ATHENS — Travaris Robinson called him a computer whiz and referred to him as “Rain Man.” Kirby Smart said he spends more time talking X’s and O’s on Zoom calls than any coach he has ever known.
They’re both referring to Glenn Schumann. The Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator — OK, co-coordinator — is a self-made football savant.
Unlike most of his peers, Schumann didn’t get his gridiron acumen from playing the game in college. He earned his football degree, per se, the new-fashioned way: poring over digital video cut-ups, exploring down-and-distance analytics and studying advanced statistics.
He also has majored in listening. Exposed at a young age to some of the brightest defensive minds in the game, Schumann simply absorbed what he was hearing and did what he was told.
Now, at the ripe old age of 34, he’s the highest-paid defensive coordinator in college football and an odds-on favorite to land a major college head coaching gig in short order.
All this happened without Schumann playing a down of football after high school.
“My dad was a coach, and my mom was a coach,” Schumann explained in his annual preseason Q&A with reporters Tuesday. “I didn’t necessarily ever want to be a coach, but I always wanted to be involved in athletics in some shape or form.”
Schumann described a moment as a rising senior at McKinney Boyd High in McKinney, Texas, when he spoke up to help a teammate understand what to do on a particular defensive assignment. Seeing that player flourish after carrying out Schumann’s instructions sparked something inside of him.
“I had the biggest rush of my life seeing him be successful after helping him,” Schumann said. “Kind of at that moment I knew I wanted to coach.”
Schumann had a better “in” than most for the business. His father, Eric Schumann, played for Bear Bryant at Alabama. That might’ve had more than a little something to do with Schumann landing the Bryant Scholarship and attending school there.
Beholden for the aid, Schumann volunteered to help the Alabama coaching staff however he could, free of charge.
“I just tried to do anything I could to earn trust and respect and then grow my football knowledge from that point,” Schumann said. “I didn’t necessarily set out to be a college football coach. But then, it’s led me here, and I’ve just tried to do the best job I could at each step in the journey. That’s as concise as I can be there, but that’s it, in summary.”
It probably didn’t hurt Schumann’s career track that he hitched his wagon to Smart. Then an up-and-coming defensive coordinator just starting to spread his wings under Nick Saban, it was Smart who began to delegate more and more responsibility to Schumann. He first was assigned to Smart as an unpaid undergraduate in 2008, then a graduate assistant, then an analyst, then the director of player development, then the associate director of player personnel.
After Smart had accepted the Georgia head coaching job, Schumann was one of two assistant coaches who boarded a private jet in Phoenix after Alabama’s national championship victory over Clemson and flew directly to Athens to begin a run with the Bulldogs now in its ninth season. Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker was the other coach on that plane.
Since then, all Schumann has done is play a part in building three consecutive top-five, nationally rated defenses, two national championships and a 47-2 record over the past 49 games.
Smart credits Schumann for much of the success.
“We have a relatively young defensive coordinator in Glenn Schumann who spends more time on Zooms than anybody I’ve ever known,” Smart said during SEC Football Media Days in Dallas last month. “He loves talking football. He spends time with NFL coaches, high school coaches. Some of the best ideas we’ve ever gotten defensively came from great high school minds in the state.”
Schumann met with reporters for almost a half-hour Tuesday to talk about the Bulldogs’ goals, objectives and progress during preseason camp. Following is a selection of his observations, edited for length and clarity.
On camp so far …
“Install has been intentionally really heavy. As we start things, we like to challenge guys early, both old and young. Look at some new things, move some people around, and really try to stretch them mentally and physically early in camps, so guys have been battling through that with the new staff additions, the new additions in terms of players.”
On teaching the game of football …
“We just like to challenge them because growth in anything you do comes from challenging yourself. You have to be detailed. You have to be a clear communicator. Coach Smart talks about ‘assuming nothing.’ As a teacher, you can’t assume the people you’re delivering the message to are understanding what you’re saying unless you get that communication back and forth, so I think those elements are important.”
