If Todd Monken Leaves, is His Replacement Already in Athens?

If Todd Monken leaves Athens this offseason will his replacement come from within the program?

After an impressive unbeaten regular season and now a national championship, the attention shown to the University of Georgia is ramping up like it would for any successful program. Smart has said it himself when it comes to coaches being plucked from the staff, it is a mark of a successful program. So far, Georgia's national championship only solidifies its status as a successful program under Smart. 

Before the College Football Playoffs began, reports began surfacing about the future of current wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton. Hankton is a top remaining target for Brian Kelly's LSU staff. No deal is in place between Hankton and Baton Rouge but with his ties to the state of Louisana as a former native, the connection between the two makes sense.

Then on Thursday, a report surfaced from Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that two more Georgia staffers could be departing Athens this offseason. Feldman said that current offensive coordinator Todd Monken could be making his way back to the NFL, while defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae could be taking a job elsewhere. 

It should be no surprise that Monken could be heading elsewhere after completing his second season in Athens. Monken owns a prior history of moving around during his nearly two-decade history coaching; Monken has not stayed in the same post for more than four season, he's been with 9 different programs — both NFL and College — in the last 20 seasons of football. 

After winning Georgia's third national championship in program history and averaging around 38-points per game with a quarterback situation that saw two quarterbacks start at different points in the year, along with the mass attrition at wide receiver throughout the year, it makes it all the more impressive job by Monken.

If Monken does go elsewhere, it would mean Kirby Smart would hire his fourth offensive coordinator in his six-year tenure as Georgia's head coach. After seemingly hitting a home run with the hiring of Todd Monken, someone who previously held no connection to Kirby Smart's past, the now national champion head coach may go outside his coaching tree to hire a replacement. 

It is also as likely that Smart opts for promotion from within his program like he did after the 2018 season where Jim Chaney left Georgia for the same role at Tennessee. Smart promoted James Coley to offensive coordinator, and despite the product not living up to the hype, it should not affect Smart's decision-making this go around. 

A name that is relatively new to Georgia fans is Buster Faulkner. Faulkner currently serves on Georgia's staff as an offensive quality control coach since joining after the 2019 season. Faulkner joined the staff just a week after Monken's hire was made official. 

Before joining the Georgia staff, Faulkner served as an offensive coordinator at Southern Miss, Arkansas State, and Middle Tennessee. After two seasons in an off-the-field role, Faulkner could be the replacement for Monken, being trusted with the responsibilities of continuing the offense that Moken implemented at Georgia.

You Might Also Like:

Join the community

Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinSI

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @BulldogsSI.


Published
Harrison Reno
HARRISON RENO