UGA BEAT: Breaking down the candidates to replace Evans

Now that the Evans/DUI saga is over, let’s take a look at the possible candidates to replace the outgoing AD.

The names that have emerged thus far are administrators with strong UGA ties. One is the UGA associate athletic director of internal affairs. Another is a former UGA tennis player who currently works for the Bulldogs’ biggest nemesis. The third is the current senior associate athletic director at UGA. School President Michael Adams has hired a national search firm, but the only known candidates are the following.

ARTHUR JOHNSON: The 1992 UGA grad is associate athletics director for Internal Operations at the University. He oversees the facilities, human resources, event management and football equipment departments in the Athletic Association as well as sport supervision. Johnson has held this position since 2005 when he was hired by Damon Evans to come back to UGA from the University of Texas. There, he was assistant athletic director for football operations from 2001-2005 after serving as special assistant to head football coach Mack Brown from 1999-2001.

Johnson was referred to by some as Evans’ right-hand man at UGA. It would be interesting to see if UGA hires Johnson, as he was in Internal Operations under Evans. In light of Evans’ recent situation, it doesn’t seem like someone from IO should be promoted.

GREG MCGARITY: The Athens native and UGA grad played tennis for Dan McGill but is currently the Executive Senior Associate athletic director at the University of Florida. McGarity was hired by UF in 1992 and is generally considered to be UF AD Jeremy Foley’s right-hand man. He also worked under Vince Dooley in the UGA athletic department prior to 1992.

McGarity was a logical replacement for Vince Dooley when Adams forced the UGA legend out in 2005, but Adams settled on Damon Evans. Many people assume it was because McGarity worked under Dooley and was still loyal to the former football coach. There is no doubt McGarity is qualified to be UGA’s next AD, but will Adams overlook him again?

CARLA WILLIAMS: A native of LaGrange, Williams graduated from UGA in 1989 after a four-year career with Andy Landers’ women’s basketball program. Williams (nee Green) advanced to the Senior Associate Athletic Director position in May of 2007 after serving three years as Associate Athletic Director for Student Services and Senior Woman Administrator.

Before returning to Athens, Williams was an Assistant AD at Vanderbilt from 2000-2003 and Associate AD 2003-2004. Williams was an assistant coach for Landers from 1991-1996.

This would make for a logical pick for Adams and would be a public relations boon for UGA. Williams would become the first African-American woman to become athletic director in the SEC.