ATHENS — Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo sort of glossed over his answer when he was asked about the dynamic of coaching his son, Drew, on Georgia’s offense.
Last year, it really wasn’t that big of a deal as Drew Bobo was matriculating through a redshirt freshman season and didn’t really figure into the Bulldogs’ plans.
That’s no longer the case for Drew in Year Two for the 6-foot-5, 305-pound center. Not only is he in full preparation mode in Georgia’s preseason football camp, but quite suddenly, Drew Bobo finds himself working more than occasionally with the Bulldogs’ No. 1 offense.
Jared Wilson, Georgia’s projected starter at center, is sidelined with an injury. There are reports that the 6-foot-3, 310-pound junior is in concussion protocol and soon should be able to return to action. In the meantime, though, Wilson’s work mostly is limited to the sideline and standing behind the huddle and watching others take his snaps in 11-on-11, full-contact work.
Sometimes it’s Drew Bobo getting the live-action work at center and sometimes it’s cross-trained veteran guards such as Tate Ratledge, Dylan Fairchild or Micah Morris getting work at center.
Asked to assess Drew Bobo’s play when he’s at center, Mike Bobo cracked, “He’s hell on wheels,” without further elaboration.
Any person who has experienced playing for a parent on any level of sport can probably identify with Mike Bobo’s vague evaluation of his son’s work. It’s not uncommon for a coach/parent to be tougher on their own kid. Their instruction might be slightly more critical and/or their expectations a little higher when it comes to following the rules and adhering other philosophical vagaries of playing one sport or another.
But whether it’s outwardly displayed or privately communicated, there also has to be an inherent sense of pride when watching one’s own flesh-and-blood compete at a high level. When some sort of threshold or victory is achieved, it would seem hard for a parent to contain his exuberance.
Tight ends coach Todd Hartley verified he has witnessed such moments with the Bobos.
“We might be in the offensive unit meeting and (Mike) will highlight (a play Drew made) and say, ‘hey, that’s my boy!’” Hartley shared Thursday. “It’s pretty cool to see that. If I had a chance to coach my son, I don’t think it’d be any different.”
Hartley may well get that opportunity. His oldest son, Tucker, is a standout baseball and football player in the youth ranks. He and his wife, Jessica, also have three younger daughters. It’s uncertain if any play football or eventually will.
For obvious reasons, it’s not unusual to see the sons and daughters of coaches grow up to be exceptional athletes. What’s more uncommon is to see those children grow up to play for their fathers in college.
Former Georgia defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was able to do that to some extent recently when his son, Jackson Muschamp, played for the Bulldogs the past three years as a walk-on quarterback. Though Jackson didn’t play much, his career ended in December with a heartwarming scene in which Will watched his son guide the offense on its final series in a 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Meanwhile, Will Muschamp also played for his father in high school. Georgia coach Kirby Smart played football for his dad, Sonny Smart, at Bainbridge High School, and Bobo played for his father, George Bobo, at Thomasville High.
George Bobo, as he often is, was in attendance at Thursday’s practice. Mike said he still consults his father about what he saw every time he comes to a workout.
“I still ask his opinion about how things looked and what we’re doing,” Mike Bobo said.
For Drew Bobo specifically, it always was about him having an opportunity to play for his father in college. A 3-star prospect coming out of high school, Drew first committed to Auburn during the one season Mike Bobo was offensive coordinator there. When Mike joined Smart’s Georgia staff as an analyst in 2022, Drew changed his pledge to the Bulldogs.
It could not have worked out better because Drew grew up playing on the sidelines of UGA’s Woodruff Practice Fields. His father served as head coach Mark Richt’s quarterbacks coach and play-caller from 2001-14, or pretty much most of Drew’s life.
“Man, there’s just a lot of pride there, right?” Hartley said of observing the Bobo’s daily interactions. “First of all just to have a son that has the ability to play college football, then you get the opportunity to coach him? That’s probably a very rare occurrence, to be able to coach your son in college. But coach Bobo has such pride in Drew and what he’s been able to do.”
Reports are that Drew Bobo has not disappointed when it comes to his development on the field. As a unit, Georgia’s line was designated as the best in college football this season by analyst and magazine publisher Phil Steele. Just the fact that Drew Bobo is represented on the first couple of lines of a depth chart that includes nearly two dozen names is a testament to his ability to play the game.
He is, it seems, a natural.
But the reality is, as the Bulldogs prepare to face Clemson in the season opener in three weeks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they really need for Wilson to get well. Wilson has been awaiting patiently for his opportunity to start after sitting behind four-year starter and All-SEC center Sedrick Van Pran the past two seasons. There are those who claim that Wilson stands to be every bit as good as his predecessor.
Indications are he shouldn’t be too long in making a full-go return.
“We’re just being careful with Jared,” Bobo said. “But it also gives more guys opportunities to work at center. Sed Van Pran made those calls a hundred times and was confident in communicating. So everything we do, from walk-through to practice, is an opportunity for those centers, if Jared’s not in there, to get work.”
So, Coach, how has Drew Bobo responded to those opportunities?
“It’s a little bit uncomfortable for guys like Drew,” Mike Bobo said. “But the only way you’re going to get comfortable is to keep doing it and putting them into those pressure situations.”
Hartley provided a more glowing assessment.
“He’s done an unbelievable job,” Hartley said of Drew. “And Mike coaches him like he’s no different than anybody else. He treats him like anybody else. But the sense of pride is there.”
Regardless of Drew Bobo’s role this season or in the future, the real benefit of father and son being on the same team is they get to spend time together. That hasn’t always been the case. Mike Bobo’s career has taken him from Columbia, South Carolina, to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and many points in between. Drew and his four other siblings sometimes were not even living in the same city.
As it is now, they all get to enjoy some occasional down time together. Drew has introduced his father to the EA Sports’ College Football 25 video game. Mike, who prefers the old-fashioned “Tecmo Bowl,” has played the new game a few times now, and not just with Drew. His son Jake also gets in on the act.
Jake Bobo, by the way, is competing for the starting quarterback’s job at Prince Avenue Christian School. Who knows, maybe Mike will get to coach him someday?
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