Few get to coach at their alma mater, and Mike Bobo is one of the lucky ones. The former Georgia quarterback, however, has navigated a rocky ride as an offensive coordinator in Athens. Despite fan complaints and wild speculation about his future, Bobo has now made his intentions clear.

“No plans to retire,” confirmed Bobo when the UGA Sports reporter asked if he planned to hang up his coaching boots, as reshared by UGA Sports’ publisher, Radi Nabulsi.

A scan of social media after the 24-21 loss to Alabama revealed one key play fans can’t stop talking about. It was a blown fourth-down call in the fourth quarter that many blamed on Bobo. 

Stockton and the offense had managed to reach the Crimson Tide’s 17-yard line to open the quarter. They were down 24-21, with an opportunity to tie or go ahead. Josh McCray rushed for seven yards on first down, but was stopped for no gain on second. Stockton was able to get two more yards on third down. Coach Smart could have taken the kick to even the score. But being so near the endzone, he trusted his offense to push through.

The infamous fourth down call saw Stockton hand the ball to running back Cash Jones. But before even reaching the scrimmage line, Alabama’s LT Overton and Deontae Lawson tackled Jones for a loss of three. The Bulldogs could never score again and lost the game at home. Even though HC Smart took responsibility for the play, the fans’ resentment ended up being targeted towards Bobo. The main complaint seemed to be how Cash Jones received the handoff from shotgun rather than executing a sneak.

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Previously, similar situations have occurred, such as the ending of the 2012 SEC title game and the 2014 goal-line decision at South Carolina, where Hutson Mason dropped back instead of handing it off to Todd Gurley.

Bobo’s retirement chatter peaked after Georgia’s 13-point Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame in 2025. The first-half decision to go aggressive down three with under a minute left had put Bobo on the hot seat. 

The handoff to inexperienced quarterback Gunner Stockton ended in a fumble and a Notre Dame touchdown, and the Fighting Irish never looked back.

Despite the mounting criticism, Kirby Smart’s confidence in Bobo appears unshaken. A belief backed by a contract extension through 2026 that includes significant pay raises, signaling the program’s long-term commitment.

But the 2025 season had been no different. It’s a familiar script for Georgia: predictable ground-and-pound, and screens bogging down the offense when it matters most. The same trend resurfaced against Ole Miss in this year’s playoffs. But this time, Bobo cleared the air.

“When I see you run, guys, we’re gonna run Josh McCray B Gap. He picks up two yards. They’re like, damn it, ‘Mike, why’d you do?’” said the coach in his defense. “One is to set up the ace. And two, we run that guy through the B gap in the fourth quarter.”

Bobo’s strategy centers on sticking to the script, emphasizing early, aggressive play to fatigue the defense and create more predictable opportunities later.

During the Sugar Bowl loss, Bobo received heat from one of their own alums.

Georgia alum sparks debate on Mike Bobo’s long run in Athens

The ex-Bulldog Corey Moore tapped into the narrative that Smart is holding onto Bobo longer than needed. 

“As long as Mike Bobo and Glenn Schumann are at those coordinator spots at UGA, we will never win a national championship game,” the Bulldogs alum did not hold back on his words.

However, the case for Bobo isn’t entirely one-sided. For every questionable play-call, his supporters can point to moments of offensive brilliance, such as the dominant 35-point performance against a stout Texas defense. It also must be pointed out that this Bulldogs team won the SEC, the supposed best conference in all of college football.

His impact goes beyond Saturdays as he helped elevate Stockton into the Heisman conversation. Even though his move to recruit 2026 quarterback Jared Curtis did not pay off as he flipped to Vanderbilt, Bobo stayed ahead of the timeline. He had already pulled in Jayden Wade, the top signal-caller in the 2028 class.

2026 is once again a blank canvas for Mike Bobo, and it’s on him to silence the skeptics once and for all.