A Georgia alum and Gamecocks coach, Bryan McClendon enters big spotlight Saturday
Before Bryan McClendon was an interim offensive coordinator at South Carolina, he was an interim head coach at Georgia.
Mark Richt, after 15 seasons in charge of the Bulldogs, was out at Georgia and off to Miami by early December 2015. He wouldn’t lead UGA against Penn State in the TaxSlayer Bowl. That role fell to McClendon, who at the time was also serving as the Bulldogs’ receiver coach.
“He encouraged us to relax and have fun and do your job,” UGA defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter recalled Monday. “Be where your feet are, just kind of lock in and don’t let the outside distractions get to you.”
The words resonated with the Bulldogs as they went on to beat the Nittany Lions, giving a trying season a positive ending.
Some 32 months later, McClendon, a former UGA receiver, will be calling plays for an SEC East rival of his alma mater. No. 24 South Carolina (1-0) and third-ranked Georgia (1-0) meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, at Williams-Brice Stadium.
McClendon earned his way to becoming USC’s full-time OC through his performance in last season’s Outback Bowl win over Michigan. The interim tag was removed shortly thereafter, setting the stage for a showdown like Saturday’s.
The Gamecocks scored seven touchdowns and rolled up 557 yards in the Week 1 win over Coastal Carolina. Now McClendon faces a Georgia defense that’s coming off a shutout of Austin Peay.
Biggest game in McClendon’s coaching career? The build-up gives that impression.
UGA head coach Kirby Smart was an assistant on Richt’s staff when McClendon made 35 catches for 529 yards and six touchdowns as a senior in 2005.
“Bryan was a player and did a tremendous job for us,” Smart said Monday. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for him as a leader. He’s a really good recruiter. He did a great job with receivers when he was with those guys, and now he’s calling (plays).
“He called it in the bowl game, and I thought for a guy that started off slow in the bowl game, he was very patient, committed, called a great game, especially the second half. (He) kind of won that job by the job he did and got a great amount of respect.”
Like the Gamecocks, Georgia players have a feel for McClendon in the postseason. After the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl, Bulldogs receiver Terry Godwin credited McClendon leading the UGA stuff during a tough situation.
“They’ve done a great job,” Godwin said. “At practice, all the guys, we’re all there having fun, flying around, going to the ball. It showed up in the game.
“The coaches believe in all of us, so it gives us the opportunity to go out there and make plays.”
Ledbetter, speaking Monday, said McClendon’s presence hasn’t been forgotten in Athens.
“He’s a great guy, man,” Ledbetter said. “He had an impact on me when he was here at Georgia. He’s a great coach, and he’s continuing to do good things.
“He’s definitely on a different path now, he’s at South Carolina, but I wouldn’t say anything bad about him, because he’s just a great person. He’s going to do his best and he’s going to coach those guys just like he would coach us if he was here.”
Will Muschamp, another UGA alumnus, is happy to have McClendon in the home booth Saturday.
“He’s an outstanding football coach,” said South Carolina’s head coach. “Sometimes guys get labeled as recruiters, but he’s a better coach than recruiter.
“Belief is such an important part of where we are in our world. Young men have to have belief, and Bryan creates a lot of belief in what we do. I think he’s done a really good job.”
This story was originally published September 4, 2018 at 2:32 PM.