The Georgia Football coaching staff is still changing. In order to play in the NFL, Bryan McClendon has departed the Georgia Football program. McClendon is going to be the Tampa Bay Bucs’ wide receiver coach going forward.
McClendon has been the Dawgs’ wideout coach for the last two seasons. Following the 2021 National Championship season, McClendon assumed leadership after Cortez Hankton went for LSU. McClendon had previously served as Georgia’s coach from 2007 to 2015. This was his second tenure there. McClendon was a Georgia player from 2002 until 2005. Additionally, McClendon has been a coach at Miami, South Carolina, and Oregon. It will be his first job in the NFL.
It is interesting to note that Todd Bowles, the head coach of the Buccaneers, is the father of Troy Bowles, a redshirt freshman linebacker for the Dawgs. OC for the Bucs is Liam Coen, who was the offensive coordinator for Kentucky. Coen and Bowels thought highly of McClendon, and the Buccaneers are redesigning their offense.
This is Kirby Smart and Georgia Football’s third on-field coaching change of the off-season. Considering that McClendon is a fantastic coach and one of the top recruiters in college football, this might be the most significant loss of the three. Lately, there has been a recurring trend of losing some of the top college football coaches.
Following his first-ever National Championship victory over Alabama in 2022, Kirby Smart expressed concerns about the state of collegiate football and the loss of some of its top coaches to the NFL. Smart continued by saying that college football coaches are quitting entirely or joining the NFL because the standards placed on them have become so unreasonable. Then he continued, saying that action was required.
That being said, no action has been taken, and the demands have only grown. This explains the exodus of coaches to the NFL, the departure of head coaches from G5 schools to take positions as position coaches in the SEC, and the departure of head coaches from one institution to take on the role of offensive coordinator at a different school in the same league. In the realm of college football, the calendar has extended to 365 days, and coaches now have additional responsibilities in addition to managing N.I.L. and the transfer site.
Although I don’t believe that to be the reason, I am positive that McClendon departed Georgia for that reason. Georgia’s wideout room is stacked with skill and depth, so whoever Smart chooses to bring in will have an easier time doing his job.