coaching staff Scott Fountain Special Teams Coordinator Scott Fountain, a native of East Brewton, Ala., returns to the Georgia staff as an on-field assistant after serving as a special teams analyst for the 2017 season, and also for a brief time in the offseason as special teams coordinator at Mississippi State. Fountain played a key role in an outstanding season for Georgia’s special teams in 2017. Mecole Hardman ranked 8th and 21st nationally in punt and kickoff returns, respectively. Georgia’s coverage teams also held opponents to 5.9 yards per punt return and 19.5 yards per kick return. Those numbers were all improved from a year prior, when opponents averaged 6.1 yards per punt return and 23.8 yards per punt return. Additionally, placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship made 20 of his 23 field goal attempts this season, including two kicks over 50 yards in the College Football Playoffs. He made all 63 of his PAT attempts, kicked 67 touchbacks (a Georgia season record and No. 3 nationally) and was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. Punter Cameron Nizialek averaged 45 yards per punt (9th nationally) and was named a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. Before joining Georgia’s staff, Fountain had spent the previous eight years assisting the football program at Auburn, the first four as the Tigers’ player personnel director and the latter four as an on-field assistant, coordinating special teams and coaching tight ends. From 2014-16, Fountain coached kicker Daniel Carlson, a three-time Lou Groza Award finalist. Fountain, a part of three SEC championship teams, led Auburn’s administrative and recruiting efforts from 2009-12. He followed Gene Chizik to Auburn after spending two seasons (2007-08) on Chizik’s staff at Iowa State as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. Fountain earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Samford in 1988 and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Florida State in 1998. He is married to the former Rosie Hidalgo and the couple has four sons: Brookes, Hunter, Tanner and Skyler.
Cortez Hankton Assistant Coach — Wide Receivers Former NFL wide receiver Cortez Hankton joined the Georgia coaching staff in February, 2018, after serving three years coaching wide receivers at Vanderbilt. During his three seasons at Vanderbilt, Hankton coached veteran receivers C.J. Duncan and Trent Sherfield, Caleb Scott and Kalija Lipscomb. In 2016 this foursome combined for 129 catches and 1,715 yards. In 2017, Duncan and Sherfield combined for 102 receptions, 1,246 yards and 10 TDs. Sherfield ended his career among Vandy’s top 10 in receptions (136) and 1,869 yards. Prior to his tenure at Vanderbilt, Hankton coached receivers for three seasons at Dartmouth in the Ivy League (2012-14). During that time, he helped the Big Green to a 20-10 overall record, including an 8-2 mark in 2014. That year, Hankton’s receivers helped the Dartmouth offense average 31.3 points and 248.1 passing yards. His top receiver, Ryan McManus, earned All-Ivy League honors after catching 68 passes for 879 yards and eight touchdowns. A graduate of Texas Southern, Hankton was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in April, 2003, by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, catching 17 passes for 166 yards. In his four years with the Jaguars, he caught 34 passes for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hankton signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2007 and spent the entire 2008 season on injured reserve with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hankton earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas Southern in 2002, where he set school season and career records for receiving yards. A four-year starter and two-year captain, he was Texas Southern’s team MVP and an All-SWAC honoree as a junior and senior. Hankton culminated his collegiate career by being named as a Division I-AA thirdteam All-America by the Associated Press. A native of New Orleans, Hankton is the son of Cortez Sr. and Sherome Hankton, both officers in the city’s police department. Hankton was a standout athlete and at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans. Hankton and his wife, the former Shon Holder, were married in July, 2014. They are the parents of Cortez “Trip” Hankton III.
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georgia bulldogs
2017 SEC Champions
Dan Lanning Assistant Coach — Outside Linebackers
Dan Lanning was named assistant coach at the University of Georgia in January, 2018, after serving two years as inside linebacker coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Memphis. Lanning joined the Memphis staff in 2016 after spending the 2015 season at Alabama as a graduate assistant coach with the outside linebackers. Prior to Alabama, Lanning held positions at Pittsburgh (2011), Arizona State (2012-13) and Sam Houston State (2014). At Memphis he was part of a staff that led the Tigers to their third 10-win season in school history and finished in the top five in the country in turnovers gained two years in a row. On that team, Lanning coached two-time firstteam All-American Athletic Conference linebacker Genard Avery. Lanning worked with a 2015 Crimson Tide defense that ranked in the top 10 nationally in five statistical categories: total defense (3rd), rushing defense (1st), passing efficiency defense (8th), scoring defense (3rd) and third down conversion defense (7th). Lanning began molding his defensive philosophy with his coaching start at Park Hill South High School in Riverside, Mo., from 2008-10. In his three seasons there, he served as an assistant coach with emphases on special teams, defensive backs and wide receivers. Lanning began his collegiate coaching career as a grad assistant on the Pitt staff of head coach Todd Graham. In his role, Lanning worked with the defensive backs coach and as a lead recruiter for several northeastern states. A Richmond, Mo., native, Lanning played linebacker at William Jewell College, located in Liberty, Mo. He earned two Bachelor of Science degrees in physical education and secondary education in 2008. Two years later, Lanning completed coursework for his master’s degree in secondary administration from William Woods University in Fulton, Mo. Lanning and his wife, Sauphia, have three sons: Caden, Kniles and Titan.
Dell McGee Assistant Head Coach — Running Backs Dell McGee was named Assistant Head Coach in March of 2018 after two seasons as an assistant coach, overseeing running backs. Just 10 days before he came to UGA, McGee had led Georgia Southern to victory in its first-ever bowl game (GoDaddy Bowl) as interim head coach. McGee was part of a 2017 staff that led the Bulldogs to a record-tying 13 victories, first SEC championship since 2005, first appearance in the College Football Playoff, first appearance (and victory over Oklahoma) in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal game, and first appearance in the College Football Playoff Championship Game. Georgia’s offense finished first in the SEC (9th nationally) in Rushing Offense, 3rd in Scoring Offense, 5th in Total Offense, and 2nd (4th nationally) in Red Zone Offense. The 2017-18 campaign was a banner year for McGee. His two star pupils, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, amassed over 8,400 yards and 87 TDs between them and finished as the Nos. 2 & 3 career rushers in UGA history. Additionally, Rivals.com named McGee the 2018 National Recruiter of the Year after the Bulldogs signed the consensus No. 1-rated recruiting class. McGee served as running backs coach at Georgia Southern in 2014-15, when the Eagles led the nation in rushing offense—384 yards per game in 2014 and 363 yards per game in 2015. GSU won the Sun Belt Championship in 2014 and had four backs top the 600-yard rushing mark in 2015. McGee had been promoted to associate head coach early in the 2015 season. Prior to joining the Georgia Southern staff, McGee served one season at Auburn, his alma mater, where he worked as an analyst in 2013 when the Tigers reached the BCS Championship Game. McGee developed Carver-Columbus High School into a perennial powerhouse as the Tigers rattled off seven straight seasons with 10 or more wins, including a perfect 15-0 season en route to the Georgia state title in 2007. McGee was a two-year starter and four-year letterwinner at Auburn from 1992-95. The Arizona Cardinals picked McGee in the 5th round of the 1996 NFL Draft and he remained with the organization through 1998. McGee and his wife Linda have a son, Austin.
2018 spring football