TRENDING: Former Georgia coach Richt discusses Seahawks coach Macdonald’s coaching debut

The 36-year-old Mike Macdonald was hired by the Seattle Seahawks this week, making him the NFL’s youngest head coach.

Leslie Frazier, a veteran, joins Macdonald as the assistant head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

In the early 2010s, Macdonald was a youthful assistant on the coaching staff of the Bulldogs when he was acquainted with the famed Georgia head coach Mark Richt.

In 2008 and 2009, Macdonald took on his first coaching position at Cedar Shoals High School in Georgia, where he oversaw the running backs and linebackers. He rejoined Richt’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2010 and worked as a defensive quality control assistant there from 2011 to 2013.

Richt spoke with Wyman and Bob of Seattle Sports on Thursday about his memories and first thoughts of the newest Seahawks head coach.

Richt described Macdonald as a “very sharp guy, great communicator, and hard worker.” “Just an articulate, smart guy with both physical and mental toughness when it comes to football.” It seemed certain that excellent things would come to Mike.

Richt stated that those guys have a “certain workload” as graduate assistants and later analysts, and their responsibilities grow as it becomes evident they can manage it.

“Mike was the kind of guy that you knew if you gave him an assignment, it was gonna get done, it’s gonna get done well and get done in a timely manner,” Richt said. “And then you could just see him relate to players, a guy that is genuine. A lot of coaches try to be somebody they’re not, and players kind of sniff that out pretty quick, especially, I would think, at the NFL level, it’s even more so. You’d better be genuine, you’d better be who you are so you don’t have to sit there and act like somebody else, which is exhausting to begin with. And Mike’s just a real genuine human being, a guy that can relate to all kinds of people, and he’s very, very good at what he does.”

During Macdonald’s tenure at Georgia, Richt said, “He handled business extremely well and was undoubtedly a guy that wanted to know why things are done.” “To be able to learn, ask why instead of questioning what coaches are doing.”

Between 2001 and 2015, Richt was Georgia’s head coach and enjoyed great success, going 145-51 with just one losing season and two SEC crowns. He dispensed some counsel to Macdonald.

“Be sincere. Be authentic. Since who you are is what initially brought you to this place, Richt stated. Gain the confidence of others in your vicinity. I believe that in the NFL, you have to gain these players’ trust. Professionals occasionally need to know why we’re doing something. It’s a little bit different when you’re trying to motivate mature men. Because it’s their livelihood, they must get to know you, trust you, and think you have their best interests in mind. Because you will ultimately be held accountable, I believe that you should just be true to yourself, be honest with everyone, and act in your own best interests.