James Coley’s days in Athens have officially come to an end as Texas A&M announced that Coley would be joining the program as a tight ends coach.

“I have known James since our days at LSU and Florida State,” Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He is an outstanding coach and top notch recruiter, but an even better person. His creativity and coaching are great additions to our staff at Texas A&M.”

Fisher and Coley have previously worked together, as Coley was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Florida State from 2010-12.

Coley had been on Kirby Smart’s staff since the latter first arrived as the head coach prior to the start of the 2016 season. Smart initially brought Coley in as the wide receivers coach, but he ultimately ended up working his way to offensive coordinator as well as quarterbacks coach.

Coley took over for Jim Chaney prior to the 2019 season as Georgia’s offensive coordinator and play-caller. It did not go well. The Bulldogs offense slumped during the second half of the season, including a dreadful November stretch. Quarterback Jake Fromm had five-straight games with a completion percentage under 50 percent.

Georgia finished 49th in the country in points per game last season, which is part of the reason why Georgia ended up hiring in Todd Monken as the team’s offensive coordinator. With Coley now officially gone, the Bulldogs do have an opening on the staff for another on-field assistant coach.

In his time at Georgia Coley also gained a reputation as a strong recruiter. His ties to south Florida helped Georgia bring in the likes of Tyson Campbell, Tyrqiue Stevenson and Marcus Rosemy. Coley also played a role in landing graduate transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, who is likely to take over for the departed Fromm.

Related: Following James Coley departure, we’ll learn a lot about the importance of South Florida to Georgia football 

Georgia and its new look offense will debut the 2020 season on Sept. 7, as the Bulldogs take on Virginia. Georgia and Texas A&M met in the 2019 season, with the Bulldogs winning 19-13. Georgia and Texas A&M do not meet again until the 2024 season.

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