Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham wasted little time in hiring a new defensive line coach once the Bulldogs' season ended with Tuesday's 45-31 victory over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl.
DawgNation has learned that on Friday night, Mississippi State defensive line coach Chris Wilson accepted the same position at Georgia, replacing long-time coach Rodney Garner, who took a position with Auburn on Dec. 20. The hire cannot be made official until the job posting has been cleared, which will not happen until Tuesday.
Wilson, who served as co-defensive coordinator at Mississippi State in 2010 and defensive coordinator in 2011, was the Bulldogs' primary defensive play-caller the last two seasons, seasons in which MSU has ranked 16th and 28th in scoring defense. In 2011, the Bulldogs were 15th in the country in rushing defense and 17th in tackles for loss.
At Georgia, Wilson will take over a defensive line that loses seniors John Jenkins, Abry Jones and Cornelius Washington and could also lose junior nose guard Kwame Geathers, who is considering early entry into the NFL draft.
Despite that experience up front, however, the defensive line was not terribly productive. All of Georgia's defensive linemen combined to total just 3.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss this season.
Before coming to Mississippi State in 2010, Wilson spent five years coaching defensive ends at Oklahoma. He also served as special teams coordinator there from 2007-2009. In his last year at Oklahoma, the Sooners ranked eighth in the country against the run.
