UGA fallout minimal from Mike Bobo’s departure

But at least half of that bunch is leaving the neighborhood. In addition to Bobo, Friend, Georgia’s running game coordinator and offensive line coach, will follow his best friend to Fort Collins.

No other members of current coaching staff will be leaving as of Tuesday.

And Pruitt is not going anywhere either. Sources with direct knowledge of the defensive coordinator’s situation have confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Pruitt has had no contact with Texas A&M, has not received an offer from the school and is not interested in leaving Georgia. That was just one of the rumors flying around in the wake of Bobo’s departure.

But it’s that time of year. The coaching carousel is running full speed and, for the straight second year, the Bulldogs have been swept into its centrifugal force.

Last year Georgia lost defensive coordinator Todd Grantham to Louisville and that eventually led to the entire defensive staff being overhauled. It doesn’t look like that will be the case this time around.

In addition to Friend, Georgia’s director of player personnel, Ronnie Letson, is expected to follow Bobo as a member of his offensive staff. Others, such as graduate assistants Dan Inman, Doug Saylor and/or Jon Richt, could join him, but no other full-time UGA assistants are expected to make the move.

And while Bobo will not be going with the Bulldogs to Charlotte for the Belk Bowl, Friend will be, UGA announced on Tuesday. Georgia is expected to make do with the current offensive staff for the matchup against Louisville and Grantham.

Head coach Mark Richt is expected to call the plays for the Bulldogs, as he did his first six seasons in Athens and the previous 10 while at Florida State. All the other responsibilities will remain the same.

Bobo was apologetic he won’t be with Georgia in Charlotte, but said there was simply too much to do.

“To be honest, it saddens me,” Bobo said at his news conference. “I have a relationship with those players. You fight like mad to get those guys to believe in each other and depend on the guy sitting next to you and you have success and they believe in you as a coach. I think we had that going on. At the same time, this is a new chapter in my life and there’s not a lot of time to waste.”

Time might be on Georgia’s side for locating a replacement for Bobo. If the Bulldogs can get through the bowl with the staff in place, recruiting remains in a dead period well in to January. That will give Richt time to identify and screen candidates.

There are some intriguing possibilities. Michigan offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, hired just a year ago by ousted coach Brady Hoke, would be atop any list. But there were reports in Detroit Tuesday that the former Alabama play-caller was heading to Florida.

The immediate past coordinator for the Gators may be more likely. Kurt Roper is available after spending one season in Gainesville, Fla. And he may have done his best interview already when Florida defeated the heavily-favored Bulldogs 38-20 behind 418 yards rushing.

East Carolina coordinator Lincoln Riley, SEC veteran Randy Sanders and Alabama receivers coach Billy Napier are among other possibilities, as well as current members of Georgia’s offensive staff.

Whoever gets the job will have a tough act to follow. Bobo’s move was a long time coming as his coaching star has been on rise the last few years. He had made no secret of his desire to become a head coach.

Under Bobo, the Bulldogs set offensive records for yardage and points over the last three seasons. Georgia led the SEC this year with an average of 41.7 points per game and that’s with the team’s best player — tailback Todd Gurley — missing half the games.