ATHENS — Mike Bobo isn’t going anywhere. Despite pleas from fans, media pundits like Paul Finebaum and a bogus report from former Georgia quarterback Buck Belue, Bobo will still be the team’s offensive coordinator, play caller and quarterbacks coach as Georgia starts spring practice next week.

And as it turns out, Bobo has a longer leash than was previously thought. As reported by Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald, Bobo’s contract now runs through the 2026 season.

When Bobo received a salary bump prior to the start of the 2024 season — where his salary went from $1 million to $1.4 million — Bobo also received an additional year on his contract. That detail had previously not been reported.

The deal also calls for Bobo to receive a standard $100,000 raise for each additional season he is with Georgia. Bobo will now make $1.503 million as of July 1, 2025 and then $1.603 million on July 1, 2026.

Mike Bobo salary since becoming Georgia offensive coordinator

It’s important to note that this contract was agreed to prior to this previous Georgia football season and not after.

Coming off the 2023 season, Bobo put together one of the best offensive seasons in Georgia history. The Bulldogs — with a first-time starting quarterback in Carson Beck — averaged 40.1 points per game. For his efforts, Bobo was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant coach.

Of course, the follow up to that season was nowhere near as successful. Georgia’s scoring offense dipped to 31.5 points per game, the lowest it had been since the 2019 season. Georgia famously made a change after that year, replacing James Coley with Todd Monken.

Georgia’s offense slipped in a number of categories. It led the nation in drops. The 124 rushing yards per game was the worst mark ever for a Kirby Smart offense. The 25 sacks the offensive line gave up were the most ever in a season for the Bulldogs.

Not all of last season’s struggles fall on Bobo. Offensive lineman Tate Ratledge took accountability at the NFL combine.

“If you watch that film most of it is on us, it’s not coaching its execution, taking the right steps, the little things,” Ratledge said. “So I think a lot of our success, or not having success last year, was more so on the players because it starts up front with us. Everyone knows we didn’t have our best year, we take full accountability for that.”

Kirby Smart pointed to a tougher schedule, fewer defensive stops and a dearth of playmakers as to why there was offensive regression.

When Bobo last spoke to reporters — prior to the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame — the offensive coordinator knew he could list why things didn’t go to plan for Georgia last season.

He was wise enough to know that those would fall on deaf ears.

“I could sit here and give you a lot of reasons, but all they’d be is excuses, point blank,” Bobo said. “You could sit here and say injuries, you can say this, bottom line, excuses. We got to be able to run the ball.”

Every bit of news that has come out regarding Bobo this offseason has ignited discussion amongst the Georgia fan base. It’s usually negative, which Bobo is well aware of. He joked prior to the Notre Dame loss that he was thrilled Drew Bobo successfully pulled off a fake punt so that there wouldn’t be two Bobo’s Georgia fans could yell at.

Bobo’s contract details only adds to the discussion surrounding the offensive coordinator and what the future of the Georgia offense will look like.

Smart hasn’t spoken to reporters since the season-ending loss to Notre Dame. In the absence of his voice, others have filled the vacuum when it comes to Bobo and Georgia’s offensive coordinator position.

The contract extension and subsequent raise speaks to Smart’s belief in Bobo prior to the 2024 season. That extension and raise were earned based on how the offense performed.

What we don’t yet know is how Smart views Bobo entering this coming season, one in which it will have a new full-time starting quarterback.

That’s true through both his contract but also what Smart has to say about Bobo.

Plenty have offered their thoughts on the Georgia offensive coordinator. When Smart speaks to reporters next, you can imagine he’ll offer some insight into why Bobo is still Georgia’s offensive coordinator, play caller and quarterbacks coach.

And so another new news cycle on Bobo will begin. As has been the case every step of the way this offseason.