What made Mike Bobo good at UGA, how he evolved and if he has changed since then

ATHENS, Ga. — The pregame speeches, unusually sufficient, are what individuals who had been at Georgia again then bear in mind. The occasions that Mike Bobo would get in entrance of the offense and yell and curse in artistic methods, later made well-known by one other sure coach at Georgia.

“He was coach (Kirby) earlier than coach Sensible received to Georgia,” recalled Doug Saylor, a pupil assistant after which help staffer at Georgia from 2007-14. “All these pregame rants that coach Sensible had, that was Mike Bobo. However Mike Bobo’s wasn’t leaked out.”

The opposite coaches, in the meantime, bear in mind the behind-the-scenes Bobo, the glue man who was a very good recruiter and arduous employee who appeared to know and get together with all people.

“I by no means questioned the loyalty of Mike Bobo, or the power in recruiting or the power to be a workforce participant,” stated Mark Richt, Georgia’s head coach from 2001-15. “He’s what you’re in search of whenever you’re checking containers and hiring a man. You desire a man that will likely be competent, you desire a man that may recruit, a man who will likely be loyal, a man who’s a tricky, hard-nosed disciplinarian, a man that may love the gamers sufficient to self-discipline. He’s received all of the traits that the majority any head coach is in search of.”

So the intangibles aren’t in query. However Bobo will likely be judged in his second stint as Georgia’s offensive coordinator by one measure: how the offense does. And he has to do it this time by following a dynamic thoughts in Todd Monken, whose modernization of Georgia’s offense helped win two nationwide championships earlier than he was employed not too long ago by the Baltimore Ravens.

Bobo returns to the position after years within the wilderness: a head teaching stint at Colorado State that ended after he fought a uncommon well being downside, then a pair of one-year stints at South Carolina and Auburn, the latter ending along with his firing after clashing with the top coach. Then got here a 12 months within the background at Georgia, checking his ego on the door and serving as an analyst for Monken, the person he replaces.

All of it left him motivated and rejuvenated, observers say, very like he was virtually a dozen years in the past when his profession additionally appeared at a crossroads.

A historical past lesson for some, a refresher for others: Georgia’s offense entered the 2012 season as a supply of consternation. A 12 months earlier it was known as “vanilla” by ESPN analyst Todd McShay. The no-huddle had been launched that season, and the Bulldogs had been a good fourth within the SEC in scoring and yards per play, however the notion was the protection had propelled the workforce to the SEC championship, not Bobo’s offense, the place notion held it was principally the identical professional model offense Richt delivered to Georgia, the identical one he handed off to Bobo late within the 2006 season.

Then got here the summer season follow when gamers came upon it was altering. Bobo yelled out: “Rifle!” That meant a five-wide receiver formation.

“We’re doing rifle this 12 months? We’re going four-wide this 12 months?” then-senior receiver Marlon Brown later recalled. “At first I believed he was experimenting, however then we stored doing it in follow.”

One other follow, Bobo yelled out: “Pistol!” That was simply out of nowhere. The unfold ideas and different wrinkles stored being put in. Georgia defensive gamers turned so curious concerning the new formations, heads tilting towards the opposite facet of the sector, that then-defensive coordinator Todd Grantham needed to snap them again to consideration.

What had gotten into Bobo?

“I don’t know,” Brown stated. “However I prefer it, no matter it’s.”

What ensued was what stays essentially the most prolific three-year offensive run in Georgia historical past:

2012: Led the nation in yards per play.

2013: Set a program document with 4,085 passing yards regardless of myriad accidents to skill-position gamers.

2014: Set a program document (that also holds) with 41.3 factors per sport.

The reply to the query Brown couldn’t reply — what had gotten into Bobo — was half philosophical. The sport was altering, so he modified with it, spurred on by current failure, at all times a very good motivator. It was additionally half sensible and nonetheless related right this moment: He was simply making use of its strengths. When Richt first received to Georgia, he factors out, the Bulldogs had Randy McMichael and Ben Watson, in order that they went quite a lot of 12 personnel (two tight ends, two receivers and a again). The 2012 and 2013 groups had been sturdy at quarterback and receiver, in order that they threw the ball quite a bit. The 2014 workforce had nice working backs and a sensible quarterback, in order that they had been run-heavy.

