Kirby Smart explains how Georgia offense will change under Mike Bobo

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•07/18/23•

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The Georgia offense is going to look much different in 2023 than it has the past couple seasons. With Todd Monken off to the Baltimore Ravens, Mike Bobo is back as offensive coordinator — and he’ll have a new quarterback with Stetson Bennett also NFL-bound.

With the new faces at the controls and under center, it’s going to be interesting to see how the Bulldogs come out on offense. At SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Kirby Smart talked about some of the changes.

Even with the change at OC, Bennett might be the biggest departure. His ability to get out of the pocket and evade defenders helped make him a Heisman Trophy finalist and propel Georgia to back-to-back titles. But Bobo will also have the ability to make his mark on the offense with so many new changes on the roster.

“The first thing is we’re not who we were last year,” Smart said on SEC Now. “We don’t have Stetson Bennett. That’s the one thing we know. Stetson Bennett was a really good athlete. He could improvise. You don’t only give up nine sacks in a 15-game season without Stetson Bennett. So we’re a different team. Mike has to take this team and figure out what its strengths and weaknesses are and accelerate that.

“But the verbiage and the terminology for all the quarterbacks who were all in the system last year will remain the same while using different assets. We’ve got two wideouts, we’ve got this tight end, we’re going to have a different quarterback. I think Mike’s going to do a good job of growing that and he understands that I don’t get too involved in the offense. I tell him something I think would help, but that’s not my place.”

Georgia returns 61% of its production in 2023, according to ESPN, but only 52% of the offense. The Bulldogs were active in the transfer portal to bring in some playmakers, including wide receivers Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas — the Nos. 10 and 11-ranked transfer, respectively, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Of course, their biggest weapon is still around in tight end Brock Bowers. The reigning Mackey Award winner put up monster numbers once again in 2022. He totaled 942 receiving yards, 109 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns as a sophomore, and looks like he will be poised for another big year in 2023.