According to multiple outlets, but reported first by DawgsHQ, Kirby Smart is expected to hire UNC offensive line coach Stacy Searels for the same position in Athens after Matt Luke’s unexpected retirement. Searels had been in Chapel Hill since 2019, when Mack Brown hired him for his second stint. Searels had previously worked under Brown at Texas, but also has ties to Kirby Smart, as the two were both assistants with LSU in the early 2000’s. Searels also previously worked at Georgia as the teams’ offensive line coach and run game coordinator from 2007-2010.
Searels’ tenure in Chapel Hill is widely seen as a disappointment, though he’s not without his defenders.