Todd Monken leaves Georgia to become the Ravens new OC

Todd Monken leaves Georgia to become the Ravens’ new OC

Jamison HensleyESPN Staff Writer10:58 AM ET3 Minute Read

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday hired Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new offensive coordinator to take the team’s first big step in getting its declining offense back on track.

Georgia turned to a familiar face in a familiar role after Monken’s departure when the team promoted analyst Mike Bobo to offensive coordinator, the school said Tuesday.

The 57-year-old Monken helped lead Georgia to back-to-back national championships. His offense averaged 501.1 yards and 40.7 points per game last season.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh selected Monken after a process that included 21 interviews with 14 candidates over a four-week period.

“Todd’s leadership and coaching skills were evident from the start,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “He has a proven track record of designing and teaching offensive systems that enable players to thrive at the highest level.

Before spending the last three seasons as a collegiate-level coach, Monken was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2016-2018) and the Cleveland Browns (2019).

He also applied for the position of offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers that offseason.

Monken is the seventh offensive coordinator under coach John Harbaugh, entering his 16th season in Baltimore.

Monken’s hiring comes 26 days after Greg Roman resigned as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator. The Ravens’ scoring had declined in each of Roman’s four seasons as Baltimore’s playcaller, from an NFL-best 33.2 points per game in 2019 to 20.6 points per game in 2022 (19th in the league).

Monken’s arrival comes at a time when quarterback Lamar Jackson’s future is uncertain. The Ravens are expected to put the franchise tag on Jackson if the sides cannot reach a long-term agreement by March 7.

This is the second year in a row that Harbaugh has filled a coordinator position with a college coach. Last year, Harbaugh hired Michigan’s Mike Macdonald as his defensive coordinator.

Bobo, a former Bulldogs quarterback, was the team’s offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2014 under coach Mark Richt. He was Colorado State’s head coach from 2015-2019, transitioning 28-35, before returning to the SEC in 2020 as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator. Bobo spent the 2021 season as Auburn’s offensive coordinator before returning to his alma mater as an analyst last fall.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Bobo were teammates at the school from 1995 to 1997, and Bobo set multiple team passing records, finishing his career with 6,334 passing yards. As Georgia’s offensive coordinator, Bobo worked with quarterbacks such as Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray. In 2012 he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s best assistant. Georgia won 135 games and two SEC championships during Bobo’s time as coordinator.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.