It is not everything, but it is certainly something. Heading into the College Football Playoff, the Georgia Bulldogs are one of five teams whose star coordinators are up for the highest honor in their field. The Broyles Award goes to the best assistant head coach in the nation. Not only is Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo one of the five finalists, but he is the only offensive guy in the mix.
As of Tuesday afternoon's announcement, here are the five assistants who are up for the Broyles.
- Georgia Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo
- Indiana Hoosiers defensive coordinator Bryant Haines
- Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman
- Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia
- Texas Tech Red Raiders defensive coordinator Shiel Wood
While all five are certainly deserving of this recognition, it just might be Bobo's time to shine this year.
Announcing Broyles Award Finalist: Mike Bobo – Georgia, Offensive Coordinator.
— The Broyles Award (@BroylesAward) December 9, 2025
Coach Bobo’s schemes have elevated Georgia’s offense to elite status. After dominating Alabama in the SEC Championship game, The Bulldogs are showing that they are for real. Bobo is the only OC in… pic.twitter.com/8XK1tT16F1
This is Bobo's second stint as his alma mater's offensive coordinator. He has a proven track record of success at multiple stops, including at Auburn and South Carolina in the SEC. What also separates him from the other finalists is he has been at his school for so much longer. Bryant Haines, Corey Hetherman, Matt Patricia, and Shiel Wood are all relatively new additions to their respective teams.
Haines was a graduate assistant at Indiana before, he only returned to Bloomington back in 2024.
Mike Bobo's underrated case for the Broyles Award is quite compelling
Removing biases aside, this felt like Patricia's award to lose, right up until Ohio State fell to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship. It may very well go to Haines, and deservedly so. Again, the Broyles could go to any of these five coordinators, and nobody would be all that mad about it. The reason why it might be Bobo's best shot is he does not have to beat out some offensive-minded wunderkind for it.
Those who know ball may be able to distinguish one punishing defense from another. However, those who are merely casuals can see what a good offense looks like in real time. The case for Bobo starts with him getting the most out of his first-year starting quarterback Gunner Stockton. The way that Stockton is able to conduct Bobo's offense feels like hand in glove, especially down in the red zone.
What has made it so fun to watch and cover this Georgia offense is anyone and everyone can get in on the action. Stockton has more weapons than he can handle. It has not been just a handful of guys who are making a difference. The entire offense is making a difference! Add in the fact that Glenn Schumann's defense played a part in this team sputtering a bit in the first half, and we are Team Bobo!
Overall, Georgia would not even be in anywhere as good of a position to win its third national title in five years without the tremendous play-calling from Bobo. It has not always been the case, but he has had such outstanding feel for it this season. The fact he has seemingly every defense of note on its heels when he decides to open up the playbook has been mightily impressive. He has been in his bag.
By simply being up for the Broyles Award this late into the game as a finalist should be all the proof Bobo and the Georgia faithful need to silence their critics. Could he have a bad game in the playoff? Yes. Will people crucify him for it? Most definitely. That being said, if we look at his body of work this season in all totality, it is hard to argue that here has been a better offensive coordinator in the nation.
Georgia is not going to clean up during awards season, but this would be such a huge honor for Bobo.