ATHENS — Mike Bobo made it clear he didn’t intend on being Georgia’s offensive coordinator, again. He said there was never a formal offer to return three years ago and that when he took an analyst job for the 2022 season, he did it because he wanted to be further developed as a coach.

Not as part of some Machiavellian plan to return calling plays at Georgia.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I could continue learning as a coach,” Bobo said, speaking to reporters as Georgia’s offensive coordinator. “I always wanted to be under the coach Smart, coach Saban tree and learn how they practice, how they organize, how they go about things. I tell recruits, you go somewhere you want to be developed and I came here last year to try to get developed more as a coach. It was a learning curve and those guys took me in. It was very, very positive.”

After serving as the offensive coordinator at Georgia from 2007 through 2014, Bobo became Colorado State’s head coach. From there he had stops at South Carolina and Auburn. Those two stops lasted just one season, as did his time as an analyst at Georgia.

Shortly after Todd Monken formally became the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, Georgia promoted the former Georgia quarterback to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Bobo is glad to be back in Athens. He met his wife here and is one of 26 Georgia alums on staff. It also helps that he gets to work with some of the best players in the country.

That wasn’t the case at Auburn and South Carolina, one of the key differences to be noted as Bobo takes over.

“The depth that is here now and the development,” Bobo said on what has changed at Georgia. “Coach Smart does a great job of having a plan to develop these guys. There’s never a meeting that goes by that development isn’t stressed by our head coach. You’re not just coaching the first teamer or second teamer, you’re coaching everybody out there.”

The Bulldogs had a Heisman Trophy finalist at the quarterback position last season and have had 34 players taken in the NFL draft in the last three seasons. No program has had more in that span.

It’s a big reason why the Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships at Georgia.

If the Bulldogs are going to win a third-straight national championship, Bobo is going to be a key part of it. Monken was a Broyles Award finalist last season, which goes annually to the nation’s best assistant coach.

Bobo learned a lot from Monken, as Monken did from Bobo. The new Georgia offensive coordinator sat in on the tight ends room last year, while also helping with play design.

“He felt more comfortable asking me some questions about what I thought,” Bobo said. “At the end of the day, I’ve sat in that chair and if he didn’t like my idea, I didn’t get my feelings hurt. I think that’s what you’ve got to do as a good staff member. You’re going to present ideas, we all present ideas, and at the end of the day, the coordinator has got to pick which ideas he wants to put on that call sheet.”

Monken set a very high standard for Bobo to uphold. Bobo did last just one season at each of his last two stops. So you can understand why some think Bobo might be returning with something to show.

But the older and wiser Bobo knows he doesn’t have to prove himself in this job. There’s a reason he was hired at the University of Georgia.

And Smart cares too much about winning to simply help out an old teammate.

“I think I have the same edge that I’ve always had,” Bobo said. “For whatever reason, those things didn’t work out, and when they don’t work out you have to look yourself in the mirror, you don’t point fingers or make excuses, and you come here with a mindset of doing everything possible to help make us successful at the University of Georgia. That’s my edge as an offensive coach. It’s not, ‘Okay, this didn’t work last time in this situation. I’ve got to prove myself this time.’”

Bobo understands this job as well as anyone. He’s done it before and he got a first-hand look at seeing how Monken did it so successfully last season.

All of that experience has Bobo back in Athens, ready to lead Georgia’s offense.

“To be part of this program that I played at, went to school, graduated from the University of Georgia, I couldn’t pass that opportunity up,” Bobo said. “But I didn’t come here two years ago to be the offensive coordinator. I came here to learn and continue my growth as a coach. It just happened to work out that way.”