COLUMBIA, S.C. — Mike Bobo is officially the new offensive coordinator for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
The school's trustees voted Tuesday afternoon to approve a 2-year, $1.2 million a year deal for Bobo, who most recently had been the head coach at Colorado State.
"I'm excited to bring Mike on board," said Coach Will Muschamp. "He is a proven and respected play-caller and quarterbacks coach, who I have faced many times over the years. Over the last 13 years, his offenses have averaged over 31 points and 424 yards per game while converting over 43 percent on third down. He also has a long relationship with both (running backs coach) Thomas Brown and (wide receivers coach) Bryan McClendon, so it will be a smooth transition for our offensive staff."
The school also agreed to a $200,000 a year raise for Brown. Gamecocks Head Coach Will Muschamp had a $200,000 a year clause in his own contract cancelled to make that change happen.
USC was ranked just 96th out of 130 team in total offense in 2019. In the SEC, only Tennessee, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt were ranked lower. That was a big reason why the Gamecocks finished 4-8 this season, their second-worst mark this century.
Sources have been telling reporters since the weekend that USC had zeroed in on Bobo to take over the running of the Gamecocks' offense. Bobo was a college teammate of USC head coach Will Muschamp back in the 1990s, when Bobo was the quarterback for the Bulldogs and Muschamp was a safety.
After college, Bobo eventually joined former Georgia coach Mark Richt's staff, first serving as quarterback's coach and eventually offensive coordinator. During his time with the Bulldogs, he coach David Greene, D.J. Shockey, current NFL QB Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Murray. The team won two SEC titles during his tenure. In 2012, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award which goes to the nation's top assistant football coach.
After the 2014 season, he left Georgia to be the head coach at Colorado State, where he led the Rams to bowl games in each of his first three seasons. But after winning just seven games in the last 24, he was let go and that's when he became one of the most sought after free agents in the coaching circles.
The Bobo hire comes after a shakeup of USC's coaching staff, where offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon was removed as offensive coordinator, and both quarterbacks coach Dan Werner and football head strength and conditioning coach Jeff Dillman were let go.
