Bryan McClendon back in SEC with Muschamp, Bobo at UGA on Smart’s staff
Another former South Carolina assistant coach is headed to the University of Georgia’s football staff.
Bryan McClendon will join Kirby Smart’s staff as receivers coach and passing game coordinator in the month after the Bulldogs won a national championship, Georgia announced on Monday. The news was first reported by Palmer Thombs of DawgsHQ on Sunday afternoon.
McClendon replaces Cortez Hankton, who left to take a job at LSU.
McClendon is the third former Gamecock coach on the staff, joining Will Muschamp and Mike Bobo. Muschamp, the former USC head coach, was an analyst last season before moving to an on-field field role. He will be the team’s co-defensive coordinator starting this year.
Bobo will be an analyst this season after being let go as Auburn offensive coordinator last season.
Two other former USC coaches also will be in the Southeastern Conference as Travaris Robinson and Coleman Hutzler joined the Alabama coaching staff this month.
McClendon spent the last two seasons at Oregon as receivers coach and passing game coordinator and was the team’s interim head coach for the bowl game when Mario Cristobal announced he was leaving to take the head coaching job at Miami.
Earlier this month, Miami announced McClendon was going to Miami as the school’s receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator.
This will be McClendon’s second stint at Georgia. He began as grad assistant in 2007 before being named running backs coach in 2019. McClendon also was a former player at Georgia and had 35 catches for 529 yards and a team-high six TDs in 2005 in helping the Bulldogs to the 2005 SEC East championship.
McClendon coached running backs from 2009 to 2014 before leaving for South Carolina, where he spent four seasons and coached future NFL players Deebo Samuel, Shi Smith and Bryan Edwards. He was the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
This story was originally published January 30, 2022 at 1:20 PM.
