Bryan Harsin is an outsider to the SEC, so he’s plucking one of the conference’s most well-known offensive coaches for his first Auburn staff.
South Carolina’s Mike Bobo agreed Thursday to become the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, sources close to the situation tell Auburn Undercover. An official announcement is expected from the school later today.
Bobo replaces Chad Morris after the former Arkansas head coach was on Auburn’s staff for just over a year. Bobo spent one season as the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator before serving as interim head coach following the firing of Will Muschamp.
South Carolina earlier this week announced a contract extension for Bobo to remain on new Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer‘s staff. The deal ran through 2022 at $1.2 million per year. It’s unclear whether Bobo signed the extension and if he will owe South Carolina a bigger buyout because of it.
Bobo is also bringing South Carolina offensive line coach Will Friend with him to Auburn.
A quarterback at Georgia in the late ’90s, Bobo was the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks coach from 2001-06 before adding being promoted to offensive coordinator, a position he held in Athens from 2007-14. In addition to being a highly regarded QB coach and offensive mind, Bobo recruited some of the top prospects in the SEC, such as five-stars Matthew Stafford, Aaron Murray, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, among others.
In 2012, when Georgia was a few plays away from a BCS national championship appearance, Bobo took home the Broyles Award for top assistant coach in college football.
“Obviously with Mike Bobo, you look at the production numbers on the offensive side of the ball wherever he’s been, you look at the quarterback play, you look at the balanced offense,” said Rusty Mansell, recruiting analyst for Dawgs247. “Very big on balance, able to run the ball and being able to throw. It’s kind of evolved from a pro style to him running more spread than he has.”
Bobo parlayed his extensive success at Georgia into his first head coaching gig at Colorado State in 2014. He went 28-38 at CSU and was not retained by the program following the 2019 season.
Auburn Undercover is updating this story. Check back soon for additional information.
