The Georgia Bulldogs had a disappointing end to their 2024 season after losing in the second round of the College Football Playoff in the 2024 Sugar Bowl to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While the defense looked less than stellar throughout the year, a lot of the blame throughout was placed on the offense.
The Bulldogs returned starting quarterback Carson Beck and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo from an offense that ranked fifth in the country in total yards per game in 2024. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the injuries at the running back position as well as program exits at the wide receiver position beginning in the off-season saw a decline to ranking 32nd overall in total offense in 2024.
This production is far from acceptable for Bulldog fans who were not shy in sharing how they felt about Bobo on X (formerly known as Twitter).
There were seriously some people on this app fighting to defend Mike Bobo even after he’s proven how god awful he is all year. He has the worst playbook in college football and wouldn’t know what creativity was even if it slapped him in the face
— Kevin Keneely (@KevinKeneely1) January 3, 2025
While not all blame Bobo, the fact remains that the Bulldogs now have not won a National Championship under head coach Kirby Smart since 2022, and those are the expectations in Athens nowadays. So, when failing to meet expectations two years in a row, it is fair to say that big changes should be made.
If Bobo is indeed let go, speculation will run rampant undoubtedly over who should replace him, so I wanted to offer up some ideas.
Possible Replacements for Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator at Georgia
Todd Monken
Monken was the offensive coordinator with the George Bulldogs under Kirby Smart from 2020-2022 and was in-seat during their back-to-back national championships with quarterback Stetson Bennett at the helm. Monken was also there for the first two years of future first round wide receiver draft picks Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers, as well as many others.
The creative offenses that ranked first in the country in Monken’s final two seasons in Athens are something the fan base has been craving ever since he exited.
Although Monken has sustained success with the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL since he opted to depart for the same position, there is an outside chance that Smart could poach Monken back to the college ranks. Much will depend on how the Ravens end the 2024 season.
The 2023 Ravens were favorites to go to the Super Bowl, but the Ravens only managed 10 points in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, and many were upset that Monken had seemingly abandoned the top-rated Ravens running attack in that game.
Another failed playoff run and there could be coaching changes in Baltimore.
Joe Brady
You may remember this name college-wise from his days as wide receiver coach and passing game coordinator on the 2019 coaching staff for the LSU Tigers. Since then, Brady has been with the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills in the NFL.
After taking over midway through the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator for the Bills, Brady has thrived in the role with the Bils ranking as one of the top offenses in the NFL.
Although only the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach during his time with the Tigers, the players on the roster that Brady had a hand in developing are quite staggering. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson combined to help lead the Tigers to one of the most prolific offenses in FBS history.
The group mentioned would all become future first round NFL draft picks. And again, Brady had a direct hand in this. If Brady is not an NFL head coach in 2025, the intrigue by Smart to try to pull him back to the college ranks to coach at one of the to programs in the country could be quite the pitch.
Buster Faulkner
Faulkner is the current offensive coordinator for the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets. Yes, those same Yellowjackets that went into Athens this year and took the Bulldogs to eight overtimes nearly coming away with a victory.
Faulkner has turned the Yellowjackets offense around in only one season and had a hand in doing the same during his time in Athens before that as the quarterback coach on Smart’s staff from 2020-2022.
After showing he can succeed against college football’s elite in Athens and beyond combined with the relationship between him and Smart, you would be hard pressed to find a better fit that Smart would feel more comfortable with in Athens.
It is also worth mentioning that Faulkner was the quarterback for the Valdosta State Blazers during two seasons in which Smart was a young defensive coach on the staff.
While Monken may be more of a longshot, Faulkner is not as much as is though by many to be the favorite to replace Bobo if he departs.