Who could fit a program's culture better than a player who has played there?

That thought process surely resonates with Kirby Smart, who hired former Bulldogs Bryan McClendon and Mike Bobo to the Georgia staff in January. McClendon will be the receivers coach and passing game coordinator, while Bobo's role is still to be determined.

McClendon replaces Cortez Hankton as Georgia's receivers coach. He played for the Bulldogs from 2002-2005 and served on staff in various capacities from 2007-2015.

After Hankton departed for LSU, Smart began his search, looking for a coach that best fit the program. He settled on McClendon.

"We don’t look at a lot of things that people on the outside world look at," Smart said. "I look at, can they make our staff better, can they make our players better, do they fit our culture. He checked the box, was the best fit, and wants to be here. That’s important to me and what we create at Georgia."

Smart actually served on Georgia's staff as running backs coach in 2005 while McClendon still played on the team. He has since recruited against him for years, first at Alabama and later at Georgia, when McClendon worked at South Carolina.

Georgia officially hired Bobo on Jan. 28. He doesn't have a set role yet, but Smart knows his former teammate brings plenty to the table.

"There's a lot of value in the experiences he’s had," Smart said. "He’s been a head coach. He’s been an offensive coordinator in our conference. He knows our conference. The five-hour radius we recruit in, he’s extremely versed. He has a ton of relationship value."