ATHENS — Georgia’s offensive line will be under different leadership in 2026, as Kirby Smart made a change on Tuesday.
Stacy Searels will step into an analyst role with the program, clearing the way for Georgia to promote analyst Phil Rauscher as the new offensive line coach.
“Phil has been a tremendous asset to our staff and players,” Smart said in a statement put out by the school. “He has earned this opportunity through his work ethic, technical expertise and his ability to connect with our players. We’re excited about the future of our offensive line under his leadership.”
This is the first coaching change of the offseason for Georgia. And while we know who will be molding Georgia’s offensive line in 2026, there are still plenty of lingering questions surrounding the move.
Was this a demotion for Stacy Searels or something else?
Georgia fans were never all that happy with Searels as the offensive line coach. Nevermind that he produced multiple first-round picks and helped the team win a national championship in 2022, fans had long memories from Searels’s first stint as Georgia’s offensive line coach from 2007 through 2010.
The offensive line did not have a good season in 2024, despite producing three top-100 picks. That led to Georgia bringing in Rauscher last offseason as an analyst.
The addition of Rauscher seemed to work, with Georgia vastly improving as a rushing offense despite dealing with consistent injury issues. Georgia started seven different offensive line combinations over the course of the season. The loss of starting center Drew Bobo was a critical blow to Georgia’s title chances.
How much of the offensive line turnaround falls on Searels or Rauscher is up for debate. The move made by Searels to step into an analyst role and stay with the program is similar to what Will Muschamp did following the 2023 season.
“We’re grateful for everything Coach Searels has poured into our program over the past several seasons,” Smart said in a statement. “His knowledge, experience and steady leadership have been instrumental to our offensive production. In his new role, Stacy will continue to impact our offensive strategy and provide mentorship for both our staff and players.”
Of course, Muschamp is now the defensive coordinator at Texas. We’ll see how long the 60-year old Searels is content to remain an analyst.
It’s worth noting that Georgia did give Searels an extension after the 2024 season, so this change doesn’t seem like something that had long been in the works.
What does Rauscher bring to the table as a recruiter?
Most of Rauscher’s experience comes at the NFL level. Prior to serving as an analyst last season, his most recent stop in college was at Cal Lutheran in 2014.
Searels had over 30 years as a college offensive line coach, with much of it coming in the SEC. This will be Rauscher’s first-ever on-field coaching role in the league.
Georgia did well on the recruiting trail under Searels, bringing five-star prospects such as Monroe Freeling, Juan Gaston and Ekene Ogboko. Georgia was well-positioned to land Jackson Cantwell before Miami swooped in with an over-the-top NIL offer.
As the college landscape continues to change and recruiting becomes more transactional, maybe the concerns about one’s recruiting ability are less of a factor moving forward.
While Georgia won’t spend like a Miami or Texas Tech on the trail, the Bulldogs are plenty competitive financially, as evidenced by signing the No. 6-ranked recruiting class for the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Georgia holds a commitment from four-star prospect Kelsey Adams and are a contender for top prospect Joshua Sam Epelle. Should the Bulldogs land both, it would go a long way in quelling any recruiting concerns about Rauscher.
Is this the last coaching change Smart makes?
Georgia didn’t make any coaching changes last offseason as it opted to value continuity.
That won’t be the case this offseason, with the offensive line already having a new position coach.
The question moving forward when it comes to the coaching staff is does Smart stand pat or opt to make further changes?
Searels, Glenn Schumann, James Coley, Tray Scott, Travaris Robinson and Donte Williams all received contract extensions this past offseason. Todd Hartley and Mike Bobo have their contracts run past the upcoming season as well.
Running backs coach Josh Crawford and outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe are both up for extensions and it will be interesting to see what Smart elects to do at those two positions. Uzo-Diribe has spent the past four seasons at Georgia, while Crawford has been in Athens for the last two.
Georgia had a ready-made replacement for Searels on staff in Rauscher. With some other coaches, a larger search would be required.
Time will tell if this ends up being the only change Smart makes to his coaching staff during this offseason.
