After a mediocre offensive performance last season, Kirby Smart has hired NFL offensive coordinator Todd Monken to take over the call playing duties in 2020.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach reported Monken’s hiring and a reshuffling of the offensive staff.
“Monken will take over playcalling duties for the Bulldogs this coming season, after their offense struggled at times in 2019. Georgia was fifth in the SEC in scoring (30.8 points per game), total offense (408.1 yards), passing (223.0) and rushing (185.1). Georgia assistant coach James Coley, who called offensive plays this past season, is expected to move into a new role. Former Ole Miss coach Matt Luke previously joined Georgia’s staff to replace offensive line coach Sam Pittman, who left to become head coach at Arkansas.”
Monken, 53, spent the 2019 season as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. He directed the NFL’s top passing offense while calling plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2016 thru 2018. He is considered an expert in the “Air-Raid” style of offense. The coaching move appears the Georgia offense will open up next season and fit the talents of incoming grad transfer Jamie Newman.
He was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Oklahoma State in 2011 and 2012, where the Cowboys ranked second in the nation in scoring offense (48.7 points per game) and second in passing offense (387.2 ypg) during his first season and third in the nation in scoring (45.6 ppg), fourth in total offense (547.0 ypg) and seventh in passing (331.7 ypg) during his second year. He also was the quarterbacks coach under Les Miles at LSU and head coach at Southern Miss for three years.
Georgia’s offense ranked 61st in the nation in total offense (408.1 ypg) in 2019, 72nd in passing (223.0 ypg) and 50th in scoring (30.8 ppg).