Coach Richt finally made the step that throngs of Bulldog devotees were hoping he would; he
removed Dave Van Halanger from his position as Georgia's Director of Strength and Conditioning.
Okay, great! But why did he then turn around and hire/promote his replacement from within?
Joe Tereshinski, Georgia's newest director, was Van Halangers assistant/video coordinator. He's definitely not the splashy hire that Georgia fans were hoping to see when they called for this change. Many expected to see more time and care taken in selecting a qualified candidate.
The quickness of it all just seems, excuse the license, a bit sloppy and uninspired.
That's why it's
not hard to believe this theory offered by Jeff Schultz of the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution—Richt wasn't the impetus behind the decision
. Schultz speculates that the under-whelming nature of the hire could be because it was made at McGarity's insistence.
Richt has stated, on numerous occasions, that McGarity is clear about the direction he feels the football program needs to go if it is to become a force on the national stage. And, it's very possible, that he took one look at the S&C program and suggested maybe Richt should start with letting Van Halanger go.
Richt might have felt pressured to give McGarity what he wanted but, perhaps, wasn't willing to go all-in with the decision once it was made. Hence, he simply promoted Tereshinski.
Even still, setting his friendship with Van Halanger aside, one would think that Richt might be more careful in making such a choice. If nothing else the failure of former defensive coordinator, Willie Martinez, and the struggles of offensive coordinator, Mike Bobo—both in-house hires— should have given him the impetus to say, "maybe I should think outside the box on this one".
The S&C program is the one place where, it was clear, Georgia needed new blood and, no offense, but Tereshinski doesn't exactly offer the excitement and change that so many were hoping to see.
Either way, it is what it is and, until this season is officially over, none of us will know what the "reorganization" will entail.
Now, to be fair, Joe Tereshinski could, in the long run, be the solution that we were all waiting to see.
Perhaps he will bring an open-minded approach to the program which will allow him to make the necessary changes that Van Halanger didn't seem as willing to undertake—in which case he should be thought of as a considerable upgrade already.
However, if all Tereshinski manages to do is carry on the outdated traditions of Van Halanger, then, honestly, this whole business is much ado about nothing.
