Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has recently been rumored as a possible candidate for several open positions in college and in the NFL -- including the recently vacated defensive coordinator position with the Atlanta Falcons.

Grantham issued a statement Wednesday evening that addressed his interest in other jobs:

"This time of year there are a lot of rumors involving coaching openings," Grantham said. "Because of the terrific recruiting class we are assembling and the juniors that have communicated to me their desire to come back to Georgia, I felt it important to address some of these current and any future rumors. I’ve had discussions with Coach [Mark] Richt and [AD] Greg McGarity and we are on track to finalizing details on a contract extension.

"My family enjoys Athens very much. I love the passion and excitement of our fans. We have the program headed in the right direction and I want to be a part of bringing Georgia a championship. My desire is to be at UGA for a very long time. Go Dawgs!"

After All-American safety Bacarri Rambo announced Wednesday that he will return for his senior season, the Bulldogs could return as many as 10 starters from their Outback Bowl lineup -- losing only senior cornerback Brandon Boykin.

Grantham's defense ranked fifth in the nation in total defense in 2011, allowing 277.21 yards per game, 10th in passing defense (176 ypg) and 11th in rushing defense (101.21 ypg).

Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has been all smiles today as both of his starting junior safeties have decided to stay for their senior season, while Grantham himself put to rest any notion that he is considering jobs elsewhere.

On the heels of the news that junior tight end Orson Charles was leaving for the NFL, officials at the University of Georgia announced that safety Bacarri Rambo will return for his senior year. Moments later, DawgNation spoke to safety Shawn Williams, who confirmed that he, too, will be back.

“I am going to come back,” Williams told DawgNation on Wednesday night. “I want to play with Coach Grantham again and try to be an All-American. That is my goal.”

Rambo was named a first-team All-American by The Associated Press after leading the SEC with eight interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. His 157 return yards in a season ranks him third all-time in the Georgia record books.

The Donalsonville, Ga., native has 152 career tackles and ranks third at Georgia in career interceptions with 13. Trailing only Jake Scott (16), Jeff Hipp and Terry Hoage (14 each) for the school’s all-time record, in his return Rambo could become the all-time record-holder for the Bulldogs.

Williams indicated that they would not be alone in returning for their senior season.

“Nobody else [is leaving]; we will have our whole defense back,” Williams said. “So we are going to set some records and do some things this year.”

Grantham said himself Wednesday that he plans for his stay at Georgia to be a lengthy one.

Georgia looks to be returning nine of the 11 starters on a defense that finished third this past season in the SEC in total defense (268 yards/game), rushing defense (103.4) and pass defense (165.1).

We officially said goodbye to the 2011 season Monday night and crowned the Alabama Crimson Tide as college football's new champions. Now, it's time to shift our focus to 2012. Here's to hoping the Mayans were wrong:

1. Alabama: The defense will get hit the hardest by graduation and the NFL draft, but Alabama's offense should be better. While it's almost a forgone conclusion that junior running back Trent Richardson will declare for the NFL draft, Alabama returns a veteran offensive line, has a good set of up-and-coming receivers and has some pretty talented running backs to work with, including pounder Eddie Lacy. Oh, and that quarterback ain't too bad, either.

2. LSU: The Tigers might have come up short in the big one, but it's not like LSU is going anywhere. That defense that ranked second nationally was made up by a slew of youngsters. LSU returns double-digit starters next year, including most of its front seven. A major bright spot for this team is that former Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger will now get his chance, and has skill that Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee lacked.

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NEW ORLEANS -- The only drama in what remains of the 2011 college football season won’t be saved for just Monday night’s Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

If Alabama should beat LSU, particularly in a close game, then the vote in the final Associated Press poll in the hours following the game could get really interesting.

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On Monday, Georgia senior Brandon Boykin was recognized as the nation’s most versatile college football player, winning the 2011 Paul Hornung Award from the Louisville Sports Commission.

Boykin beat Arkansas’ Joe Adams, Oregon’s LaMichael James and Toledo’s Eric Page for the award, now in its second season. The Georgia cornerback will be honored Feb. 2 at a banquet in Louisville, Ky.

“It’s rare for a modern-day college football player to perform at a high level in all three phases of the game, especially in an elite conference,” said football legend Paul Hornung, for whom the award is named. “From what I’ve seen of Brandon Boykin, he is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win games. That’s how I played the game. Brandon Boykin is a deserving winner of the Paul Hornung Award.”

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