Before Bryan McClendon was an interim offensive coordinator at South Carolina, he was an interim head coach at Georgia.
Mark Richt, after 15 seasons in charge of the Bulldogs, was out at Georgia and off to Miami by early December 2015. He wouldn’t lead UGA against Penn State in the TaxSlayer Bowl. That role fell to McClendon, who at the time was also serving as the Bulldogs’ receiver coach.
“He encouraged us to relax and have fun and do your job,” UGA defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter recalled Monday. “Be where your feet are, just kind of lock in and don’t let the outside distractions get to you.