Georgia has had two weird seasons in a row. Despite winning the SEC Championship each time, Kirby Smart’s team failed to land a blow in the playoffs. After the latest loss against Ole Miss, the head coach has demoted his offensive line coach, Stacy Searels, and promoted his offensive analyst to the position. For Georgia’s 2027 OL recruiting targets, the move comes with some mixed feelings.

UGA has promoted its offensive assistant, Phil Rauscher, to offensive line coach. The 40-year-old takes up the position with a stacked resume, including a recent stint (2022-24) as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ O-line coach. For UGA fans, it’s a forward step, especially since Searels was criticized for poor O-line play in 2024 and had some issues in 2025, too. However, it’s an unexpected development for the recruits.

”I was surprised that he took over. I never met Coach Rauscher, but I think he’s a great coach,” Kirby Smart’s 2027 IOL target Jaiden Thompson said. The Rockmart, Georgia, native is the 40th-ranked IOL in the country and has a 50% chance of landing in Athens. Apart from UGA, Thompson has a 43.7% chance of landing at Auburn and has also taken a visit to rival Tennessee. Will Searels’ demotion change his landing trajectory?

The Bulldogs had extended Thompson an offer in June 2025 during a weekend camp, making them the frontrunners to land him. That wasn’t his only visit to the program. Thompson attended the game when Georgia hosted Kentucky.

“They treated me like I belonged there,” Jaiden said after his visit. He was particularly driven by the relationship he had built with UGA offensive line coach Stacy Searels, and he spoke glowingly of him.

However, now that Stacy has been demoted and Rauscher will bring a new O-line map, Thompson may re-evaluate his options. At the same time, some recruits have also welcomed Rauscher’s promotion.

“My reaction was definitely excitement. Any time a program like the Georgia Bulldogs brings in a coach with Coach Phil Rauscher’s background, especially with his NFL experience, you know it’s a move focused on continuing to raise the standard up front,” 4-star tackle JJ Brown said.

The 6’6″ and 270 lb tackle is ranked 29th in his position and is a top-350 overall recruit. Currently, JJ is trending toward Georgia Tech, but UGA is still in the mix.

Rauscher’s coaching resume is undoubtedly elite, and the promotion was more than deserved. The Carlsbad, California, native has been coaching since 2006 and has spent several years in the NFL. His first NFL role as an offensive assistant came with the Broncos in 2015, and he was promoted to assistant head coach in 2017. Thereafter, the Washington Redskins came calling in 2019.

Rauscher stayed at the Redskins for two seasons and later became the Vikings’ O-line coach in 2020. Subsequently, in 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars roped in his services as offensive line coach, and he remained in the same role until the end of the 2024 season. With his promotion, Kirby Smart looks to follow his NFL blueprint and alleviate the O-line woes in 2026, given he has one of the best teams in the league with him this season, featuring an experienced QB in Gunner Stockton. A national championship run would be the topmost priority for the head coach.

Despite Rauscher’s elite resume, recruits are still preferring for Stacy to stay at Georgia, and that can explain why Smart chose to keep him in Athens anyway.

Is Stacy Searels’ stay linked to Kirby Smart trying to lock in its 2027 commits?

The Bulldogs’ O-line was a mixed bag in the 2025 season. The team’s run game averaged 182.1 yards per game, a massive leap from 124.4 yards per game in 2024. The number of sacks dropped from 25 to 20. Searels also helped develop true freshmen Donnie Glover and Juan Gaston.

However, the O-line faltered in crucial moments, especially in the second half of their playoff loss to Ole Miss. Despite the demotion, Searels will remain with the program in an offensive role, and that is due to the relationship he developed with the recruits.

“I haven’t been able to meet (Rauscher) yet. I’m looking forward to building a relationship with him,” 2027 O-line target Carter Mathis said. He also showed a sense of relief that Stacy would stay in Athens. “I am glad that Searels is still a part of the program.” It’s a sentiment expressed by several other O-line recruits.

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“I mean, I can’t speak much because I haven’t talked to Coach Rauscher a lot, but he seems like a good coach. I liked Coach Searels, but I understand things happen,” 2027 UGA IOL target Elijah Morrison detailed.