Georgia offense minus Monken confident in continued growth

ATHENS, Ga. — Former Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken will call plays in his first preseason game with the Baltimore Ravens this week, ironically against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that features five players he did so every day in practice during his time in Athens. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are moving into their first full week of fall camp, continuing to adjust to life without Monken.

Good news for Georgia? The Bulldogs bring back the entire offensive staff that surrounded Monken last season on their way to a second straight National Championship. Kirby Smart has spoken about continuity and retention rates several times over the course of this offseason. It’s something he’s particularly proud of, and it’s something that should make the transition from Monken to Mike Bobo seamless he says.

“Todd would be the first to tell you, once I knew he was leaving and I sat down and had a long meeting with him, he re-emphasized how good this staff was at doing their job of presenting him ideas,” Smart told reporters as Georgia opened fall camp with a new coordinator. “I think a lot of people look at offensive coordinator as an island and this guy that sits over there and comes up with this stuff himself.”

“Well, they have 15, 20 meetings a week on Sunday night, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, where each coach gives a presentation of ideas or things they can do offensively, and he gets to sit back and be the decision maker on what’s in and what’s not,” Smart continued. “Those ideas really helped him, and he was quick to say, ‘Coach, you’re going to be fine no matter who you put in that position because you’re going to oversee it and make sure they do it right as the leader, and then they’re going to do a good job because they have pride in their performance as assistant coaches on offense, and then whoever you put in that position is going to have good players and be able to be successful.'”

Under Monken’s direction, Georgia’s offenses improved their points per game total in each of his three seasons. Going from 32.3 in his first season to 41.1 in his final, Monken established a new way for the Bulldogs to do it on the offensive side of the ball.

They opened up the passing game over time, improving from an average of just over 200 yards per game through the air (204.6) in Smart’s four years at Georgia prior to Monken’s arrive to 267.9 yards per game during his tenure. Meanwhile, Monken’s Bulldog offense still had Smart’s trademark sense of physicality to it averaging over 200 yards per game on the ground in 2022. Whether it was running or throwing the ball, Monken found creative ways to get the ball in the hands of his best playmakers.

“We were very fortunate to have Todd the time he was here, the growth he allowed us to make, the confidence he exuded with the players, and he had a package of offense that he felt confident in that fit the players that he was given,” Smart said. “He made the personnel fit in his scheme. I don’t see that changing. Obviously the quarterback is a major, major part of that, and we had really good quarterback play last year. A lot of times your offense is predicated off your quarterback play, so how well will our quarterback play, and that’s the question.”

Smart’s not the only one confident that Georgia’s offense will continue to grow in years to come, even with Monken gone. Some of the top Bulldog weapons feel the same way.

“We had a lot of guys come back on the perimeter and backfield,” Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey said when asked why he feels the offense will continue to move forward this fall. “At quarterback, it’s not their first year in the system. They’ve been around. They’ve taken so many reps in practice. You know just being at practice, you know the intensity of it, and the demand they’re put on. I’m confident in it. I’m confident in our coaches. I’m looking forward to it.”

Georgia opens the season as favorites according to Vegas to win a third consecutive title. The Bulldogs kick things off at home on September 2nd against UT-Martin (6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+/SECN+).