With several college coaches upgrading their career trajectories this season, Georgia’s OLB coaching spot is trending to be vacant soon. UGA’s outside linebackers coach, Chidera Uzo-Diribe, is expected to take a similar position at the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and several names are being mentioned as his replacement. One such name is a former NFL player from Miami, currently coaching edge rushers at Western Michigan.

Graham Coffey of Dawgs Central pitched the idea of hiring former Miami player Sean Spence as UGA’s new OLB coach. “If UGA is looking for a younger guy who checks a lot of boxes, I would consider Sean Spence, the Edge Rushers coach at Western Michigan,” Coffey wrote on his X account. Spence will be a relatively newer name to prominent programs. But he has emerged as a “sleeper name” for the OLB coaching position in Athens.

Spence started his collegiate career at Miami in 2008 and emerged as a starting LB for the program in its final eight games of the season. He accumulated 62 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss and was named to Rivals.com’s Freshman All-America team. Thereafter, in the 2011 season, he was listed in the First-team All-ACC after being honored Second-team All-ACC in 2010.

Because of an illustrious college career, Sean was taken in the 3rd round of the NFL draft in 2012 and spent six seasons in the NFL. Playing with the Steelers in the 2014 season, Spence accumulated 53 tackles and a sack, helping his team finish with an 11-5 record. Thereafter, in the 2015 season, the Miami native had 37 tackles and a sack, helping the  Steelers to a 10-6 record. In total, Spence notched 111 solo tackles add 6 sacks in the NFL. And if not for his persistent injury issues, he would have continued his NFL dominance.

Transitioning careers, coaching was where Spence found his rhythm and became WMU’s special teams analyst in 2023. The 35-year-old was then promoted to LBs coach in 2024. Right now, he coaches the edge rushers in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During his time at WMU, the team saw elite pass rushing and world-class development, which should excite Georgia for good.

Spence’s outside linebackers had elite efficiency, and Nadame Tucker even had 61 pressures and 14 sacks under his guidance. Other players like Rodney McGraw had 40 pressures for 7 sacks, while another player also surpassed the 20-pressure mark. In the 2025 season, WMU’s pass rush was extremely disruptive. It even gave several top teams their run for the money as the Broncos compiled 23 sacks in just the initial six games, topping the national charts.

WMU’s head coach, Lance Taylor, even credited Sean Spence and his assistant coach, Seth Payne, for their hard work in recruiting and evaluating talent. “That’s by our players, by our coaches, and it’s really a group effort by all of them,” Taylor said. “We lead the nation in sacks not because of one person, but because of a lot of people, and I think they’ve allowed us to create those havoc plays on defense.”

Top Stories

PGA Tour Split Into Two as Scottie Scheffler Confirms Stance on Patrick Reed’s Return

Drake Maye Reveals Shoulder Injury Update as Patriots QB Announces News On Super Bowl Availability

Tempers Boil Over as Punches Fly in Winthrop vs High Point WBB Game

“Complete Bullsh*t”: Cup Stars Run Out of Patience Mid-Race as NASCAR Clash Turns Into Demolition Derby

Kevin Harvick’s Hypocrisy Caught On Live Broadcast by NASCAR Analyst

NFL Sends Muted Warning to Bad Bunny Before Super Bowl Halftime Performance Amid ICE Controversy

Western Michigan finished the 2025 season with a total of 43 sacks and stood 4th nationally. Even in tackles for loss, WMU stood 25th and notched 83 TFLs. Due to the elite pass rush, WMU finished with 10 wins in the MAC and has all the momentum now continue its heroics in 2026. As for Georgia, roping in the services of Sean Spence will align with Kirby Smart’s approach of elevating lesser-known young names to national prominence.

Sean Spence’s potential hire reflects Kirby Smart’s hiring approach

Uzo-Diribe, whom Sean Spence is predicted to replace, had a similar trajectory. In Georgia, Uzo-Diribe arrived in 2022 when he was just 29 years old. His background, though, was solid, but still under the radar. The 33-year-old was serving as Kansas’ OLBs coach from 2019, moving to SMU and TCU for a one-year stint each as their D line coach. Diribe also had massive shoes to fill in the position of Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, who left to become Oregon’s head coach. But now?

“Source confirms the Cowboys are hiring Georgia OLBs coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe,” ESPN’s Todd Archer reported on February 4. ” He had an in-person interview at The Star on Tuesday. Fourth coach added to Christian Parker’s staff.” Later, ON3’s Pete Nakos also confirmed Uzo-Diribe’s hire, and the coach is now moving pastures anew. But he isn’t the only one Smart has elevated to prominence.

Before joining Georgia, Fran Brown had a similar trajectory and was largely known only in Northeast recruiting circles. Brown coached DBs in Athens from 2022 to 2023, and Syracuse came calling for him for their head coaching position. A similar case can be said of UGA DC Glenn Schumann, who was a relatively unknown analyst when Kirby Smart hired him in 2016. Smart’s hiring philosophy is another reason why Sean Spence may finally land in Athens.

Spence has extensive NFL experience, and due to his Miami ties, he will give UGA a boost in the area’s recruitment. Additionally, his Western Michigan stint has seen him recruit heavily from the area, and that can also be an advantage for Smart. Never mind, his pass-rushing coaching play is already top-notch. Can we finally see Kirby Smart bringing Spence to Athens?