georgia football

ATHENS — Georgia football is on the brink of hiring North Carolina offensive line coach Stacy Searels, a former Bulldogs’ assistant from 2007-10.

DawgsHQ reported Searels hiring as imminent on Monday morning, ending a search that has been in place since former offensive line coach Matt Luke resigned on Feb. 21 citing the desire to spend more time with his family.

Searels, 56, has been on staff the past three years at North Carolina. He was previously working under former UGA coach Mark Richt at Miami until Richt’s retirement from the Hurricanes’ program following the 2018 season.

Searels was a three-year starter on the offensive line during his playing career, earning first-team All-American honors in 1987.

It has been a busy offseason for Coach Kirby Smart, who has also had to replace departing coaches Dan Lanning (DC, outside linebackers), Cortez Hankton (receivers) and Jahmile Addae (defensive backs).

UGA promoted Will Muschamp to co-defensive coordinator with Glenn Schumann and hired Chidera Uzo-Diribe from TCU to take over the outside linebackers group overseen by Lanning, who left to become head coach at Oregon.

Fran Brown was hired from Rutgers to replace Addae, who made a lateral move to become defensive backs coach at Miami.

Former Georgia player and most recently Miami receivers coach Bryan McClendon was hired to replace Hankton, who made a lateral move to coach receivers at LSU.

Smart also hired his old friend Mike Bobo, another former Georgia player and assistant coach, into an offensive analyst position.

North Carolina has led the ACC in rushing each of the past two seasons, including 2021, after the program lost four offensive linemen to the NFL draft.

Over the past 30 years, Searels has coached 25 offensive linemen who went on to play in the NFL, including 11 who were drafted into the league.