Former Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is in that same role this year for Louisville, which will face the Bulldogs in the Belk Bowl.Todd Grantham expressed pride Monday afternoon when asked about his four seasons as Georgia’s defensive coordinator.
Then he went back to work recruiting as Louisville’s defensive coordinator and preparing for the Bulldogs in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 30. Grantham left Georgia in January to join Bobby Petrino’s staff after helping with Bulldogs teams under Mark Richt that went 6-7, 10-4, 12-2 and 8-5.
“When you go back and look, I do feel like we changed a culture and developed a mental and physical toughness there,” Grantham said on a conference call. “Going back to when I was hired and maybe the perception of the program to the way it is now, we were able to win two SEC East titles and compete for an SEC championship. We had two 10-win seasons and 22 wins in two years, and then when you go back and look — playing Florida the last three years we were 3-0.
“When you look at Florida, Tennessee and Auburn the last three years, we were 8-1, and we were 3-0 against Georgia Tech. I think when you start looking at wins and losses and developing the mental toughness of your team, I think we did a tremendous job.”
Georgia’s 2011 team finished fifth nationally in total defense, and the 2012 Bulldogs came within 5 yards of knocking off Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game and getting a crack at Notre Dame for the BCS championship.