Mike Bobo to Colorado State: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

After years of being Mark Richt's right-hand man on his offensive staff, Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is finally getting a program of his own. Bobo and Colorado State came to an agreement on Monday that will make him the 21st head coach in program history.   

Matt L. Stephens of the Coloradoan reported the news:

Colorado State would later confirm the hire:

Colorado State provided comments from interim AD John Morris and Bobo, who spoke about his new role;

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We are incredibly excited to bring Mike Bobo to Colorado State to lead our football program," interim director of athletics John Morris said. "He was extremely impressive throughout the entire interview process, and is one of the leading offensive minds in the country. In Coach Bobo we have found a coach who is committed to academics and the development of young men, and I'm proud to welcome him and his family to the Ram Family."

“I cannot be more excited to have the opportunity to lead the Colorado State football team into the future,” Bobo said. “It’s a special opportunity for my family and me, and we cannot wait to get started.

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Terry Frei of The Denver Post originally reported Monday that Bobo and Colorado State were closing in on a contract. The 40-year-old Georgia lifer impressed in final interviews Sunday, and the two sides worked quickly to get a deal done.

Bobo takes over for the departed Jim McElwain, who replaced Will Muschamp at Florida. McElwain, who worked as Nick Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama before landing at Colorado State, went 22-16 in his three seasons. The Rams were one of the nation's biggest surprises in 2014, going 10-2 during the regular season and spending time inside the Top 25.

Phil Sandlin/Associated Press

McElwain's quick turnaround should be a boost for Bobo, who has yet to be a head coach at any level. His career began under center as a quarterback for Georgia, and he's spent all but one season as a coach in Athens. He worked his way up from a graduate assistant to quarterbacks coach and has been the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator since 2006. The only season he did not spend at Georgia was in 2000, when he was a quarterbacks coach at Jacksonville State.

Richt, who hired Bobo when he took the Georgia job in 2001, has largely kept mum on his protege's head coaching desires. He has, however, confirmed to reporters that Georgia has a plan in place for Bobo's departure.

“We’ll have a plan for everything, I can say that,” Richt said, via Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.

Georgia is slated to play Louisville in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 30. 

Daniel Shirey/Associated Press

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee weighed in on the impact of the news on Georgia:

Bobo's departure marks the end of an era that will undoubtedly cast more speculation on where Georgia's program is headed. Richt made a big splash last offseason by poaching defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt from Florida State and may look for another high-profile hire to replace Bobo. Georgia needs far less tweaking on the offensive side of the ball than it did on defense in 2013, but it'll nonetheless be interesting to see which candidates arise.  

Bobo takes over a program that has historically struggled outside the Sonny Lubick years, though McElwain appears to have laid the groundwork for another continued run of success. We'll have to see whether Bobo can keep it going.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.