Georgia football assistant Cortez Hankton on the move to join LSU Tigers staff

Cortez Hankton is leaving Georgia after four seasons as wide receivers coach.

The Bulldogs assistant posted a Tweet on Sunday evening after reports earlier in the day he was departing for LSU's staff.

"As we're looking forward to the next chapter of our life, thanks to all that allowed me to be a Dawg!" Hankton wrote at the end of a lengthy post.

LSU announced the New Orleans native to coach that position on Brian Kelly’s new staff on Monday.

There had been speculation about Hankton leaving prior to the national championship game win over Alabama last Monday. He addressed it with the receivers, sources said, but said then a decision had not yet been made.

“Cortez is a tremendous coach who has developed outstanding receivers everywhere he’s been,” Kelly said. “He understands what it takes to win at the highest level having spent the past seven years in the SEC. Our players will benefit from Cortez and all that he has to offer – on the field and off the field. The experience he brings to our program will help create a championship culture at LSU.”

Hankton, who turns 41 on Thursday, also held the title of pass game coordinator at Georgia and will again at LSU.

His position experienced an assortment of injuries this season including to star receiver George Pickens who missed all but four games after sustaining a torn ACL in the spring. Arian Smith was lost to a season-ending leg injury and Kearis Jackson, Jermaine Burton, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Dominick Blaylock also missed time due to injuries.

Hankton helped develop redshirt freshman Ladd McConkey and true freshman A.D. Mitchell into Georgia’s top two wide receivers this season.

“Cortez does a great job of teaching, developing, working with those guys,” coach Kirby Smart said during the season. “We made sure those guys got a lot of reps in the spring and, in A.D.'s case, also in fall camp. All that work with the 3s and 2s, which some of those guys were, paid off."

Hankton also played a large role in the program’s “Dawgs for Pups” community outreach program.

Hankton was a standout wide receiver at Texas Southern before signing as an undrafted free agent with Jacksonville and then spending time with Minnesota and Tampa Bay. He’s worked as a college coach at Dartmouth and Vanderbilt.

Hankton will become the second Georgia assistant coach to depart from last season’s staff. Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning was hired as Oregon’s head coach but finished the season by coaching in the two playoff wins.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football assistant coach Cortez Hankton leaving for LSU staff