The Georgia Bulldogs acted quickly to replace NFL-bound offensive coordinator Todd Monken, naming former UGA quarterback and offensive analyst Mike Bobo as their new offensive coordinator.
Georgia Names Mike Bobo as New Offensive Coordinator
In a year of offensive turnaround for the program, Georgia has kept some continuity by promoting from within following the departure of Monken to the Baltimore Ravens.
Just over 12 months after returning to Athens as an offensive assistant, Bobo is the new Bulldogs offensive coordinator as they aim for a historic “Threepeat” as college football national champions.
The Augusta native set numerous passing records for the program during his four seasons with the Bulldogs, with his most impressive campaign coming in 1997. Bobo threw for 2,751 yards and 19 touchdowns with just eight interceptions as a senior.
After graduating in 1997, Bobo landed a general assistant role with the program in 1999 before becoming the quarterbacks’ coach in 2001. His appointment as offensive coordinator reprises a role he held between 2007 and 2014 before his departure to Colorado State.
Following a mutual parting of ways at the conclusion of the 2019 season after compiling a 28-35 record with the Rams, Bobo returned to SEC territory as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator and interim head coach, before spending a season working with Bo Nix and T.J. Finley as Auburn’s QBs coach and offensive coordinator.
In the final three seasons of his first stint as Georgia offensive coordinator — under head coach Mark Richt — Bobo led the Bulldogs to a top-25 scoring offense in college football.
Despite his struggles with Colorado State, the Rams had the 31st-ranked scoring offense in 2017, with Nick Stevens throwing for 3,804 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Impact of Bobo’s Hire on Georgia QB Carson Beck
Monken’s departure to Baltimore is just the latest moving piece for the reigning national champion Bulldogs as they prepare for an assault on a historic back-to-back-to-back title success.
Several pieces of one of the best offensive lines in college football are headed to the professional level. Most importantly, the Bulldogs will have a new signal-caller under center for the 2023 campaign.
Stetson Bennett has proven an unlikely hero in Athens, going from overlooked walk-on to hero-like status after delivering consecutive national titles to a program that had waited 40 years to taste success.
Who replaces Bennett has dominated offseason conversation, and that question only gets louder with the appointment of Bobo as offensive coordinator.
Carson Beck played out the final moments of the 2023 College Football National Championship, and it appears like he has the leg-up in the QB battle with former five-star high school recruit Brock Vandagriff. But what does Bobo’s appointment mean for Beck?
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Historically, Bobo’s offenses have seen the quarterback operate more from under center than in shotgun. He’s also historically been a run-focused coordinator who likes to employ a fullback in his offenses.
Bobo has previously discussed tweaking scheme to personnel, in that he’s not afraid to lean on tight end-heavy formations if they offer the best options as receivers. As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a high volume of targets for Brock Bowers and Oscar Delp.
While it’s easy to focus on the QB position, the biggest upshot of Bobo’s appointment as Georgia OC will be a return to the Bulldogs being a run-first offense. In the final year of his first stint as offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs averaged 42.6 rush attempts per game compared to 24.8 passing attempts. Of course, having a running back room consisting of Nick Chubb, Todd Gurley, and Sony Michel helped shape that offense.
However, Kendall Milton, Daijun Edwards, and Branson Robinson might be more excited by the appointment than any of the quarterbacks currently on the Bulldogs’ roster.
