Cleveland Browns HC Todd Monken Explains Why He Left Georgia Bulldogs

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken explains he left the Georgia Bulldogs.

The Georgia Bulldogs have been tied to many coaching moves across both college football and in the NFL. One of the biggest names to make a change this offseason was former offensive coordinator Todd Monken, as he was named the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Monken was previously the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens and had held that position since the 2023 season. Following the firing of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, it was expected Monken would follow Harbaugh to the New York Giants to continue his role of being an offensive coordinator. That all changed when the Browns came calling.

Monken spent a lot of time in the NFL prior to his stint at Georgia. In fact, he was the offensive coordinator for the Browns prior to Kirby Smart hiring him in 2020. Now Monken has gone full circle, only this time, with a bigger title.

During his time at Georgia, the Bulldogs were very successful offensively. Monken played a role in Georgia winning back-to-back national titles and turned Georgia into one of the most efficient offenses in the country. Even with a former walk-on quarterback in Stetson Bennett.

Following Georgia's second national title in 2022, Monken took the offensive coordinating job with the Ravens. There was an assumption that Monken would likely want to get back into coaching at the professional level, and when an opportunity came knocking, he took it.

That wasn't Monken's entire goal though, and in a recent interview, he explained that he left Georgia to pursue his current opportunity.

Why Todd Monken Left the Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart hugs Georgia Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken after winning the SEC Championship NCAA college football game between LSU and Georgia in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Georgia won 50-30. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"It's surreal," Monken said on finally becoming an NFL head coach. "I mean, it is everything you work for your whole career. It's the whole reason I came back to the NFL. The reason I left Georgia. (To) Give yourself a chance to be a head coach in the NFL (to) be one of the 32 (head coaches)."

a surreal moment for Coach Monken pic.twitter.com/zVtrzroRJ7
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 30, 2026

Monken has never been a head coach at the professional level, but he was a head coach at Southern Miss from 2013-2015. He held a 13-25 record and after starting 1-11 in his first year and only improving to 3-9 his second year, the program finished with a 9-5 record in his third and final season. He was named Conference USA Coach of the Year that season.

The Browns are hoping Monken can provide the same type of turnaround during his time in Cleveland.

Why Todd Monken Left the Georgia Bulldogs

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