Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has had plenty of big-name coaches on his staff during his time in Athens.
On Wednesday, the Cleveland Browns hired Todd Monken, who spent time as Smart’s offensive coordinator before going to the Baltimore Ravens.
Smart admitted his excitement to see Monken get his first-ever NFL head coaching job.
“Todd brought an exceptional level of professionalism and creativity to our program,” Smart said, via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN. “His ability to develop quarterbacks and craft game plans tailored to our players’ strengths was instrumental to our success. What we accomplished wouldn’t have been possible without his impact. We’re incredibly excited for Todd and Terri.”
Monken beat out Browns DC Jim Schwartz – who was furious about the decision – as well as Los Angeles Rams assistant Nate Scheelhaase.
Monken spent one year as the Browns’ OC in 2019 before he joined Smart with the Georgia Bulldogs. Monken also spent time as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC, and he was the Southern Miss head coach for three seasons before his return to the NFL.
While Monken was well-known before he went to Georgia, he is another talented coach who spent time with Smart. This list includes Oregon’s Dan Lanning, South Carolina’s Shane Beamer, and former Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, among plenty of others.
Now, Monken gets his chance to lead an NFL franchise, although the Browns have plenty of questions going into the offseason.
