While Georgia's Glenn Schumann is only 27 years old, players consider him a football 'guru'

During the dog days of August, Glenn Schumann is the easiest Georgia assistant coach to identify on the practice field. The inside linebackers coach is the only one out there wearing a gray Georgia sweatshirt and gray Georgia sweatpants. It could be 95 degrees outside and Schumann will wear the same outfit. It doesn’t take long for sweat to start seeping through the heavy cotton covering his skin.

Given the fact most people try to avoid the heat in the summer, you’d think there was a deeper explanation as to why he does this. Perhaps it is to motivate his players? Or maybe it is to avoid a sun tan?

“It’s my choice in attire,” Schumann said, smiling. “It’s not anything more than I’m comfortable in it. I enjoy coaching in them. That’s it.”

It's certainly an interesting decision but one that suits him just fine. And regardless of what he wears to practice in the summer or the winter, Schumann has been a fast-riser in the coaching profession. The son of a college coach and a junior college athletics director, Schumann attended Alabama and became a student assistant as a freshman.

That’s when his relationship with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, then the defensive coordinator at Alabama, began. With each year, Schumann was given more responsibility. Over time, he became a support staffer after graduating. And in this capacity, Schumann could have limited contact with the Alabama football players.

Multiple players Schumann has tutored have lauded Schumann for his intelligence of the defense. In a background role at Alabama, players would often turn to Schumann for advice with the playbook.

“He knows everything about the defense,” Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “When the coaches were busy I’d go to him and talk about the defensive playbook. I learned a lot from him.”

When Smart was hired in December of 2015, Schumann was one of the first coaches revealed to have a job on his staff. At his first news conference, Smart said Schumann would have an on-field position. He was later named the inside linebackers coach. In his second year and at age 27, Schumann was the youngest on-field assistant in the SEC.

Since he was a support staffer before coming to Georgia, there wasn’t a whole lot of information publicly available. Inside linebacker Roquan Smith remembered searching Schumann's name on Google shortly after he accepted the Georgia job. Smith then asked some Alabama players what he was like and was pleased with their responses.

“I was just asking some people about him, some players from over there, and they were talking about how much of a guru he was,” Smith said. “Then when I met him and was watching film with him, I was like, ‘Wow, this guy is really that.’”

Although he is flattered about the compliment, Schumann brushed off the notion that he is, in fact, a football guru. As he sees it, he’s simply a football coach seeking improvement from himself and his players.

“I appreciate them saying that. I don’t know where they’re getting that from,” Schumann said. “We spend every day together so I appreciate that they feel that way. But I don’t think it’s fair to call anyone a guru, really. There are lots of really good coaches out there and I still have a lot to learn and grow from.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2018 at 1:34 PM with the headline "While Georgia's Glenn Schumann is only 27 years old, players consider him a football 'guru'."