If you glanced at your television at just the right moment Saturday night, you might’ve thought you missed big news. Because it sure looked like former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was in Tuscaloosa as the Georgia Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator.
In tweets and photos that made the rounds, Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann bears a striking resemblance to Roethlisberger that had some Steelers fans doing a double-take.
Heck, if you could look past the “G” on his shirt, it looks like Roethlisberger had returned to his alma mater Miami (OH) Redhawks, where he starred at quarterback from 2001-2003. Roethlisberger remains the school’s all-time passing touchdowns leader with 84 while he left school No. 1 in yards, only falling to No. 2 a decade later when Zac Dysert passed him on by.
While rumors have swirled around Roethlisberger’s coaching future since his 2021 retirement, he’s consistently refuted the notion. On multiple occasions, he’s expressed no desire to be anything more than his son’s PeeWee League coach. After almost 20 years in the NFL, he’s content spending time with family, going on hunting trips, and producing his Footbahlin podcast that’s grown to almost 90,000 followers.
“I don’t see it anytime soon just because I enjoy what I’m doing now,” Roethlisberger told fellow former QB Bruce Gradkowski in February. “I enjoy being with the family. I enjoy being able to go golf with my son wherever he wants or go hunting or do whatever it is. And so, I don’t see anything in the near future at least, in that realm. I mean, I help[ed] coach his fifth-grade football team this year, so little things like that, but not nothing more, I don’t think.”
Schumann may look the part but has a much different career path compared to Roethlisberger. Playing football for Alabama and graduating in 2013, he served as a coach and personnel member until being hired by Georgia in 2016. He was promoted as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator in 2022, boasting a top-five scoring defense in his first two seasons at the helm.
Considering Georgia’s struggles in this game, giving up 41 to Alabama including a back-breaking 75-yard touchdown one play after the Bulldogs stormed back from 28-0 down to take a 34-33 lead, it might not have been the best night for anyone to think Roethlisberger was coordinating a defense.
