Georgia's Kirby Smart confirms hiring of outside linebackers coach

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart confirmed that he has made a hiring for the soon-to-be vacant outside linebackers coach position.

Smart said on a teleconference Tuesday that he hired Memphis inside linebackers coach Dan Lanning to replace Kevin Sherrer. Lanning will take over the position after Georgia's College Football Playoff National Championship Game matchup with Alabama. Sherrer, who accepted the defensive coordinator position at Tennessee, will coach the national championship before moving on to his next job.

Lanning is considered an up-and-comer and previously worked with Smart when he was a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2015. That also gives Lanning familiarity with Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann, who were on that staff then. Lanning has spent the past two seasons at Memphis.

Lanning's coaching career began in 2011 when he was a graduate assistant on defense with Pittsburgh. In 2012, he took a job with Arizona State as a graduate assistant before moving into an on-campus recruiting coordinator and defensive assistant role in 2013. In 2014, Lanning took a job at Sam Houston State as the program's defensive backs coach and was also the co-recruiting coordinator.

With Sam Houston State, Lanning helped the Bearkats advance to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.

When he took the job at Memphis, it was the third time he had worked with Tigers head coach Mike Norvell. Norvell was also on the staffs at Pittsburgh and Arizona State when Lanning was there.

“At Alabama, Dan Lanning was involved with one of the top defenses in the nation,” Norvell said, according to the team's website. “Throughout his career, he has been a part of developing some of the nation’s top playmakers. Through his previous coaching experience, he has developed ties in the southwest and in his home state of Missouri. He is a relentless recruiter and will be an incredible addition to our coaching staff.”

This story was originally published January 2, 2018 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Georgia's Kirby Smart confirms hiring of outside linebackers coach."