Georgia defensive coordinator talks with Saints

A few hours later, Grantham told his boss that he would be interviewing with the Saints.

The 46-year-old Grantham was coaching in the NFL when coach Mark Richt hired him to run the Bulldogs' defense in 2010, specifically to oversee a switch to the 3-4 alignment. The coordinator's stock rose dramatically the following season when Georgia reached the Southeastern Conference championship game and ranked fifth nationally in total defense, allowing just 277.2 yards per game.

This past season, Georgia won another SEC East title but slipped to 32nd in the rankings (357.8 yards), despite having Jarvis Jones and several other NFL prospects. Also, Grantham has received criticism for his fiery demeanor, which included giving a choke sign to a Florida kicker before a game-winning field goal in 2010 and getting into a postgame altercation with Vanderbilt coach James Franklin in 2011.

Still, Grantham was mentioned as a possible candidate with the Philadelphia Eagles and now seems to be under serious consideration in New Orleans.