Former Georgia quarterbacks have high praise for Bryan McClendon hire
Georgia is set to bring Bryan McClendon home to Athens as the Bulldogs’ next wide receivers coach, and two former players couldn’t be happier. D.J. Shockley, who was McClendon’s quarterback during his playing days between the hedges, and Hutson Mason both had high praise for Georgia’s newest staff member.
“Unbelievable hire for the Dawgs,” Shockley told DawgsHQ. “Brings a wealth of knowledge and is a monster in recruiting. Will develop that position as good as anybody. Smart and reliable. Trust me, I know. He was one of my receivers and still till to this day one of my best friends. Only is right he is back with the Dawgs!!”
Shockley and McClendon have quite the connection. Over the course of his four-year career, McClendon caught 56 passes for 836 yards and six touchdowns with the majority of his production coming during his senior season. All six scores, including the game-winning touchdown in Georgia’s 14-7 win over rival Georgia Tech, came during the Dawgs’ 2005 SEC Championship season led by Shockley.
“Coach B-Mac brings position versatility to the offensive staff,” Mason, who started at quarterback for the Bulldogs in 2014, McClendon’s final year coaching running backs before moving to wide receivers in 2015, added. “Having coached all over the offensive side of the ball and even calling plays before, he sees the game from an all 22 man perspective. It’s a home-run hire for the Dawgs.”
McClendon previously coached at Georgia from 2007 to 2015, serving as a graduate assistant during his first two seasons. He was promoted into the role of running backs coach in 2009 and recruited the likes of Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, among many others. Then, in 2015, McClendon made the move to coaching wide receivers, where he has remained for the rest of his career to date. He also served as the interim head coach, leading the Bulldogs to victory over Penn State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
When Richt left Georgia, so too did McClendon. He joined forces with Will Muschamp, who is on staff at Georgia now, at South Carolina from 2016 to 2019 focusing on the Gamecock wide receivers the entirety of his time there as well as his duties as offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019. Under McClendon’s direction, Deebo Samuel earned All-SEC honors with 62 catches for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns while Bryan Edwards and Shi Smith also combined for 100 receptions, 1,519 yards and 11 touchdowns. McClendon then went to Oregon for two seasons as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, also serving as the interim head coach when Cristobal made the move to Miami.
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