Georgia football: Significance of Todd Monken coaching quarterbacks

Georgia football hired Todd Monken as its new offensive coordinator in January to replace James Coley. Monken previously served as offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart recently confirmed that new offensive coordinator Todd Monken is also the team’s quarterbacks coach.

That’s expected, but still, huge news for the Georgia football team because Monken knows a thing or two about coaching up quarterbacks and developing aerial offenses. Monken has coached offense in some capacity since 1993. Since then he’s either coached quarterbacks or wide receivers, while adding titles of passing game coordinator and offensive coordinator at more recent jobs.

Monken has played a role in developing outstanding passing games almost everywhere he’s been at the college level while turning some little-known quarterbacks into statistical juggernauts.

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Monken’s last stint as a college coach was as head coach of Southern Mississippi from 2013-15. The starting quarterback of his of most of his tenure was Nick Mullens, a two-star recruit in the 2013 class who didn’t even rank nationally according to the 247Sports Composite.

Mullens graduated with 11,994 passing yards and 87 passing touchdowns in 44 games played across four seasons. His best season was 2015, his last with Monken as head coach. Mullens threw for 4,476 yards and scored 38 touchdowns while completing 63.5-percent of his passes. Southern Mississippi won the Conference USA Western Division Championship that season. Mullens had a solid season in 2016 without Monken and signed with San Fransisco as an undrafted free agent. He even started eight games for the 49ers in 2018.

Prior to Southern Mississippi, Monken served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oklahoma State in 2011 and 2012. Because of injuries at quarterback in 2012, three Cowboy passers combined for over 4,000 yards and 34 touchdowns and still completed over 60-percent of their passes despite unfortunate circumstances.

Monken’s first year at Oklahoma State went more according to plan. The Cowboys finished 12-1 and won the Big 12 Championship with Brandon Weeden, a former baseball player at quarterback. Weeded was good in 2010 without Monken, but he was near perfect with Monken in 2011. Weeden completed 72.4-percent of his 565 pass attempts with 4,727 yards and 37 touchdowns.

The Oklahoma State job was Monken’s first as a quarterbacks coach, but it wasn’t his first job working with quarterbacks. He was the passing game coordinator for the Cowboys earlier in the decade (2002-04) and at LSU (2005-06).

In 2002, Monken helped revolutionize the Oklahoma State program. Before then, the Cowboys had five-straight losing seasons and hadn’t won a bowl game since 1988. In 2001, Oklahoma State only scored over 20 points five times and had a mediocre-at-best passing game. With Monken coordinating the passing game and in 2002, Oklahoma State averaged 262 passing yards per game and scored at least 30 points seven times. The Cowboys finished 8-5 and ended their 14-drought of seasons without a bowl victory.

The quarterback for most of Monken’s first tenure at Oklahoma State was Josh Fields who, coincidentally, was also a baseball player, though he chose professional baseball after leaving Stillwater. Fields had 5,639 passing yards and 52 touchdowns as the quarterback of Monken’s passing game.

Monken followed head coach Les Miles to LSU and coordinated a passing game featuring Jamarcus Russell as the quarterback. Russell passed for 5,572 yards with 43 touchdowns in two seasons with Monken. In typical, Todd Monken quarterback fashion, Russell completed well over 60-percent of his passes.

College quarterbacks succeed with Monken. Even backups thrown into games because of injuries tend to perform well in Monken’s passing games. Monken’s quarterbacks are consistent and efficient by completing a high percentage of their passes, and they back that efficiency up with yards and touchdowns.

Given Monken’s resume and track record, there’s no doubt he can have the same effect on whoever Georgia’s next starting quarterbacks are. Which is exactly what Georgia football needs. Jake Fromm was a great quarterback, but he never really reached his potential and his consistency dipped last season. That cost Georgia wins and possible championships, while Joe Burrow, the model of quarterback efficiency led LSU to the National Championship.