”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.” The Bulldogs still revolve around Paul Heyman’s stern verdict on their most controversial OC in history, Mike Bobo, and trying to find a middle ground. Georgia and Mike Bobo have been a recurring theme in the Bulldogs 2025 discussion, and not for any good reason. The third-year offensive coordinator said that he is an easy scapegoat for fans and veterans to yell at for every single issue that’s prevailing at Athens at this point. While it’s partially true that fans love to put Bobo in the negative spotlight, more often than not, considering the highly inconsistent play on offense didn’t make them any wrong! Bobo deserves some of the backlash he gets. ‘
Bobo is still with the Bulldogs as the team begins spring practice, and it seems he will run the offense for the next two seasons. What does it mean for another Carson Beck’s successor, Gunner Stockton? While Beck had his share of issues last season, he wasn’t really helped by his OC and the receiving corps. Next year, some things need to change. Considering Stockton is more of a run threat than Beck, will the Bulldogs run the football in 2025? Will Mike Bobo and Gunner Stockton gel together to do the job?
Fans can find room to breathe here as Bobo and Stockton had a long-standing chemistry dating back to the QB’s childhood. Bobo knows best how to handle the signature Gunner Stockton quirks and make him ready for the tougher opponents. Thanks to their early coaching seasons before college. Their deep familiarity has often been cited as a key point to Georgia’s offensive success. But as analyst RJ Young believes, it’s not more than a hollow solace. ‘‘I would caution though fans that believe that Mike Bobo and Gunner Stockton’s relationship is the one that’s going to really push this offense over the top to take a step back. It’s not always how it goes.”
However, usually, this is what the math looks like. But when it’s Georgia, it’s different, and this is how. The analyst continued, “It does go that way more often than not. I think about Lincoln Riley and the quarterbacks that he chooses to go with him, and him being the playcaller, it could look like it did with Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold at Oklahoma, and I’m going to continue to reference that because it’s a five-star quarterback who is very, very happy with the offensive coordinator and had a relationship with him that was familial.”
However, it didn’t end well for Littrell and Arnold. Despite the celebrated OC-QB relationship, Arnold landed on the other side of the field, getting benched in the first half of the Sooners’ SEC opener against Tennessee. So, there are instances where things can go wrong irrespective of a well-versed equation between the OC and QB. ”The wheels come off early, the quarterback gets benched, give away the ball on first down, and the offensive coordinator doesn’t even make it through the halfway point. It’s the season before he is fired, so we’re going to take our time and see with this because I know many Georgia fans are already upset with Mike Bobo and would love to see someone else calling the plays there,” RJ Young dished an unpopular verdict.
However, it seems Mike Bobo continues to expand his horizons at Athens regardless of the flak and opinions.
Mike Bobo signs a contract extension up to 2026
The Bulldogs failed to live up to national title expectations in 2024, with the offensive performance being a key reason. But when it comes to anticipated damage control, Kirby Smart doesn’t let it fall on OC Mike Bobo, who is rather under contract for a much longer time than anticipated.
As per the Athens Banner-Herald’s Marc Weiszer, Bobo inked a one-year contract extension before his 2024 campaign. It simply implies his contract will expire after the 2026 season, making him immune for at least two more years with the Bulldogs.
On July 1st, Bobo’s contract will increase by $100k to $1.503 million. In 2026, it will straightaway jump to $1.603 million. However, the contract extension isn’t to be taken very seriously, as it’s just a set of papers with flexible potential. I mean, if Smart runs out of patience with his favorite OC before the contract expires, he can overturn it, no matter how unlikely it sounds. So, it’s all about how well Bobo will do with a new offensive line and pay back to the Georgia nation for his past woes going forward.
The post Kirby Smart Urged to Make Big Call for Gunner Stockton as Mike Bobo’s Georgia Future Takes Surprising Turn appeared first on EssentiallySports.
