OFFICIAL NEWS: Bryan McClendon is sign as Carolina Panthers assistant hired head Coach.
Bryan McClendon, a Georgia assistant, is hired by the Bucs to coach wide receivers.
TAMPA In order to strengthen their offensive staff, the Bucs chose to remain in the Southeastern Conference and hired Bryan McClendon, an assistant from Georgia, to teach their wide receivers.
Brad Idzik, who chose to become offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers under Dave Canales, is replaced by him.
Following Canales’ departure, the Bucs earlier this month brought in former offensive coordinators Liam Coen of the Rams and Kentucky to oversee their offense.
McClendon, forty, oversaw the passing game for the Bulldogs and tutored receivers. In 2007, he started working as a graduate assistant coach at Georgia, where he coached running backs from 2009 to 2014.
In 2015, McClendon received promotions to run game coordinator, wide receivers coach, and associate head coach. After Mark Richt resigned from the position late in the season, he was named Georgia’s interim head coach and won the TaxSlayer Bowl against Penn State.
McClendon departed Georgia to take a position as co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach at South Carolina after Kirby Smart was hired as head coach prior to the 2016 season. In 2018, he was promoted to offensive coordinator, but he was relieved of play-calling responsibilities when the offense managed just one touchdown in the last 12 quarters of the 2019 campaign. He continued to train the receivers.
In addition to coaching Oregon’s passing game and receivers in 2020–21, McClendon also filled in as interim head coach for the Alamo Bowl, which the Ducks lost to Oklahoma. In 2022, he agreed to take a job at Miami as co-offensive coordinator. However, Georgia later hired him back to serve as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
McClendon collaborated with a number of talented running backs at Georgia, including Todd Gurley, Isaiah Crowell, Nick Chubb, Keith Marshall, and Sony Michel.
McClendon takes over a room full of Bucs receivers who should get younger. Mike Evans is scheduled to be released without restriction, and Chris Godwin is nearing the end of his contract. Trey Palmer and Rakim Jarrett are two guys Tampa Bay hopes to develop at that position.
He is the son of Willie McClendon, a former running back for Georgia. Before joining the Chicago Bears, he was the 1978 SEC Player of the Year.
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