And sure, a part of it was simply Bobo, who was barely 30 when he turned the play caller, simply getting higher on the job.

“All people evolves, all people grows into their position,” Richt stated. “The hot button is to know a good suggestion whenever you see it and likewise to know your personnel and easy methods to make the perfect use of your personnel. You must be versatile sufficient to perhaps do one thing slightly completely different one 12 months over the opposite perhaps as a result of you could have a distinct ability set.”

Bobo, the person some Georgia followers needed to expire of city, left on his personal phrases, getting the top teaching job at Colorado State. When he left, it took Georgia’s offense years to get well.

Let’s speak concerning the wilderness years: The offense by no means actually was the issue for Bobo at Colorado State, which ranked within the prime three within the Mountain West Convention in yards per play all however certainly one of his years there. It scored 23 factors on Alabama in 2017, 63 at San Diego State a 12 months earlier and so forth. Bobo simply couldn’t get the protection proper and likewise had a well being scare, a uncommon autoimmune illness that put him within the hospital for 10 days through the 2018 preseason. Bobo recovered, however after the workforce went 4-8 in 2019, he was let go.

This coincided with the persevering with struggles of the Georgia offense, resulting in social media memes by Georgia followers saying “Come residence, Bobo.” However Sensible was engaged on one other monitor, hiring Monken, and Bobo hooked on with South Carolina and mutual good friend Will Muschamp.

South Carolina’s offense improved in Bobo’s one 12 months there, going from thirteenth within the SEC in yards per play to tenth and from twelfth in scoring to tenth. Nonetheless not nice, however that was additionally the 12 months when spring follow was canceled, giving Bobo hardly any time to put in his system and get to know his personnel. Muschamp was additionally on his method out. (Bobo late within the 12 months turned interim head coach, together with a sport towards Sensible and Georgia.) When Shane Beamer was employed, Bobo was going to remain however opted to take a proposal from one other first-year coach, Bryan Harsin at Auburn, which proved to be a short-term mistake.

Auburn had Bo Nix at quarterback and Tank Bigsby at tailback however not a lot else. Nix, inconsistent his first three years, did enhance below Bobo however then missed the ultimate three video games of the season, and issues unraveled for the offense. Harsin and Bobo clashed, and it was extra about character and outcomes than philosophy, in keeping with these near the state of affairs.

A free agent once more, Bobo did come residence, a high-profile analyst working below Monken. And a 12 months later Bobo has his job again, resulting in the all-important questions: How a lot has Bobo modified? And the way a lot did he must in any respect?

Mike Bobo labored with quarterback Bo Nix for one season as Auburn’s offensive coordinator in 2021. (John Reed / USA Right this moment)

“Right here’s the deal,” Richt started to say, in reply to a query: How a lot may need Bobo discovered below Monken the previous 12 months? “No one invented soccer, no person invented sure schemes, all people will get their data from any person else, they discovered it someplace. There are a number of artistic concepts over time that individuals have thought up clearly. However for essentially the most half, all people discovered it someplace. Mike already had an incredible background in offensive soccer, then you definitely add among the ideas that Monken had, I’m certain that helped his portfolio for tactics to assault defenses.”

That’s a theme that emerges in speaking to individuals: Bobo goes to do the identical factor he did on the finish of his first stint, the identical factor most offensive coordinators do, which is match their offense to greatest make the most of their greatest playmakers.

“I’ve heard lots of people say, Oh we’re going to convey the fullback again,” Saylor stated, laughing. “Effectively if they’ve a fullback.”

(They don’t.)

“Coach is all about getting the gamers the soccer,” Saylor stated. “The difference-makers. He’s going to place the perfect mixture of gamers on the sector that give them the perfect probability to achieve success.”

And the method for doing that was collaborative. In offensive employees conferences, Saylor recalled, Bobo solicited concepts from each coach, in search of their play name concepts on third down, purple zone, and so forth. The coaches went to the board and voted collectively for the highest 5 performs for given conditions, then put them within the sport plan.

“That’s no completely different than it’s going to be now,” Saylor stated, citing feedback from Monken that one landing within the SEC championship was through Bobo, one other landing was from one other analyst.

