Colorado State is hoping another up-and-coming SEC offensive coordinator can build on what the previous one did at the university.
The Rams officially announced Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo as the 22nd head coach in school history Monday night in a press release. The Denver Post and Fort Collins Coloradoan reported earlier Monday afternoon that the two sides were closing in on a deal. Details of the contract have not yet been announced. An introductory press conference has been announced for Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Bob Davis Hall at Moby Arena.
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CSU is coming off of a 10-3 season under former head coach Jim McElwain, who returned to the SEC when he took the head coaching position at the University of Florida on Dec. 4. Like McElwain, who was the offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2009-11, Bobo hails from the elite conference in college football, where he oversaw a Bulldog offense that ranked first in the league in yards per game (454.9).
Bobo, who was a four-year letterwinner as a quarterback at Georgia from 1994-1997, has been with the program since 2001 when he was hired as the quarterbacks coach by Mark Richt. Bobo served in that position until 2007 when he was promoted to offensive coordinator. During his time at UGA, Bobo helped lead the Bulldogs to 135 victories, including two Southeastern Conference championships, five SEC Eastern Division titles and eight bowl victories.
The Thomasville, Georgia native also helped to develop some of the top offensive talents in the country during that time, including Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, Kansas City Chiefs backup quarterback Aaron Murray, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green and Miami Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno.
Unlike when McElwain arrived at CSU, the cupboard will be far from empty for Bobo, who will inherit Biletnikoff Award finalist and consensus All-American Rashard Higgins, running backs Treyous Jarrells and possibly Dee Hart, along with three other experienced receivers in Joe Hansley, Elroy Masters, Jr., Xavier Williams and tight ends Kivon Cartwright and Steven Walker.
CSU finishes its season this past Saturday with a 45-10 defeat in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl at the hands of the University of Utah.
Collegian Sports Editor Keegan Pope can be reached at kpope@collegian.com and on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.
