One South Carolina hire ranked among most important for 2020 college football season
How much rests on South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp’s hire of Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator? Perhaps the direction of the program if it works out.
In ranking the 20 most important assistant coach hires of the 2020 football season, the outlet FootballScoop ranked the Gamecocks’ addition at No. 14. Bobo is the fifth coordinator for Muschamp across his two head coaching stints.
“Unshackled from the demands of being a head coach, Bobo is saying all the stuff guys say when they actually get to coach again,” FootballScoop’s Zach Barnett wrote.
“After five years as a head coach, Bobo jumped at the opportunity to roll his sleeves up, hop in the trenches and coach again. And he picked a heckuva trench to climb into.”
The Gamecocks put up the best offensive performance of any Will Muschamp team in 2018, which made then-coordinator Bryan McClendon a million-dollar assistant. But things fell apart last season, as star receiver Deebo Samuel left for the NFL and starting quarterback Jake Bentley was lost for the season at the end of the opening game.
With a true freshman at the helm, the team finished 13th in the SEC in yards per play and points per drive against FBS opponents. McClendon was demoted and eventually left for Oregon.
In comes Bobo, a coach who worked under Mark Richt for more than a decade at his and Muschamp’s alma mater. His tenure at Colorado State didn’t go well, but he produced several good offenses that blended modern spread looks and old-school under-center schemes.
Coming off a 4-8 season, the Gamecocks need to bounce back to keep Muschamp’s seat from being red hot. To do that, they’ll need to offense to hold its own against a brutal schedule.
And that offense now rests in Bobo’s experienced hands.
