Todd Monken on the future of Georgia football: ‘We’re going to win, we’re going to work, we’re going to recruit’

Most took Jim Harbaugh saying that Ohio State coach Ryan Day was born on third base thinking he hit a triple as an insult. That Day had just been lucky to be in the situation he was in.

But Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken doesn’t see that phrase as an insult. He recognizes how lucky he is to be in the position he is as Georgia’s offensive coordinator.

“I landed on third base,” Monken said on Tuesday at the Broyles Award ceremony. “I wasn’t like TCU, it wasn’t like at Knoxville. I came into a culture that was already established. They had really good players, and all we had to do was fight like hell to make it better. And that doesn’t mean my whole career I’ve landed on third base, for God’s sakes. I worked my ass off, OK? Let’s at least be honest here.”

Monken is in his third year at Georgia and was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant coach. Monken did not win the award, as TCU’s Garrett Riley did.

But that shouldn’t diminish what the Georgia offensive coordinator was able to accomplish this season. For the third straight year, the Bulldogs saw their points per game increase. Heading into the College Football Playoff, Georgia is averaging 39.2 points per game, the most ever under Kirby Smart.

The Bulldogs also rank seventh in yards per play and saw quarterback Stetson Bennett become a Heisman Trophy finalist. It is the first time since 1992 that Georgia will have someone in New York for the ceremony.

Monken has been instrumental in Georgia’s offensive evolution. And based on his comments on Tuesday, he seems to be just getting started in his time at Georgia.

“I am very appreciative of opportunities that I’ve gotten, and one thing about it is I’m just a byproduct of our players, Kirby Smart and the culture and our coaching staff,” Monken said. “And I’ve been doing this a long time and been around a lot of great coaches and my whole family’s in coaching, and there’s nobody I trust more than Kirby Smart in terms of we’re going to win, we’re going to work, we’re going to recruit. And that’s over 56 years.”

But he learned the importance of preaching a singular message to the entire team. One that his current Georgia offense very much has.

“I went into that room and said, ‘Guys, we’re going to be tougher than who we play. We’re going to be better in the fourth quarter. And we’re going to kick their ass when it matters,’” Monken said.

Georgia football offensive coordinator Todd Monken speaks at Broyles Award

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