Mark Richt Resigns as Georgia HC: Latest Comments and Reaction

After 15 seasons, Mark Richt, who in January received a contract extension through 2019, is no longer Georgia's head football coach. Bulldogs athletic director Greg McGarity announced Richt's resignation Sunday:

"

Coach Richt and I met Sunday morning to discuss the status of our football program, and we mutually agreed that he would step down as head coach and would have the opportunity to accept other duties and responsibilities at UGA following the bowl game.

[...] On behalf of the University of Georgia Athletic Association and Bulldogs everywhere, I want to thank Mark and Katharyn for 15 years of remarkable service to the UGA community, hundreds of our students and staff, and to college football.

"

Richt departs following a campaign in which the Bulldogs finished the regular season 9-3 despite disappointing on both sides of the ball. They won their last four games and five of their final six. 

"I appreciate the opportunity of serving the University as well as considering any other options that may present themselves in the future," Richt said in the release. 

Georgia went through a midseason stretch during which it scored 10 or fewer points in three of four contests. It was also hounded by near-constant rumors about the status of defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt.

"This staff that is over there today—and I am going to be very kind about it—it is not functioning properly," former Bulldogs quarterback and NFL legend Fran Tarkenton said in early November on WCNN 680 The Fan's Chuck and Chernoff (h/t Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald). "I think the culture there of the staff is not functioning properly. As we all know Mark Richt is a good, fine, wonderful person. I think there are things going on inside of his staff that are unsavory. If you don't have your whole staff and your whole organization of respect and understanding the roles of everybody, things happen badly."

Richt's decision to hire Brian Schottenheimer as his offensive coordinator is what drew the most criticism. Schottenheimer had previously served as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets and St. Louis Rams but had never produced an elite attack.

Georgia's offense under Schottenheimer got off to a red-hot start before regressing once the SEC schedule began.

Richt, 55, took over the Bulldogs in 2001 after a decade as an offensive assistant at Florida State. The Bulldogs went 145-51 in his tenure, finishing inside the season-ending Top 10 on seven occasions, including just a year ago. Georgia won two Sugar Bowls during Richt's time as head coach and wound up second in the final Associated Press Top 25 in 2007.

Add in a pair of conference championships, and Richt has a claim as the best coach in program history.

However, in addition to the on-field struggles in 2015, there has also been an increase in off-field trouble. Richt's handle over his players has been a source of hand-wringing for years, and it perhaps crested amid a sea of arrests before the 2014 season.

Few have ever questioned how Richt handled himself—he's been a model university representative since his arrival—but the combination of problems led to some wanting him nudged out the door.

It appears university officials agreed. Now it'll be up to those same officials to find someone who can bring a national championship to Athens. That's the only thing that would separate Richt's replacement from Richt.