HoleInTheRoof
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Georgia Bulldogs assistant Kevin Sherrer: 'Wasn't a hard decision' to join Tennessee Vols football staff
Kevin Sherrer, like most college football assistants, wants to become a head coach one day, and every move up the ladder brings him one step closer to that goal.
In other words, Georgias outside linebackers coach didnt hesitate to accept an offer to become Tennessees defensive coordinator.
The former University of Alabama tight end didnt hesitate to follow longtime friend and fellow Alabama graduate Jeremy Pruitt in crossing The Third Saturday in October divide, either.
Sherrer, a tight end at Alabama from 1993-95 and former Crimson Tide teammate of Pruitt, led a job as Bamas director of player development to become the defensive coordinator at South Alabama in 2013, and just one year later he was hired to coach Mark Richts outside linebackers at Georgia. Kirby Smart retained Sherrer on his staff in 2016 a staff with Pruitt at defensive coordinator and hes helped the Bulldogs win an SEC championship and a berth in the upcoming College Football Playoff.
As soon as Sherrers Bulldogs just like Pruitts Tide end their season, though, hell be on the next available flight to Knoxville to join his friend of a quarter-century in Knoxville. And hell be excited about joining and helping lead a staff full of high-profile assistants.
"The crazy thing is Jeremy and I have known each other for 25 years, Sherrer said during a Saturday media availability ahead of Mondays Rose Bowl (and CFP semifinal) game in Los Angeles. We've played together. We've coached together at multiple places. And it's almost like when you get into the coaching world and become friends with these guys you're always talking about coaching 'Hey, maybe we'll get a chance to coach together again,' or whatever.
So knowing him, knowing the staff he's put together, it wasn't a hard decision to make, I can say.
As much as Sherrer has loved his time in Athens and Tuscaloosa, the opportunity for a position promotion at one of college footballs all-time winningest programs was an opportunity he couldnt refuse.
Its big, Sherrer said when asked about becoming a defensive coordinator. When you get into coaching you want to move up the coaching ranks, and when you get the opportunity to coach at places like Georgia, and be a part of Alabama and things like that, you obviously want to be a coordinator and move on and one day hopefully be a head coach. So I'm really excited. It's a great place to be, its a great opportunity, I know a lot of the coaches personally and they're great men. So Im excited about it.
Its a little bittersweet because I've got a lot of good friends here, too. But itll be fun. Im really looking forward to it."
Every transition has its tough moments, though, and Sherrer left no doubt that hell always be indebted to Smart for the opportunity to keep him on staff in Athens and help take the Bulldogs to the next level.
I probably wont appreciate it until years to come, because were so busy in what we do [that] we dont actually get the chance to soak in what it actually means, Sherrer said. But its been big. I probably wouldnt be going on to the next job if it werent for some of the accomplishments that Coach Smarts been able to get done here.