For Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, Todd Monken as one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award—going annually to the top assistant coach in college football—is one of the least surprising facts.
Smart hates to think where the Bulldogs would be without him.
“The fact that he's up for the award, I can't think of anybody better who deserves that award based on what he has done offensively with what he's had to work with,” Smart said after practice Tuesday.
Georgia has been one of the top three offenses in the SEC the entire season, ranking first in both total offense with 496.27 yards per game and third in scoring offense at 38.6.
Led by quarterback Stetson Bennett, the Bulldogs have passed for the third-most yardage in the conference. Although Georgia’s red zone and short yardage efforts have been points of recent consternation, the Bulldogs are still averaging a respectable 197 yards on the ground heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale against Georgia Tech (Noon, ESPN).
"He's been incredibly innovative with our offense,” Smart said. “When you think about a guy who's had arguably one of our best wideouts (AD Mitchell) out all year, to do what he's done with running-backs banged up, guys in and out of the lineup at receiver, and still do it the way he has done it.”
Senior safety Christopher Smith knows just a little bit about how effective Georgia’s offense has been under Monken, who is in his third year as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator.
“Monken does a lot of great things with this team. He does a lot of good things, putting good players in position to make a lot of plays using their skill sets to his advantage,” Smith said. “And Stetson does a good job of making checks when needed and putting the offense in a good position.”
What Monken has done with Bennett cannot be discounted.
When JT Daniels suffered his injury last year, Monken turned to Bennett, whose mobility afforded the offensive coordinator the chance to run the kind of offense he always hoped to implement.
“It definitely presents a tough challenge to a defense, when a quarterback is able to make changes based on the coverages you’re in,” Smith added. “It’s definitely a challenge.”
Smart agrees.
“What he has done with Stetson and his ability, I think offensively our numbers speak for themselves, especially when you play in a league we play in,” Smart said. “It's tough and a really physical league. He's done a tremendous job, and he recreates it every week.”
Left tackle Broderick Jones said preparation is one of the keys to Monken’s success.
“He’s a great OC and he’s always prepared with his game plan,” Jones said. “We just try to execute it the best we can.”
Other schools are undoubtedly taking notice.
Monken’s name has been mentioned as a possible head coaching candidate at many other schools.
Smart hopes a recent contract extension will keep him around Athens for a bit longer.
According to an open records request by UGASports, Monken’s pay this year was bumped to $2.005 million in the first year of his reworked deal. The deal increases to $2.1005 million beginning July 1, 2023, and up to $2.2005 million on July 4 of 2024.
“I think if you polled the coaches he plays against, they'd be the first to tell you he's hard to prepare for, because there's run and pass involved,” Smart said. “He does it with an NFL style that kids like to play for.”
