No place like home for 26 alum in Bulldog football facility

If you take a look inside the media guide at Kirby Smart’s staff, it quickly becomes apparent that there certainly are a lot of Georgia grads in the program.

And why not?

It’s certainly not unusual for a college football organization to boast numerous alumni, and at Georgia, it’s no accident this is the case.

Smart has made sure of that.

"We actually use that in our recruiting presentations,” said tight end coach Todd Hartley, himself a Georgia alum. “I don't know the exact number, 26, 24, something like that. We have 26 former alumni that are working in our program in some capacity. What that illustrates is Georgia's willingness to welcome people back.

"The University's willingness to say it's not a four-year decision, it's a 40-year decision. I'm not just going to take care of you in your time in Athens, but it does have the ability to help you find a career.”

Of course, it starts with Smart, who graduated in 1998 with a degree in Finance. He’s certainly not alone.

Along with Hartley, Georgia’s on-field staff includes Bulldog alumni: offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon.

But even that’s just a smidgen of the former Bulldogs playing key roles for Smart.

Others include Smart’s right-hand man and Director of Football Administration Mike Cavan, Director of Player Personnel Jonas Jennings, and Player Connection Coordinator Jarvis Jones, among numerous others. There are too many to list here.

Bobo agrees with Hartley that having so many Georgia grads inside the football facility has definitely been a benefit when it comes to recruiting.

“When you're recruiting a young man, there is never going to be 100 percent stability. They're looking for stability. You know the old saying, don't go for the coach. Go for the school and where you fit in,” Bobo said. “At the same time, recruits are going to be attracted to certain coaches. And I think that's a selling point. You've got coaches on this staff that love the University of Georgia. They are here to help the University of Georgia be the best that it can be in all areas, not just on the field. And it's important, to guys that graduated from here, that it is successful in all areas. I think that is a selling point to the recruits.”

Obviously, the fact Bobo made his return surprised few.

He, Bobo, and Muschamp were all former teammates and big buddies back in the day in Athens, so the fact he matriculated back after coaching at Colorado State, South Carolina, and Auburn the past years did not qualify as a shock.

"After Auburn, I had other opportunities to go other places but I wanted to go somewhere where I could continue learning as a coach," Bobo said. "I always wanted to be under the Coach Smart, Coach Saban tree, and learn how they practice, how they organize, and how they go about things. I tell recruits, you go somewhere you want to be developed and I came here last year to try to get developed more as a coach."

Bobo noted he did come back to Athens with the notion he’d be the offensive coordinator. At least this soon. That obviously changed when Todd Monken returned to the NFL as the new offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.

“With coach Monken going to the NFL, the opportunity presented itself to be the coordinator. I felt comfortable about being here. I met my wife here. My kids were born here,” Bobo said. “You're at a place working for an administration that believes in what we're doing. Our head coach has a plan for how to do things. To be part of this program that I played at, went to school, and graduated from the University of Georgia, I couldn't pass that opportunity up."

Hartley says it’s no surprise so many Georgia grads wind up coming back to Athens.

“It also shows recruits and parents that once you leave Athens, a lot of people want to come back to Athens. It's a great place to raise a family, build a career, and it's a great place to go to school,” Hartley said. “I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to coach at my alma mater. Coach Smart has afforded me that, and Josh Brooks has afforded me that. I'm very thankful for that."