ATHENS — Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann does not have to be here.
He interviewed with the Philadelphia Eagles to be their defensive coordinator this offseason. He could’ve potentially joined up again with Nakobe Dean, Jordan Davis and others.
Instead, he’ll just have to manage texting with his former players as they are similarly busy with training camp. Schumann mentioned he had specifically heard from Kelee Ringo recently about how things are going in Philadelphia.
“I think when you’re successful, opportunities come for everybody,” Schumann said. “Opportunities come for players, opportunities come for coaches. It was an honor to be considered and to be reached out to by them. You know, I appreciate it.”
Schumann is back in Athens for his eighth season this fall. It will be his second as Georgia’s defensive play caller, as he dropped the co-defensive coordinator title and is now simply Georgia’s defensive coordinator. He continues to coach Georgia’s inside linebackers, which might be his deepest group yet with starters Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon returning.
By staying in Athens, Schumann received a raise and contract extension this offseason, bumping his pay up to $1.9 million for this coming season.
The money is nice for Schumann. So is the success Georgia has had on the field. Roquan Smith and Nakobe Dean have both won the Butkus Award, while Smith and Quay Walker have become first-round picks.
But there is something more than all of that which keeps Schumann in Athens.
“There’s a lot of ways to define quality of life, right? One, you’re responsible as a husband and a father to do what’s best for your family and their well-being,” Schumann said. “And my family’s extremely happy here. Two, quality of life in this profession is generally tied to winning, and I’ve been very fortunate between both being here and at Alabama that we’ve been extremely successful. So I have high expectations and standard for what I want to achieve in my career.”
Schumann has been instrumental in helping guide Georgia to back-to-back national championships. If the Bulldogs are to win a third straight national championship, an unprecedented feat in modern college football, Schumann will be a big reason why.
“Let him be who we are. Let him keep, you know, being hard on us,” Dumas-Johnson said. “Let him keep coaching every little thing that he can. Let the linebackers just listen to him ‘cause he’s one of the best in the business.”
Schumann has plenty of talent at his disposal, beyond just the two returning starters. Xavian Sorey and Jalon Walker have also earned early praise to start fall camp. The Bulldogs also brought in three of the top six inside linebacker prospects in the previous recruiting cycle.
Schumann has recruited all of those players to Georgia and turned his position group into an NFL assembly line. It’s part of why Schumann is seen as one of the top defensive coaches in the sport. You get why the Eagles were interested. And understand why some college team is likely going to give Schumann the opportunity to run his own program sooner rather than later.
The Georgia coach knows he could’ve potentially found success elsewhere. He’s only ever coached at Alabama and Georgia, two of the most successful programs over the previous decade in college football.
But Schumann is also aware enough to know success isn’t promised. Whether you’re surrounded by top-flight recruits or former Georgia draft picks.
“People always talk about the grass isn’t always greener,” Schumann said. “When you look at it, there’s been a lot of people who have been extremely happy and they tried to become happier, and they ended up miserable. So, you know, I’m extremely happy here. I love the people I work with, I love the players I get to coach, and I love where I live.”
