SCOTT FOUNTAIN | SPECIAL TEAMS

Scott Fountain, a native of East Brewton, Ala., returns to the Georgia staff as an on-field assistant after serving as a special teams analyst for the 2017 season and a short time in the off-season as special teams coordinator at Mississippi State.

Fountain contributed to the Bulldogs’ return to prominence on special teams this season. Rising junior Mecole Hardman averaged 25.3 yards per kick return, ranking No. 2 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 21 in the nation. Georgia’s special teams unit also held opponents to 5.9 yards per punt return and 19.5 yards per kick return. Those numbers were all reduced from a year before, when opponents averaged 6.1 yards per punt return, 23.8 yards per punt return and notched two 95-yard kickoff returns versus the Bulldogs in 2016.

Additionally, rising redshirt junior placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship converted 20 of his 23 field-goal attempts in 2017, including a 55-yarder in the 2018 Rose Bowl vs. Oklahoma and a 51-yarder in overtime of the national championship game.  He made all 63 of his PAT attempts, kicked 67 touchbacks (a Georgia season record and No. 3 nationally) and was named a semifinalist for the 2017 Lou Groza Award.  As a punter, graduate Cameron Nizialek averaged 45 yards per punt (No. 9 nationally) and was named a semifinalist for the 2017 Ray Guy Award.

Before joining Georgia’s staff, Fountain had spent the previous eight years assisting the football program at Auburn, the first four as the Tigers’ player personnel director and the latter four as an on-field assistant, coordinating special teams and coaching tight ends. From 2014-16, Fountain coached kicker Daniel Carlson, a three-time Lou Groza Award finalist.

Fountain, a part of three SEC championship teams, led Auburn's administrative and recruiting efforts from 2009-12. He followed Gene Chizik to Auburn after spending two seasons (2007-08) on Chizik's staff at Iowa State as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

Fountain has coaching experience in four national championship games (1997, 2010, 2013, 2017) since beginning his collegiate coaching career at Florida State (1994-96) as an offensive graduate assistant. He then spent seven seasons as an offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Central Florida. Before his eight-year stint at Auburn, Fountain also included coaching stops at Middle Tennessee State (2004-05), Georgia Southern (2006) and Iowa State (2007-08).

Before entering the collegiate ranks, Fountain coached football at four different Alabama high schools: Flomaton, his alma mater W.S. Neal, and head coach at Frisco City (1990-92), and head coach at Monroe County (1993).

Fountain earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Samford in 1988 and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Florida State in 1998. He is married to the former Rosie Hidalgo and the couple has four sons: Brookes, Hunter, Tanner and Skyler.