Georgia's 3-High Mint Package vs. Tennessee
Where is the best scheme in football? Athens, Georgia. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are not afraid to try something new, and they proved it against the Vols.
What makes the Georgia program so elite is much more than just the talent on the field. The longer you coach in this game, the more you understand that the Jimmies & Joes are much more important than the Xs & Os. When everything is even on the playing field, that is where coaches can win or lose games for their players.
At the NFL level, the talent differential is razor-thin, which is why, on average, there are five new teams in the playoffs each year. The college level is where the gap begins to widen. NIL, TV contracts, and limiting the number of playoff teams to four (until next year) have created a vast abyss between the haves and have-nots of college football, even in the Power 5.
Georgia and Alabama, in particular, have invested huge capital in collecting the best talent nationwide. In the nine years since the birth of the College Football Playoffs, Alabama has only missed twice. Georgia has dominated the college football landscape for the past two years with a historic undefeated run (29 wins and counting). Who was their last loss to? Alabama. This year, the two most elite programs will meet in Atlanta to decide who goes to the CFP again.
So, what makes Georgia so special? They are willing to examine, explore, and even change how they play to win. The Bulldogs are the prime example of when elite talent meets elite coaching. Since their loss to ‘Bama on December 4th, 2021, no one has been able to beat them. Georgia’s willingness to evolve is what makes its program so special.
Starting in 2020, the Bulldogs began to tweak their scheme, moving from an Odd Front single-high dominant scheme to a four-down multiple fronts, multiple coverage (MOFO leaning), five-man pressure-based system. The genesis of the changes came from a meeting with Tom Herman and Todd Orlando while Head Coach Kirby Smart was still in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban and Smart felt they needed to adjust after Alabama’s 42-35 loss to the Buckeyes in the ‘15 Sugar Bowl. With Herman off to Houston as the Head Coach it was ‘safe’ for the two to discuss how Herman approached attacking the antiquated defenses the Tide were rolling out. Orlando introduced them to the Aranda/Roberts style of defense.
From that conversation, Saban and Smart began adjusting their playbook and the players they put on the field (Smart goes over this in the clinic above). More hybrid players who could play in space became important for their ultimate success, the playoffs. The SEC would soon pivot to a more Spread-centric attack on offense. Gus Malzahn had been in the league since ‘13, along with Kevin Sumlin at A&M. Mike Leach and Lane Kiffin joined the fray in 2020, followed by Josh Heupel in 2021. The SEC had quickly become more similar to the Big 12.
Once Smart got the opportunity to be the Head Coach at Georgia, he quickly put his stamp on the defense. With Smart gone, Saban turned to a Ron Roberts protege in current Ole Miss DC Pete Golding. Both clearly shifted their philosophy to a more hybrid approach.
The Mint package became a way for the Bulldogs to combat the ever-increasing Spread offenses they saw on the schedule. Following the success of Iowa State and the rise of the 3-High defense around college football, the Georgia staff researched and explored if that was an option. They even used a modified version against the vaunted 2019 LSU Tigers.
Though Georgia did not turn to the 3-High defenses taking over the Big 12, they at least tinkered with ways they could steal from that philosophy. Their matchups with Auburn and Oklahoma, early in Smart’s tenure, helped shape their current philosophy. Georgia’s ability to constantly explore and try out new ideas is why the Bulldogs seemingly never get stale.
Everything came together in 2021. According to BCFToys, which tracks overall efficiency (think DVOA for college), the ‘21 Bulldogs were the best defense they’ve recorded since 2007. The mark of 2.13 is higher than the other two defenses to top 2.0, the ‘11 (2.04) and ‘16 (2.09) Alabama units.
The ‘21 Bulldogs would set a record at the 2022 NFL Draft for most players selected from a school at 15. Five of those players would be selected in the 1st Round. Though ‘22 was not as dominant, the defense was still #1 in DFEI, and the Bulldogs cruised to another National Championship. In two years, the Georgia defense has had 13 players selected in the NFL Draft, with seven coming in the 1st Round. Talent is king.
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