Kirby Smart announces hiring of new Georgia OLB coach
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The Georgia Bulldogs‘ coaching staff took a significant blow last week with veteran outside linebackers coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe departing for the NFL to take the same role with the Dallas Cowboys.
This surprise departure left a pretty sizable hole on the Dawgs’ defensive staff for head coach Kirby Smart to fill, and 2-time national championship winner wasted little time filling Uzo-Diribe’s role.
According to an official statement from the Georgia head man himself, Smart has brought on West Virginia staffer Larry Knight to become the next outside linebackers coach for the Bulldogs.
“We are excited to add a coach and a man of Coach Knight’s caliber to the staff,” said Smart. “He has produced on the field at all of his coaching stops and has also proven his worth as one of the best recruiters around. Coach Knight was a conference champion on the field when he played for Central Michigan, and I know he is ready to get to work in his home state.”
Knight spent his college playing career with Central Michigan from 2006-2010 as a pass rusher, helping guide the Chippewas to 3 seperate MAC titles during his time with the program and earning All-Conference honors in 2009.
Since then, he has made multiple stops at both the NCAA and NFL levels as a defensive assistant, spending the 2025 season as the defensive ends coach at Arkansas State, where he helped mold the Red Wolves into one of the top pass-rush squads in the nation.
Knight initially joined West Virginia’s staff in January, but Smart convinced him to move to Athens to lead one of the most talented groups in college football.
