New Georgia football coach Kirby Smart has yet to announce any of his nine assistant coaches, but one current Bulldogs assistant appears likely to be retained.
Running backs coach Thomas Brown, who was hired by former coach Mark Richt in February, has been recruiting this week with Smart. Brown and Smart visited Georgia cornerback commitment Chad Clay in the Atlanta suburb of Suwanee, with Clay posting a picture of all three Tuesday night on Twitter.
Brown was a running back at Georgia from 2004 to '07, and his position coach in '05 was Smart.
"Kirby and another assistant are really at it right now," Bulldogs athletic director Greg McGarity said Wednesday morning on Atlanta's 680 AM. "I know that there is angst out there about who he's hiring and things like that, but that will happen over time. It is not important to do it quickly. It is important to get it right.
"Kirby has a plan, and he is following that plan."
Brown spent the 2012 season as Russ Huesman's running backs coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before moving on to Marshall in 2013 and to Wisconsin in 2014, when he worked with Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon.
After Monday's introductory news conference, Smart confirmed the hiring of Glenn Schumann, Alabama's associate director of player personnel, adding that he could become a full-time assistant.
When asked during the news conference about retaining any Georgia assistants, Smart said, "I don't want to put any timetable or have any speculation. That's really unfair to those coaches and their families. There will be consideration there, obviously, but I do think it's very important that I hire my staff and put my staff in place."
Georgia receivers coach Bryan McClendon is overseeing the preparation for the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl against Penn State. McClendon said earlier this week that his focus was on the bowl and that he was not on the road recruiting.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.