Former Samford QB set to join Kirby Smart's coaching staff at Georgia: Report

Kirby Smart led the Georgia Bulldogs to an 11-3 record during the 2024 season. They emerged as the SEC champions and qualified for the first year of the 12-team college football playoffs. Unfortunately, their quest for a championship was cut short after losing to Notre Dame in the semifinal Sugar Bowl showdown.

With spring practices inching closer, Kirby Smart has made an addition to his coaching staff this offseason. According to reports, the Georgia Bulldogs are bringing in former Samford quarterback Ty Hatcher into the program as the new offensive quality control analyst.

Dawgs Central publisher Graham Coffey tweeted about Hatcher's hiring on X. According to him, 'FootballScoop' was the first to break the news about the Bulldogs' new hire.

"Georgia is hiring former Samford QB Ty Hatcher as an offensive quality control analyst. Hatcher is the son of Chris Hatcher, who gave Smart his first coaching job at Valdosta St. Just 25, Hatcher has worked at Alabama, Texas A&M & Oklahoma. @FootballScoop was the first with the news," the tweet read.

Ty Hatcher played for the Samford Bulldogs during his collegiate career. He joined as a freshman in 2019 and spent four seasons with the team. Following his playing career, he has already worked under some of the best college football head coaches.

Ty Hatcher has been a part of Nick Saban's staff in Alabama. He has also worked for Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher and at Oklahoma under Brent Venables. His dad, Chris Hatcher, has served as the head coach of Samford since 2015. Interestingly, Chris Hatcher was also the person to give Kirby Smart his first coaching job at Valdosta State.

The former Samford QB will be working with the Bulldogs' other quality control analysts Montgomery VanGorder and Brandon Streeter.

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Kirby Smart adds another coaching staff to help improve the Bulldogs' defense

Just a week before Ty Hatcher's hiring, Kirby Smart also brought in additional help to improve the team's defense. According to a report by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the program has brought in Andrew Thacker as the new nickels coach.

Thacker served as a defensive analyst last season for the Georgia Bulldogs. Before that, he had stints with Georgia Tech, Temple, Kennesaw State and UCF. He also spent one season in the NFL as the assistant coach of the Atlanta Falcons (2014).

Last year in November, Kirby Smart had high praises for Andrew Thacker. He stated that his presence would help improve the team's defensive prowess greatly over time.

"Yeah, he does a great job," Smart said. "He's got a lot of energy, enthusiasm. Defensively, he's been great for our defense in terms of energy, excitement. Players really like him. He does a great job of knowing is role, of defining his role, and being very helpful, and he's been a big asset for us."

The Georgia Bulldogs will begin their 2025 campaign with a showdown against Marshall on August 30. It will be interesting to see if Smart can win his third national championship with the team after the offseason changes.