University of South Carolina photo / Former Georgia quarterback and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is the interim head coach at South Carolina after Will Muschamp’s firing earlier this week.Mike Bobo grew up dreaming of playing quarterback in the Southeastern Conference and accomplished that goal at Georgia, leading the Bulldogs to a 10-2 season in 1997 that included a triumph over rival Florida and an Outback Bowl drubbing of Wisconsin in which he completed 26 of his 28 passes.
Bobo got into college coaching not long after that and is now heading an SEC program, but this scenario hasn’t gone to plan.
The former Georgia offensive coordinator and Colorado State head coach began this season as Will Muschamp’s offensive coordinator at South Carolina, but he became interim head coach of the Gamecocks after Muschamp’s firing this past Sunday. Bobo’s first test occurs Saturday night, when the Gamecocks host Missouri in a matchup of teams trying to stay above the 53-player eligibility threshold in order for the game to transpire.
“I didn’t come to South Carolina to be the next head coach or the interim head coach,” Bobo said Wednesday. “I came here to work for Will Muschamp. When things happened the way that they did, the first thing you feel is that you let Coach down. We didn’t do our part offensively well enough like we should, and now the next job that I have is to try and be the interim and hold this team together through this difficult time.
“Not only have we lost our coach, but we’re going through COVID and opt-outs. Whirlwind is definitely a word I would use for it, and I’m just trying to keep my head down and trying to make sure these coaches and players remain positive and that it’s about us.”