Lane Kiffin is expected to add another young offensive mind from Georgia’s staff, carrying on Kiffin’s trend of quietly pulling promising assistants from SEC rivals. It’s a move rooted in old Alabama ties, and it adds yet another twist to the relationship between two longtime colleagues from Nick Saban’s coaching tree.

LSU is expected to add Ty Hatcher to its offensive staff, as per Football Scoop. Hatcher worked closely with Kirby Smart as the head coach’s assistant at Georgia during the last season. But the 25-year-old rising assistant is reportedly on his way to Baton Rouge, providing Kiffin with another young, eager mind for his growing Tigers staff.

Ty, a former QB for Samford and the son of Samford’s all-time winning head coach, Chris Hatcher, is expected to take on a variety of roles at LSU, working mostly with the offensive staff but also assisting TEs and QBs.

The move had previously sparked light nepotism chatter in coaching circles. It was largely because of the long-standing connection between Kirby Smart and the Hatcher family. Kirby Smart’s rise to the top of college football started with Chris Hatcher taking a shot at him back in 2000. Hatcher had just landed the head coaching gig at Valdosta State at only 26 years old. And after bringing in Will Muschamp as his defensive coordinator, he had exactly $8,000 left in the budget for a defensive backs coach. That’s where Smart came in. 

Hatcher already knew about Smart from their SEC days. Smart had picked off Hatcher’s quarterback, Tim Couch, three times when Hatcher was coaching at Kentucky. So Smart got the job and immediately proved he belonged. After just one season, Hatcher promoted him to defensive coordinator. So when Smart hired Ty as the offensive quality control coach in February 2025, naturally, it led to some nepotism allegations against him.

But now Ty is leaving. And according to sources, he’ll be closely tied to OC Charlie Weis Jr., joining a staff that presently has TE coach Joe Cox and QB coach Dane Stevens. Despite being young, Hatcher has already made stops at Alabama, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Georgia, where he learned under coaches like Bobby Petrino and Bill O’Brien. He now joins Kiffin in what insiders refer to as a “do-everything” offensive support role.

This is bad news for Kirby Smart. But despite the talent pipeline flowing out of Georgia, be it players or coaches, they are still projected to win another SEC championship, albeit with a bit more difficulty, that is.

Kirby Smart’s 2026 title run won’t come easy

While Kirby Smart’s team is expected to win another SEC championship, it doesn’t exactly feel like a smooth sailing journey, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s recent CPF projections. Connelly admits that there are “a few questions” regarding Georgia’s offensive potential and that the Dawgs will secure a No. 2 seed, gain a first-round bye, and tackle a tough postseason path that includes Texas, Ohio State, and potentially a semifinal matchup with Texas Tech.

Honestly, Georgia deserves the benefit of the doubt. Smart has created something very exceptional in Athens. a career record of 117–21, four SEC titles, and back-to-back national championships. But there’s the gut punch coming in, Connelly believes Georgia will eventually fall to a formidable Notre Dame team in the national championship game.

But with Kirby Smart at the helm and a roster full of hungry returners, the Bulldogs continue to chase the title run, despite rivals like LSU and Lane Kiffin continuing to sign promising assistants.