Saylor acknowledged the Bobo-inspired landing being to Ladd McConkey on a thin submit, which was an identical play to an AJ Inexperienced landing towards Colorado in 2009: McConkey (like Inexperienced) lined as much as the boundary, movement throughout the formation, then the nook bumped out too far, and McConkey ran the thin submit for the landing.

The 2-point play the Bulldogs ran towards Ohio State was one they ran on a regular basis. As quickly as McConkey motioned over, Saylor stated he known as former Georgia receivers coach Tony Ball and stated: “There it’s.”

“We at all times used to say this play is undefeated when ran accurately,” Saylor stated. “We run it yearly. However we costume it up with formations and motions and that type of stuff. However there are a number of schemes on the market the place I see it and say: We ran that. Which doesn’t essentially imply it was a coach Bobo play as a result of lots of people run the identical performs.”

Hutson Mason, who was Bobo’s final beginning quarterback at Georgia in 2014, turned an SEC Community analyst and ended up with two of South Carolina’s video games in 2020. He thought the scheme was just like the offense Mason performed in at Georgia, going below middle with old-school play-action fades, utilizing a fullback, numerous tight ends. It additionally labored quite a lot of the time: Kevin Harris was second within the SEC in speeding in 2020. Mason lined a sport when South Carolina carved up Ole Miss on the bottom (318 yards and 5 speeding touchdowns).

“If he hadn’t been right here final 12 months, I might have been extra skeptical concerning the transition,” Mason stated. “However the truth that he was there, and he’s going to run Todd Monken’s system, and what I imply by that’s he’s going to make use of his verbiage and put his personal taste on it, is nice for the gamers, and particularly the quarterback battle, these gamers not having to be taught new verbiage, a complete new system, is tremendous vital.”

There are a few extra causes which have been cited for why Bobo will succeed once more. One is the expertise on the offensive facet of the ball; it’s deceptive to say there wasn’t sufficient earlier than: The 2014 offense had 9 future NFL Draft picks, plus undrafted free-agent David Andrews, who has had the perfect profession of all of them. However the expertise base now should still be higher.

GO DEEPER

Mike Bobo was the secure rent for Georgia, which can make him the best rent for this period

“We had been tremendous proficient. However they’ve stacked some courses of recruits which might be unreal,” stated Tavarres King, a Georgia receiver from 2009-12. “That’s one other factor I’m intrigued to do, what coach Bobo can do with this quantity of expertise at numerous positions.”

As for the expertise on protection, nicely there’s little disagreement on that. There was one 12 months in Bobo’s play-calling tenure — 2011 — when Georgia’s protection actually carried the workforce. In any other case, not a lot.

The detractors will level to particular person play calls that backfired, most notably a fourth quarter at South Carolina in 2014 when Todd Gurley didn’t get the ball on first down on the aim line, and the end result was an intentional grounding name, a missed subject aim and a loss. Counterpoint: The ultimate rating was 38-35, one other instance of a sport when Bobo didn’t take pleasure in a shut-down protection.

“What you’ve received to know is there have been occasions at Georgia I felt offensively we wanted to do issues to assist our protection,” Richt stated. “In doing so that you won’t get as many yards or as many factors, however you safe victory. Enjoying a sure method whenever you get a lead, or issues of that nature. Florida State, with Mickey Andrews, we might simply go full pace forward, go as quick as you wanna go, as a result of we knew they had been going to get a cease and that might be the tip of it.”

Protection, as everybody is aware of, appears fairly nicely set below Sensible.

Offense is once more the supply of intrigue, with Monken off to the NFL and a well-known face again in cost. Bobo advanced in his first stint at Georgia and should have to indicate once more that he’s adjusted to how the sport has modified.

“That’s what his success will come all the way down to,” Mason stated. “He’ll have to vary slightly bit. He’ll must be completely different and adapt his offense to the strengths of this workforce. Kirby will make him, that’s a part of teaching, that’s a part of doing all your job, is discovering the strengths of your workforce, and finding out new designs and new philosophies. … I might assume he would.”

Saylor, on that final level, is much more emphatic. He doesn’t assume Bobo will change the Georgia offense a lot, if in any respect.

“I feel it could be full steam forward,” Saylor stated. “I don’t see why it could be something completely different.”

(Illustration: Sean Riley / The Athletic; Photographs: Wesley Hittz / Getty Photos)