Return of the King: Bobo Back As Offensive Coordinator

We didn’t think it would take very long for Kirby Smart to replace Todd Monken as offensive coordinator. But this is fast by any measure. UGA has announced that former Georgia offensive coordinator, former Colorado State head coach, former Auburn offensive coordinator, former South Carolina offensive coordinator, and current Georgia offensive analyst Mike Bobo will take a second turn as the offensive coordinator at his alma mater.

This will of course come as distressing news for those who shrieked and rended their garments during Bobo’s first stint, when his offenses were perennially one of the top three in the SEC. In the cold light of hindsight, it should probably be clear that Bobo’s offenses would’ve looked a lot better under Mark Richt if Georgia’s defenses had more consistently held up their end of the bargain (looking at you, serial emotional blitzer Todd Grantham, and you, shockingly permissive coverage enthusiast Willie Martinez).

Some may have forgotten, but Bobo’s final offense in Athens before he left for Colorado State averaged an SEC-leading 41.3 points per game. Georgia’s 2022 national championship offense averaged 41.1. And I dare say the talent level on that side of the ball may be somewhat improved across the board (though I wouldn’t mind having a healthy Gurley/Chubb/Michel combo again).

One thing that Bobo brings to the job is an unrivaled record of quarterback development, something which Georgia is going to be in need of as it breaks in a replacement for two time national champion Stetson Bennett. The last time I checked, Aaron Murray was still the SEC’s all-time leading passer, Matt Stafford was still an NFL all pro quarterback, and even Joe Cox had parlayed his time under Bobo’s tutelage into becoming an elite coach in his own right.

Another mark in his favor is that Bobo has Kirby Smart‘s trust and shares a similar vision for what the offense is supposed to do. It bears remembering that while some of bobos playcalling during his first run as a play collar in Athens could be too cute by half, when things were clicking those offenses were a sight to behold. Bobo shares Monken’s affection for involving the tight ends and using Air Raid-ish concepts with super-sized personnel to create unsolvable matchup problems. I don’t expect that to become less a part of the UGA attack.

All in all I’m pretty pleased with the hire. There’s a temptation as fans to overcomplicate things with a splashy hire, but Kirby Smart knows what he wants from his offense, Mike Bobo knows what he wants, and they both know that Bobo has the ability to deliver it. Georgia is no longer a program that makes hires to get to the top. It’s a program that makes them to stay there. This hire fits that bill.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!