Dash: ‘I think you’ll see Bo become a different QB’
AUBURN | New Auburn offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has a long history in the SEC including 20 years as a player and coach at Georgia. We caught up with UGASports.com editor Anthony Dasher for his thoughts on Bobo, who he has covered since his playing days back in the mid-90s.
What type of person and coach is Auburn getting in Mike Bobo?
DASH: I’ve known Mike since he was a quarterback here, pretty far back. He’s very relatable. He’s a south Georgia guy, grew up in Thomasville as the son of a coach and is definitely cut out of the same cloth. I think he would qualify as a player’s coach. He’s a great teacher, especially for quarterbacks. Everybody saw what he did for Matt Stafford when he was here and I think Matt, even today, will give Mike a ton of the credit for where he’s at right now. Obviously, Mike knows the SEC as well an anybody, played in it, coached in it, had success in it for a very long period of time. I think it’s a really good fit for Auburn.
What kind of offense can Auburn fans expect from Bobo?
DASH: I think Auburn for the most part would look to have a pro-style offense. That’s what his background is in and that’s what he was at Georgia. What does that mean? I think you’ll see a lot of play-action passes. They’ll need to have a strong running game to set that up. That’s kind of what he cut his teeth on and what he believes in, even when he moved to Colorado State. His offense there was very similar to what he ran at Georgia. The tight end will be very involved. When Mike was here, the tight ends would average catching 25-30 passes, somewhere along those lines and would always play key roles. He’ll definitely look to use the entire field and get your most talented players in space with the ball. You’ll see him dump the ball off to the backs. He’ll spread it out but it won’t be so much of the passing spread that’s become all the craze in college football now. So people may say it’s old school but old school has been effective. He’ll have tweaks. It won’t all be the same as what Georgia did.
What is Bobo like as a recruiter?
DASH: Great, great recruiter. His importance as a recruiter is going to help Auburn as much as what he does as an offensive coordinator. He’s a guy that really relatable and he knows the state of Georgia like the back of his hand. He was the one responsible for helping Mark Richt bring in some of the top recruits when he was here. I think it’s a huge, huge get from a recruiting standpoint. Not that Auburn hasn’t recruited Georgia well in the past, but Mike can do a little extra because he knows the state and coaches so well and he relates to the players.
How much can Bobo help develop Bo Nix?
DASH: A ton. A ton. I think you’ll see Bo become a different quarterback under Mike Bobo. I think Bo will listen to him because he knows the quarterbacks Mike has coached in the past and seen the success that Stafford has had at Georgia and Detroit right now. Those are the kind of little nuances and tweaks that Mike can come in and fix immediately. He’ll have a quick impact, I think on Bo, and I think Auburn fans can expect see a little different version of Bo Nix next fall.