How Todd Monken promoted Mike Bobo for Georgia football O.C. job, foreshadowed departure

Todd Monken provided insight into new Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo while addressing the media last December, likely helping Bobo’s chances for succeeding him without even realizing it.

Monken, who recently accepted the offensive coordinator position with the Baltimore Ravens, explained during preparation for the CFP Peach Bowl Semifinal how Bobo joined the staff and even foreshadowed his own departure.

“Kirby came to me he talked about Mike Bobo joining the staff, which I knew he was going to join the staff whether I agreed to it or not,” Monken said. “So he made it seem like it was my choice, but it really wasn’t. At the end of the day it’s been awesome.”

“Mike Bobo’s heart is at Georgia. Will Muschamp’s heart is at Georgia. I’m a vagabond. I love it at Georgia. But I’m not born (here), that’s not who I am, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean I don’t give everything I can to the University of Georgia. But their heart is here.”

Monken later revealed that three of the early touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 50-30 win over LSU in the SEC Championship Game were ideas from Bobo and UGA quality control assistant Ryan Williams.

“The first two touchdowns passes we threw the other day (against LSU),” Monken said, “those were Mike Bobo’s ideas, those weren’t mine.”

Monken’s “vagabond” reference proved true less than two months later when he left for Baltimore job, where he’ll be tasked with helping head coach John Harbaugh try to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than 10 years.

Bobo, meanwhile, has taken over a Bulldogs’ team that looks to be a solid preseason No. 1 pick.

The 48-year-old Bobo has certainly paid his dues as a professional, having played at Georgia and served as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs under Mark Richt for 14 years.

Bobo also had a 5-year stint as a college football head coach at Colorado State before putting in two more years as an assistant at South Carolina (2020) and Auburn (2021).

It’s fair to say Bobo has performed most all of the coaching tasks possible, and yet, Monken noted, he did not carry himself with any sort of entitlement.

“Anybody who gets in there who’s been a coordinator, to them there’s probably plenty of times where they’re like: I don’t want to do shit that way, that’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard in my life,’ " Monken said, aware that other coaches have other ways they are comfortable doing things.

“Mike Bobo has drawn cards for us. He’s drawn cards like a 22-year-old. Who’s said I’m going to embrace this role of doing red zone. I can’t take everything the guys say as a suggestion, and yet the lack of ego, and just wanting to do things has been unbelievable.”

It’s not unbelievable to Coach Kirby Smart, who watched how current co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp came back to the program after the 2020 season as an analyst before being promoted to special teams coach and co-defensive coordinator.

Bobo’s expertise and the knowledge he gained learning the Georgia personnel and verbiage last season made it an easy choice for Smart to choose him to succeed Monken.