Kirby Smart has put together most of his coaching staff now at Georgia with the announcement he would retain one popular defensive coach.

Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker will remain on staff with the Bulldogs as they transition to their new coach next year. He will join three other assistant coaches — offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, offensive line coach Sam Pittman and defensive assistant Glen Schumann — who will carry over from Mark Richt’s staff.

“He’s not going anywhere,” senior defensive tackle James DeLoach told Dawg Nation Monday. “I really think Coach Rocker bleeds the red and black. He’s really embraced this program and has really brought God, like me, along with him. I really think he passionately wants to stay.”

Rocker has been at Georgia for two seasons now after spending some time coaching in the NFL as defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans. He had previous SEC stops with Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

In his short time, Rocker has proved to be a strong recruiter in addition to a solid coach.

It does seem there is not a ton of turnover between Smart’s staff and Richt’s old staff, but Smart has clearly made some impact already on the recruiting trail and changing the direction of the Georgia program in his short time.

Keeping some stalwarts from the old staff should help build some trust with remaining players moving forward.