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ATHENS - Could a major Georgia Bulldog be on the move?
With Florida State letting go of head coach Mike Norvell this week after a loss to the Clemson Tigers, some at ESPN believe the Seminoles may target Georgia football defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann to be their next head coach.
Schumann, a member of Georgia's staff since Kirby Smart's first year in 2016, has been one of the best coordinators and defensive minds across college football over the last several years. He recruits at an elite level and has coached three Butkus Award winners since 2017. He's helped build an elite defense in Athens just about every season and has his group playing extremely well right now.
Sources have told SI for years that Georgia's long-time coordinator will get head coaching opportunities at some point, so it makes sense if the Seminoles were to give Schumann a long look.
According to ESPN analysts Adam Rittenberg, Eli Lederman and Max Olson, Schumann would be an intriguing option for the Seminoles even with his inexperience as a proven head coach.
"Florida State might target only those with head coaching experience, but Schumann is an intriguing coordinator option because he has been part of two elite-level programs at Georgia and Alabama," they wrote for ESPN. He was a student assistant and graduate assistant for Nick Saban when Alabama won four national titles. On-field experience has come under Kirby Smart at Georgia, which won consecutive national titles in 2021 and 2022 with Schumann as co-defensive coordinator. The 36-year-old was born in Valdosta, Georgia, not far from Tallahassee, and knows the region well. Before the season, one industry source said Florida State "would make a lot of sense" for Schumann."
Schumann's defense is coming off a dominant win over Florida where they forced three takeaways, picking off two passes and taking one fumble back for a touchdown. They gave up just 48 rushing yards and made 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage to go along with four sacks.
The Bulldogs are currently ranked second in the league in total defense, giving up an average of 272 yards per game. They rank first in scoring defense, giving up just under 15 points per game. So while he may not have head coaching experience, his resume is lengthy, and he's been one of the top young defensive coordinators in the league for a long time now. He won't be at Georgia forever, and the opportunity to coach the Seminoles could be an opportunity that's hard to pass up.
ESPN also notes that current head coached Manny Diaz (Duke), Jake Dickert (Wake Forest), Rhett Lashlee (SMU), Jason Eck (New Mexico), among others could also be possible fits for Florida State.