Kirby Smart’s support staff is undergoing another shakeup this offseason, as offensive quality control coach Ty Hatcher is heading to Baton Rouge. After just one season in Athens, the 25-year-old Hatcher is set to join Lane Kiffin’s staff at LSU, where he’ll work closely with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., assisting with quarterbacks and tight ends.
Hatcher was a part of Georgia’s offensive brain trust in 2025, operating under third-year coordinator Mike Bobo. The Bulldogs’ offensive support staff last season was deep and experienced, featuring names like analyst Brandon Streeter, quality control coaches John Lilly and Phil Rauscher, quality control coordinator Edmund Kugbila, and offensive line analyst Warren Ericson.
Within that group, Hatcher carved out a role working with quarterbacks-a position that’s become something of a proving ground in Athens. That job has previously been held by Buster Faulkner (now Florida’s OC), Daryl Dickey, Bobo himself, and Jesse Stone.
If the name Hatcher rings a bell, it should. Ty is the son of Samford head coach Chris Hatcher-the same Chris Hatcher who gave Kirby Smart his first coaching job at Valdosta State back in 2000. That connection has come full circle over the years, and now Ty is continuing his own rapid rise through the coaching ranks.
His departure comes on the heels of other notable staff changes in Athens. Just a week ago, Georgia elevated Phil Rauscher to offensive line coach, with Stacy Searels moving into an offensive analyst role.
Earlier in the month, David Hill-who had served as the Bulldogs’ player connection coach and assistant running backs coach-left for an on-field job at Colorado State. Defensive backs analyst David Metcalf also moved on, taking over as safeties coach at Western Kentucky.
Hatcher’s coaching journey has been fast and filled with high-level stops. Before arriving at Georgia, he spent 2024 at Oklahoma as a graduate assistant, working directly with quarterbacks.
On game days, he was the guy on the sideline reviewing plays with the Sooners’ signal-callers via tablet-a crucial role in today’s tech-driven game prep. Before that, he had stints under Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Bill O’Brien at Alabama, as well as time at his alma mater, Samford, where he once ran his father’s up-tempo, pass-heavy “Hatch Attack” offense as a quarterback.
Chris Hatcher reflected on his early days coaching with Smart during a postgame conversation following Georgia’s 33-0 win over Samford in 2022. His comments gave a glimpse into the humble beginnings of a few now-familiar coaching names.
“Let me say this: he’s not a pupil of mine by any stretch,” Hatcher said of Smart. “I wish I could claim that.
We were 23 years ago-I was 26, Coach Muschamp was 25, and Coach Smart was 24. I was the head coach, but I coached the offense.
Those two guys coached the defense. We only had five coaches.
Those guys, man, they were good coaches way before they got to Valdosta. They just had the opportunity to shine and move on in their careers.”
He added, “We’ve been good friends since then. I appreciate Kirb and them holding it down there at the end.
I think they’ve got a fine football team-one of the best I’ve ever played or coached against in my career. Not only do they have good players, but they’re also very well-coached and they play hard for their coaches.”
As for Ty Hatcher, he’s following in some impressive footsteps-both familial and professional-and now takes the next step with LSU. If his trajectory so far is any indication, he’s a name to keep an eye on in the coming years.