A playing legend at Auburn and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2004), Tracy Rocker is returning to an area where his football career really began.
While Georgia has yet to officially announce the move, Rocker confirmed to multiple media outlets Saturday that he has been hired as part of Mark Richt‘s Bulldogs defensive staff. Specifically, Rocker, who played his high school football in the state, will serve as UGA’s defensive line coach.
Rocker acknowledged what essentially amounts to a full-circle move in his career arc.
“It’s amazing how things start working out,” Rocker told Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph. “It was unique to me, because I grew up in Atlanta obviously, like anybody else you grow up and watch Georgia football. And that’s what I grew up (watching). And now I’m back closer to the house. And I’m part of a very prominent, historical, program.”
Rocker had spent the past three seasons with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Prior to his time with the Titans, Rockers had served as the line coach at Troy State (1997-2001), Cincinnati (2002), Arkansas (2003-07), Ole Miss (2008) and his alma mater Auburn (2009-10) before leaving for the NFL.
With Rocker’s hiring, it appears Richt has filled the holes in his defensive staff. Earlier this month, Jeremy Pruitt was pried away from Florida State to take over as defensive coordinator, while Kevin Sherrer was hired and will likely serve as linebackers coach.
