Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner will be a part of the Georgia Tech football program for a little longer. On Thursday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the former Georgia Bulldog analyst received a contract extension to increase his salary from $1,050,500 to $1,500,000. Before joining the Yellow Jackets in 2023, Faulkner spent three seasons as a team analyst. He was a member of the Bulldogs’ coaching staff when their offense was at their peak under the guidance of OC Todd Monken. Monken left the program after the Dawgs repeated as national champions in 2023. He would take the same position as a Baltimore Ravens coaching staff member heading into the 2023 season.
Under Monken’s watch, Jackson would win his second Most Valuable Player award in his career when he threw for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. When Georgia decided to name their next offensive coordinator, they chose to hire Bobo instead of Faulkner for the position. Both personnel were on the same staff during the team’s 2022 campaign. Since the departure of Monken and Faulkner, the Georgia offense does not resemble the dynamics displayed during their back-to-back national title run.
The unit regressed since the 2022 season and has gotten significantly worse with a perceived better prospect under center in former starter Carson Beck. The offense dropped from being ranked 5th in the nation in scoring during the 2023 season to 37th in 2024. In last year’s season finale against in-state rival Georgia Tech, the Bulldog fanbase got an up-close look at what they are missing out on regarding offensive play calling.
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Last year’s battle between the two programs was the most competitive since 2016, when the Yellow Jackets won 28-27. In 2024, the Dawgs needed eight overtime sessions to put away the Yellow Jackets; they would win 44-42. However, Georgia fans were more caught off guard by how well the Georgia Tech offense moved the football on what was perceived as an immovable object, the Bulldogs’ stout defense. Faulkner, the former Georgia analyst. Directed an offense that accounted for 563 total yards. Their quarterback, Haynes King, completed 26 out of 36 passes for 306 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
The former Aggie QB would carry the football 24 times for 110 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The performance has led many within the Georgia fan base to believe that Bobo is not fit to be the head guy in charge of the team’s offense. However, head coach Kirby Smart thinks the coaching staff’s continuity will get things swinging back in the right direction.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in this organization, the foundation we’ve built,” Smart said in March. “I’ve got the best staff in the country, and I have no doubt about that. I’ve got one of the most experienced SEC staffs there is, and to be honest with you, there’s a lot of confidence in that, and I have a lot of confidence in it.”
Smart’s comments were typical coach-speak for when they prefer not to make a knee-jerk decision. But we all know that he’ll move swiftly by the end of the season, if the offense closes out with another lackluster outing.
The fanbase will probably clamor for Faulkner to return home, but after the contract extension, that’s impossible. If Georgia decides to move on from Bobo, they will have a chance to hire the cream of the crop for elite-level play calling. With a new projected quarterback under center in Gunner Stockton and a reloaded cast of weapons at the receiver position, Bobo will have a chance to correct past issues with a unit that was one of the best in the country.
