MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Mark Richt is adamant about welcoming back former Hurricane players.

Mark Richt.

His plan goes beyond having them share their words and make an appearance at the Paradise Camp or be visible on the practice fields.

Richt, along with his wife Katharyn, will be launching ‘The U Network’ to help connect former players with job opportunities.

“The U Network is going to be designed to help guys find work when they’re playing days are over whether it’s right after college or after their pro days,” Richt said. “Matter of fact I was on the phone today with the guy that headed up my board at Georgia and they plan on coming down here to talk to some people down here about how we organized it and how we put it together.

“As a matter of fact my wife is going to be the person kind of facilitating everything—all of the paperwork and all of the things it will take to connect people with events and connecting players with employers basically. It’s also going to be about reunion and connection, but the main goal is finding work for these guys and I’m talking about the guys who truly want work. We’re not just going to give somebody something. They’ve got to do their part, but sometimes all they need is a little bit of help of guidance, connection, and networking.”

It is something Richt had success with at Georgia.

“It was tremendous,” Richt said. “Matter of fact the very first guy we got hired through the network is going to come and give a testimony of how it changed his life and everything. It’s pretty cool.”