On collaborating this season with co-DC Travaris Robinson …
“I had always had the utmost respect for him both as a coach and as a recruiter and just a person. (Former co-defensive coordinator) Will (Muschamp) spoke incredibly highly about him even before this opportunity came about. I trust Will and his opinion with just about everything. It’s been awesome to have Travaris here, and it’s been a great addition.”
On Robinson and Donte Williams now coaching defensive backs …
“Great energy, and they’ve bought in to what we do. They knew what the expectations were here, and they embraced them, and they wanted them. They’ve approached every day with a lot of passion and energy, and they really care about the players.”
On the competition between Daniel Harris and Julian Humphrey at field cornerback …
“That whole (group) is still in competition. I hate to just single out those two guys. There’s a lot of young players in that (meeting) room, whether it’s young based on experience or age. Everybody is kind of still growing. To be able to play corner in college football, you have to be able to not only get guys that can man-to-man cover a guy, but be able to show up in the run game, perimeter-block destruction for bubble screens and be a good tackler. That’s really what we need out of that position in general. … I think that those guys flash in these short areas, but increased toughness is a mantra. It’s part of the Georgia defense. It’s part of playing defense in general. As those guys continue to grow in that area, they’ll become better players.”
On progress of inside linebackers CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson …
“They really benefited from this spring, having the opportunity to take over heightened leadership roles and in bowl prep. They’ve only grown from that. I think you’ve seen increased confidence in them. Those guys are really mature beyond their years in terms of how they prepare. They’ve been growing every day, and I’m excited about how they’re going to play this year.”
On meshing veteran defensive linemen with young players …
“We’re still in the infancy of pads, so I think we’re really going to see that group take the next step as we continue to have more padded practices. You can benefit from non-padded practices in terms of executing assignments, covering people, things of that nature, but you really only get highly skilled at your craft up front and develop by putting pads on and striking blockers and feeling 700 pounds from a double-team and that force on your body. I think we’re going to see those steps be taken in the coming weeks.”
On maximizing linebacker Jalon Walker’s talent while training him for multiple roles …
“Well, I think we have a responsibility in everything we do: One, to do what’s best for this team and this defense to be successful as a unit because those guys are about the collective goals. It’s part of why they came here, the connection and the ability to contend and compete for championships and play great defense. Two, we have a responsibility for each player to put them in the best position to have a career in football if their ability gives them the opportunity to do that. And so with Jalon, we have to expand his role because he’s a talented player. … We continue to develop him as a hybrid player while also maximizing his opportunities to do what he does best.”
On the similar challenge of cross-training Mykel Williams at outside linebacker and defensive line …
“The kind of style of defense that we play, with the different personnel groupings, the packages — the way that we rotate and mix-and-match based on our opponent and the situation in a game — I think it gives us the opportunity to dual train guys like Mykel, guys like Jalon, like Gabe Harris. … On game day, their role is based on what we think is best to win the game. But as these guys have matured and grown and been able to go through this learning process multiple times, they can take on more and it makes it easier to play them in a variety of roles.”
On progress of 5-star freshman K.J. Bolden at safety …
“Being a freshman, whether you’re instantly successful or whether you have to go through some of the growing pains that guys have done in the past, just the transition going from high school to college is hard on a normal student. What separates guys that are able to help you when they’re young versus guys that it takes some time a lot of times doesn’t necessarily have to do with ability. It has to do with maturity and their prep. It does not mean that guys who don’t play early don’t have the maturity. But the maturity in terms of being a pro every day, not having to acclimate as much to the demands of college football, it helps them. I think in terms of how he approaches his business, he’s had a maturity about himself since he’s been here. If you match that up with ability and continue to grow, you have a chance to be a good player. His maturity has impressed me from the moment he’s been here.”
On Georgia’s offensive players giving his defense trouble …
“Obviously, (quarterback) Carson (Beck) plays at a really high level. There’s depth in the running back (group), in the receiver (group) and in the tight end (group). When you have an offense that I think there’s not one guy and every position group can be a threat, it’s really challenging for every position group on our side of the field. It’s an awesome opportunity for us to compete against them every day.”
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