Well, looks like some wishes have come true in Athens.
So who is Phil Rauscher? Graham Coffey offers some insight:
Here’s what I know about Phil Rauscher…
Only 40 but showed up at UGA last spring after being run game coordinator and OL coach with Jags and OL coach for Vikings. Was immediately embraced by players for a high-energy style in the practice field that is laced with four letter words. Very focused on OL playing and moving as one unit in concert.
Couples that with a lot of knowledge in the film room. By fall camp we heard UGA’s veteran linemen talking about simple pointers he’d given them and how they were having a big impact on their games.
Was a big hit on recruiting visits this summer and was once recruiting coordinator at Hawaii. His NFL background is attractive to prospects and current players for obvious reasons but he is a good communicator both when coaching and not coaching.
Only 40 years old, but was under Norm Chow at UCLA, Hawaii and Utah then worked under Gary Kubiak and picked up lots of the Shannahan tree Stretch/Outside Zone expertise. In Minnesota, ran an OL whose run and protection schemes often looked the same, which disguised run/pass well. Implemented more gap scheme with Jags to fit personnel but was part of implementing a revamped and more varied set of run schemes for Georgia this past season.
Think he can help UGA setup and run deep play-action stuff better and get Stockton on designed rollouts more often.
His OL’s in the past have often looked to shorten gaps instead of getting into vertical sets and he likes to shorten the time between the snap and the OL first contacting the pass rush. Could help UGA with the batted passes it had in Sugar Bowl (yes, that is an OL issue just as much as a QB issue)
Anytime you can hire a young well liked OL coach with NFL experience who embraces college recruiting it’s probably a good thing. Especially when he has been in your building for the last 9 months and already learned the language of things.
Sounds like a good promotion, and he answered a question I posited yesterday in the post “Batted Balls”.
When Bobo goes to hang it up, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the next OC comes from within, and his name rhymes with Todd Hartley.
Hope Coffey is right on.
Sounds great
The O-line looked solid this year when they were completely healthy, but that was only a 3 to 4 game stretch. When forced to mix and match players, this group looked less than stellar, which tells me it was the Jimmys and Joes. That being said, I am not a Stacey Searels fan, so I applaud this move. Hope the O-line looks outstanding in 2026.
When Searels was hired for a second time, I was not happy. But when we were told that Will Friend was the backup option, I settled down. I don’t know much about this new guy, but the fact that he is not Searles or Friend works for me. Plus, I read that we have a former player who is doing well assisting with the O line.
Dude looks like an O line coach.
Graham’s write-up is pretty much what I’d like a resume to look like.
Go Dawgs!
We could only be so lucky if Hartley were still available in that situation. A couple of people in the internets expressed opinion that Hartley could be the next UGA assistant to get a HC job without an apprenticeship as a coordinator.