Georgia hires former Southern Miss football coach as offensive coordinator

A new offensive voice will be heard in Athens this fall.

On Tuesday, Georgia hired former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator and Southern Miss head coach Todd Monken to fill a vacant spot on the coaching staff. With his reputation as a coach who likes to push the ball downfield in the passing game, Georgia’s offense will look fairly different when the 2020 season kicks off.

Around 1:30 p.m. Friday, Georgia confirmed the hire via Twitter saying, “Welcome to Athens, Coach Monken!!”

“We are excited to add Todd to our staff,” head coach Kirby Smart said in a later press release. “He has a history of establishing explosive offenses at each and every stop in his impressive career in both the National Football League and at major college football programs.”

Current offensive coordinator James Coley will now take on a new role as assistant head coach, according to the release.

Monken served as offensive coordinator for the Browns in 2019, but plays were called by head coach Freddie Kitchens. Cleveland finished 22nd in the league in total offense and passing offense and 12th in rushing offense.

Before venturing north, Monken spent three years as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team finished top five in passing offense in Monken’s final two years on staff, including leading the NFL with 320 passing yards per game in 2018.

His other coaching stops since 2000 include head coach at Southern Miss (2013-15), offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State (2011-12) and receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2007-10) and LSU Tigers (2005-06).

With his background as a receivers coach, Monken has coached and developed several talented pass catchers. Dwayne Bowe, Buster Davis and Justin Blackmon were first-round picks out of LSU and Oklahoma State, respectively, after being coached by Monken. He also helped Mike Evans in Tampa Bay earn a pair of Pro Bowl nods and a trio of 1,000-yard seasons.

This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Georgia hires former Southern Miss football coach as offensive coordinator."