Colorado State fires former Muschamp teammate Mike Bobo from head coach role
A coach with potential to land as South Carolina’s next offensive coordinator just came on the market.
Colorado State fired head coach Mike Bobo on Wednesday, ending his five-year tenure in Fort Collins. Bobo was a teammate of Will Muschamp’s at Georgia, and he worked for seven years as Georgia’s offensive coordinator.
The news was first reported by outlets such as Sports Illustrated, FootballScoop and The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman.
Bobo went 28-35 with the Rams, with a string of bad defenses and an offense that fell off the past two seasons. After seven wins in two seasons, the firing was somewhat expected, though there was a delay of a few days since the Rams ended their season.
“Unfortunately, the results the last couple of seasons have not been what we wanted,” Bobo said in a statement. “I can assure you this was not a reflection of the commitment and hard work that we all put into the program the last five years. Our players and coaches never quit and fought through the final whistle against Boise State. I am so proud of this entire team and staff for their incredible resolve.”
The Gamecocks currently have an opening at offensive coordinator after demoting Bryan McClendon and firing quarterback coach Dan Werner.
Bobo played quarterback at UGA and coached the position for more than a decade with Mark Richt in Athens.
Bobo’s style is a little more pro-style than South Carolina has been used to, incorporating more two-back and downhill run game into a scheme that still spreads things out. As the team struggled last season, it was still on the low end in how often it ran (45% against FBS), close to South Carolina’s number.
His buyout had been listed at more than $5 million. That was negotiated down to $1.82 million, according to college football writer Brett McMurphy.
South Carolina is in the market for the third offensive coordinator of the Muschamp era, as McClendon had replaced Kurt Roper following the 2017 season.
There’s been no timetable reported on when the Gamecocks will make a move to fill the position. Bobo is an interesting option, fitting the mold of a seasoned coach with a style that could mesh well with his coach.
The school has yet to publicly acknowledge the change for McClendon and the dismissal of Werner.
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 4:11 PM.
