Bryan McClendon's focus remains on Georgia for one final week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Bryan McClendon walked onto the University of North Florida football field on Monday wearing a black pullover with the Georgia "G" logo on the left side of his chest.

Only five days remain before McClendon trades in his Georgia gear for clothes with the South Carolina logo. Following Saturday's TaxSlayer Bowl against Penn State, McClendon will end his nine-year tenure with the Bulldogs and start anew with the Gamecocks.

McClendon has spent the past month following Mark Richt's firing as Georgia's interim head coach but will branch out for the first time since becoming a graduate assistant in 2007.

With that in mind, McClendon said he couldn't reflect on leaving the school he attended, played football for and coached at for nine seasons.

"Any decision as far as that, you have to take into consideration more so than the alma mater and you have to do what's best for your family," McClendon said.

At the helm, McClendon has made his presence felt in the short time that he's led Georgia. A younger coach who turned 32 on Monday, he made the final call to allow music to blare over the loudspeakers at practices in Athens and Jackson

ville, which has seemed to add a spark during the more mundane periods of participation. He also made the call to suspend linebacker Tim Kimbrough for the bowl game, showing he is a no-nonsense coach when it comes to discipline.

Before the team traveled down to Jacksonville, McClendon told the Georgia players to expect his hiring at South Carolina to go public, which prevented any kind of surprise from occurring.

"I think it's a great opportunity for him," senior offensive tackle John Theus said. "I think he's a great coach. I think he's done a heck of a job with us as a head coach. I'm looking forward to him going there and seeing what he can do."

The biggest concern from an outside perspective would be whether McClendon is all-in for Georgia's final game of the season. McClendon understands why someone might think this and said the only team on his mind is the one he's currently coaching.

"The South Carolina stuff is going to come after this game," McClendon said. "Right now that's how I'm approaching it, that's how everybody is approaching it. Right now that's where all the focus is going to be, at the University of Georgia."

McClendon spent most of his time at Georgia as a running backs coach from 2009-14. A former Georgia wideout, he switched to coaching receivers prior to the 2015 season. He's been the recruiting coordinator the past two years and developed a reputation for being one of the best in the nation at picking up prospects.

McClendon did discuss the possibility and potential for being retained by incoming head coach Kirby Smart, but said he'd prefer to keep that conversation with himself. A source previously stated to The Telegraph that McClendon did not expect to be brought back following Smart's hire, which is why he began fielding offers elsewhere.

At South Carolina, McClendon is receiving a promotion as he'll be a co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach. While the new job is on the horizon, McClendon's "time and energy," he said, will remain with Georgia for one final week.

"We saw that and was like, all right that's pretty cool for B-Mac, glad to see him getting a promotion," Jenkins said. "Now, it's finishing strong through."

This story was originally published December 28, 2015 at 10:33 PM with the headline "Bryan McClendon's focus remains on Georgia for one final week ."