Georgia athletics had to say goodbye to an important staffer, who will now head to the NFL. Deputy Athletic Director Steven Drummond was hired by the Atlanta Falcons. Now, he will be working under Matt Ryan, the team’s president of football.

From early in his career, Drummond focused on strategy and management. In 2017, he became director of communications and digital media, where he improved the team’s social media, digital content, website, and broadcasting platforms. Because of his work, the Panthers became one of the top teams in the NFL in digital and social media presence.

Drummond actually started his career in the NFL, as a communications coordinator with the Jaguars. After that, he worked for many years with the Carolina Panthers in different roles and later became the vice president of football operations. He came to Georgia in 2023, and handled partnerships with brands, donors, and NIL deals.

Drummond handed in his resignation only days after Georgia held its Pro Day. Falcons General Manager Ian Cunningham and Ryan attended the event as representatives of the team. Now with the $6.3 billion-worth Falcons team, Drummond will be part of a new regime under head coach Kevin Stefanski. Ryan is actually the one who hired the new HC, and also hired Tommy Reese and Jeff Uhlbrich to be the new offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively.

Drummond also helped start ‘Glory Glory,’ a platform that brings fans closer to Georgia’s sports programs. His loss will be felt in the front office, as Georgia is yet to make an impression in the NIL world. The Bulldogs famously lost the commitment of star QB Jared Curtis to Vanderbilt, of all SEC programs, despite reportedly offering him a seven-figure paycheck. Losing the Deputy AD isn’t a good look on the program in such a scenario.

Georgia will be entering the 2026 season with a lot of new faces in its staff. Phil Rauscher has been promoted to offensive line coach, replacing veteran coach Stacy Searls, who moved to an analyst role voluntarily. Along with him, Smart has also welcomed some former Bulldogs into his staff.

Kirby Smart brings former Georgia players into his staff

Before Steven Drummond’s departure, Georgia had welcomed Robert Edwards, Maurice Smith, and Jalen Harris to the staff. Edwards, the assistant running backs coach, used to play football for Georgia in the 90s, and was Kirby  Smart‘s teammate. Smith, who is now a defensive analyst, used to line up on this side of the ball in 2016, after playing for Alabama. Smith was also signed as by the Dolphins as an undrafted player.

Jalen Harris takes the position of assistant wide receivers coach after working as the assistant director of player development. He will now work closely with wide receivers coach James Coley.

Georgia also hired Larry Knight from West Virginia to replace Chidera Uzo-Diribe, who left for the Dallas Cowboys. He is from Augusta and has coached in the state before at Georgia State and Georgia Tech, so the in-state connection runs solid in Knight. Now, let’s wait and see how this season turns out for them.