October 30, 2026Oct 30

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UGA sees ‘D’ progress

ATHENS, Ga. – It was the biggest staff overhaul Mark Richt has made in his 10 seasons as Georgia’s football coach, firing three defensive assistants last December, including coordinator Willie Martinez.

The Bulldogs have played 11 games under new coordinator Todd Grantham, who was hired in January after two seasons as defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, but have they improved? Grantham was given a $750,000 annual salary, and his players believe he’s been worth it so far.

“Numbers-wise and the way we actually play as a unit, I think we’re a lot better,” inside linebacker Christian Robinson said. “I feel like we hustle to the ball a lot more. We get a lot more turnovers. We play a bigger part in changing the game.”

When asked if his defense was better now than a year ago, Richt said, “That’s kind of a reflective question. Let’s wait until the season is over and we’ll talk about those things.”