Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo spoke with reporters on Wednesday and shed some light on the Bulldogs’ offensive plans in 2026, and he discussed three areas of importance they've been focusing on all offseason.
Senior quarterback Gunner Stockton is back for his second year as the starting quarterback. Bobo on Wednesday emphasized the need to access the deep and intermediate parts of the field after a season where much of Stockton’s production came in the quick, short game.
Mike Bobo's first task is unlocking a new level in Gunner Stockton
A year after finishing as a finalist for the Broyles Award for the nation’s best assistant coach, Bobo’s next task is to unlock the next dimension of Stockton’s game as a true dropback passer.
Bobo said being aggressive downfield is “something we’re working on hard” with Stockton, but added his quarterback is “not Josh Allen” and needs to know when to play it safe and come back for the next down.
“I’ve tried to call more plays where we can push the ball downfield,” he said via georgiadogs.com. “Now, sometimes we call that play, and they play a coverage, and the right play is to check it down to the back. And we gotta do that too as a quarterback.”
Bobo said every offense is “a little bit different” from year to year, but running the ball will always be the preferred modus operandi for the Georgia offense. The Bulldogs put an emphasis on running the ball last season, and improved their running game from second-worst in the SEC in 2024 to fourth-best in 2025.
Still, there’s a need to figure out how to work off of the running game and create big plays through the air.
“That method of winning football games is never going to change here at the University of Georgia under Coach Smart,” Bobo said. “But as an offense, besides running the ball, how are we going to be explosive? Who’s going to get those touches? That’s our job as coaches to figure that out.”
Mike Bobo must figure out how to replace Zachariah Branch
A big question for Georgia this year is how to replace the production of now-Atlanta Falcon Zachariah Branch, who set a program record with 81 catches while recording 811 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
“We lost a lot of production, and a lot of that production was Zachariah Branch,” Bobo said. “And we lost a lot of experience last year with some skill players, the four receivers and the tight end. (Branch, Dillon Bell, Noah Thomas, Colbie Young, Oscar Delp) That's what we're in the midst of doing right now, trying to find out who we are and the best way for us to move the ball offensively.”
Bobo said Georgia “security blanketed” Branch last season to help build Stockton’s confidence in his first year starting, and he thought it resulted in Stockton playing better towards the end of the season.
Now, the question for an emboldened and experienced Stockton, is to figure out who to throw to now.
Bobo resisted the opportunity to single out one or two players as “go-to” guys in the offense. He emphasized the competition going on within Georgia’s skill position rooms, and suggested the answer could be very matchup-dependent given the wealth of talent spread across different rooms in Georgia’s offense.
“We have a big volume of offense,” Bobo said. “We do a lot of things offensively. We don't carry all those things in one game, but our volume allows us to be multiple from game to game and how we want to attack somebody.”
“When you have multiple positions, whether it's tight end, receivers, or backs, and you've got good depth at all those, it allows you to do more things.”
Georgia's stock of talented offensive weapons must first prove themselves on the field
Tight ends Lawson Luckie, Ethan Barbour, Elyiss Williams and Jaden Reddell are all intriguing pieces who offer their own flavor as pass-catchers.
London Humphreys returns to lead the receiver room, joined by Georgia Tech import Isiah Canion, promising second-year players Talyn Taylor and C.J. Wiley, and slot receiver Sacovie White-Helton.
In the backfield, Georgia returns All-SEC back Nate Frazier, ascending No. 2 Chauncey Bowens and an intriguing big-play threat in Dwight Phillips Jr.
It remains to be seen what the makeup of Georgia’s passing attack will be, and it’ll take some time to gel with all the new pieces getting playing time. But if Bobo’s comments are any indicator, it could take different shapes over the course of the season, especially if they once again get the run game going.
“It’s trying to figure out a balance of what we do best as an offense, what our quarterbacks do best as an offense, and where we’re going to tailor who and how we’re going to try to get touches to those people,” Bobo said.
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