Georgia Football: Brian Schottenheimer Creating an NFL Atmosphere
It was only a matter of time before Georgia head coach Mark Richt was forced to replace former offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.
The Bulldogs had finished no worse than fifth in the SEC in yards per play in every season since 2010, and they led the conference in the category twice (2014 and 2012). When Bobo got the head coaching job at Colorado State, Richt looked to the NFL ranks to find the next leader of his offense.
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He found Brian Schottenheimer, who spent the last three seasons in the same role with the St. Louis Rams, and the six prior to that with the New York Jets.
It should come as no surprise that Schottenheimer is bringing an NFL mentality to the Bulldogs offense since making the jump to Athens.
"Coach Bobo had been a college coach for so long, and coach 'Schotty' is just getting back into that flow," wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell said after Georgia's spring game. "When he's teaching, he's rolling through. He's not taking five minutes to teach one play. It's like 10 seconds, and you better know it by tomorrow.
"He's brought that in. Every time we install, it's quick. A 30-play install might take five minutes."
For a team that is replacing its top two wide receivers, has a three-headed quarterback battle on its hand (and possibly a fourth if Everett Golson joins the Bulldogs) and is installing a new scheme, that may seem like it's "too much, too soon."
It isn't for Mitchell, because he knows what it could lead to down the road.
"We love it," he said. "Everybody in the room wants to go to the NFL, and that's where he came from. If he's doing that, he's showing us how to prepare at the next level."
After 15 practices, the transition from Bobo to Schottenheimer has gone as smoothly as anticipated.
"I was in almost every offensive planning meeting and most every quarterback meeting throughout the spring, and I can assure you that coach Schottenheimer is a great teacher," Richt said on Wednesday's teleconference. "He knows what he's doing and has a great process of going about his business, and [I'm] really comfortable with what he's bringing to the table."
The quarterback battle is the most notable issue Schottenheimer has to resolve during his first season in Athens.
Junior Faton Bauta, sophomore Brice Ramsey and freshman Jacob Park are all vying for the top spot on the depth chart in 2015. Not only do they have the pressure of a position battle to deal with, but they have to adjust to the faster pace in which Schottenheimer operates his practices.
Mitchell admitted following the spring game that the offense isn't where it needs to be, but that's more due to the instability created by three quarterbacks rotating with the first team rather than the transition from Bobo to Schottenheimer.
"We need a lot more chemistry," he said. "That's not bashing the chemistry we have now because we do have flow and you saw a little bit of that [in the spring game]. But we have a long way to go and everybody needs to be on the same page. That will be straightened out when we get that quarterback position solidified."
The absence of flow in the spring could pay off for the Georgia Bulldogs in the fall and each player once they exhaust their eligibility or decide to move on to the next level.
Georgia had two players—running back Todd Gurley and wide receiver Chris Conley—drafted in the first three rounds of the 2015 NFL draft. Quarterback Aaron Murray and tight end Arthur Lynch drafted in the fifth round a year ago.
If all goes according to plan, there will be more Bulldogs offensive players going to the next level in the draft in the near future. When they do, they'll be better-prepared to handle the fast-paced nature of NFL coaching thanks to Schottenheiemer.
"[The transition] has gone very well," Mitchell said. "His coaching style is different, but they're different people, though."
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
