Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is reportedly tied to the Bulldogs through the 2026 season. Despite an 11-3 year that featured a third SEC championship under head coach Kirby Smart and another College Football Playoff berth, Georgia’s inconsistent play on offense created a target on Bobo for UGA faithful. Even ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum joined in with criticism, calling for Smart to part ways with his former teammate and former Georgia quarterback.
“I frankly believe Georgia’s problem is at the offensive coordinator’s position,” he said on Feb. 18. “I think Kirby Smart, for as great as I believe he is and I know you guys agree, is being way too loyal to Mike Bobo, and I would get rid of Bobo today.” “I think you could walk down Peachtree Street (Atlanta) and get a better offensive coordinator than Bobo,” Finebaum said. And former UGA quarterback Buck Belue of 680 The Fan reported in January that Bobo would be stepping down due to health concerns.
However, Bobo is still with the Bulldogs as the team begins spring practice, and it seems that he will run the offense for the next two seasons, according to a report from Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald on Thursday. The report claims, through an open records request, that Bobo signed a one-year contract extension ahead of the 2024 season after his first season in the role under Smart. Georgia had finished 13-1 with a top-five offense nationally and narrowly missed the playoff.
Committed in his role for the next two seasons, Bobo’s $1.403 million salary will go up to $1.503 million on July 1, 2025 before increasing to $1.603 million on July 1, 2026. Bobo’s led some of the top offenses in program history. In his first stint under Mark Richt from 2007-14, the Georgia offense set a school record with 41.7 points per game in 2013. The Bulldogs nearly met that mark in Bobo’s first season back in 2023, scoring 40.1 points per game. And Bobo was named as a Broyles Award semifinalist for his efforts.
Yet there was a major drop off last season, as Georgia finished 38th in scoring offense (31.5) and 51st in total offense (405 yards per game). Quarterback Carson Beck, now with Miami, set a career-high in interceptions (12) and UGA led the FBS in drops. The unit will look much differently in 2025, as redshirt junior Gunner Stockton is expected to take over as the starting quarterback. Smart and Co. also addressed the issues at wide receiver by signing two of the top transfer wideouts in Zachariah Branch (USC) and Noah Thomas (Texas A&M). Georgia will need to replace starting offensive lineman along with starting tailback Trevor Etienne. But there are still high expectations for their replacements, as the program hauled in the nation’s No. 2 class in the 2025 cycle and the No. 1 class the previous year
The Bulldogs will open the 2025 season at home against Marshall on Aug. 30.
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