And these are just a few of Tucker's accolades and what his peers think of him.
"In 2005 Tucker entered the
National Football League (NFL) with the
Cleveland Browns. He coached defensive backs from 2005–2007 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in the 2008 season following the firing of
Todd Grantham. Under Tucker, Cleveland consistently ranked fifth in the league, with the defense making 73 interceptions."
For years in the NFL, Mel was considered not only a top coordinator but a head-coaching candidate,” said Ian Rappaport, NFL Network national insider. “He’s been an interim coach in Jacksonville, and really commanded the respect of players. Sharp, diligent, he always got the most out of his guys.”
"In 2009 Tucker was hired by the
Jacksonville Jaguarsas the defensive coordinator. In the
2011 seasonhead coach
Jack Del Rio put Tucker in charge of defensive play-calling, and the team quickly became the fourth highest rated in the NFL. On November 29, 2011, Tucker was named Jacksonville's interim head coach following the firing of Del Rio. He ran the team for their final five games and was in consideration for the job full-time until
Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator
Mike Mularkey was named head coach on January 10, 2012."
"He is an outstanding coach all the way around and really does an excellent job in terms of teaching the players,” Saban said when Tucker was hired. “When you look at his college and NFL experience, his resume is very impressive.”
"Tucker was part of a 2017 staff that led the Bulldogs to a record-tying 13 victories, first SEC championship since 2005, first appearance in the College Football Playoff, first appearance (and victory over Oklahoma) in the Rose Bowl CFP semi-final game, and first appearance in the College Football Playoff Championship Game. Georgia’s defense finished second in the SEC and 6th nationally in Scoring Defense (16.4 ppg), 2nd in the SEC and 6th nationally in Total Defense (294.9 ypg), and 2nd in the SEC in Rushing Defense.
