Things are getting "Friend"ly at UGA

UGA officially hired Offensive Line Coach Will Friend from UAB. Can't say it much better than Watts Dantzler on Twitter, "Talked with new OL coach tonight! Great guy. Knew Richt would have a great hire! Can't wait till June 6! #godawgs #WD".

For more info on the "Friend"ly hire, check out the info from Seth Emerson's Bulldogs Blog below.

It's official: Will Friend has replaced Stacy Searels as Georgia's offensive line coach.

Here's a statement from head coach Mark Richt:

"Will has played and coached under some outstanding, nationally-recognized offensive coaches. He comes with a formidable resume of offensive football knowledge and experience. I got to see first hand his work ethic when he was a graduate assistant on our staff and since that time he's developed into a seasoned, top notch offensive line coach."

And here's a statement from Friend (whom you can read about in the previous blog post):

"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to be the offensive line coach at Georgia. To have the chance to work with one of the top football programs in the country and with Coach Richt and the staff there is a tremendous opportunity for me. When I worked with Coach Richt and the staff as a grad assistant, I had a great experience and I always wondered if I might have the opportunity to come back to Athens. I am looking forward to getting to work."

UGA says Friend's title is just offensive line coach, so he apparently will not have the title of running game coordinator, as Searels did.

Further, check out the following stats regarding UAB's offensive line under Will Friend as quoted from Tim Tucker's UGA Sports Blog on the AJC.

Of the 120 FBS (formerly Division I-A) teams, UAB last season ranked 15th in fewest sacks allowed (12), 30th in total offense (423 yards per game), 24th in passing offense (267 yards per game) and 59th in rushing offense (156 yards per game).

Don't forget you can follow me @twitter.com/mcpeterj for all the latest info I have... that I'm allowed to share of course!