The Chargers on Friday confirmed they have interviewed Todd Monken for their head coach position.
Click here to keep up with the Bolts latest head coach search news.
Click here to keep up with the Bolts latest general manager search news.
Here are five things to know about Monken:
1. Successful return to the NFL
Monken's success in his return to the NFL has been a factor in why the Ravens have this weekend off with a bye week.
Baltimore's offense, with MVP candidate Lamar Jackson running the show, has been one of the best units in the league and helped them secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC during this year's playoffs.
This Ravens offense was a force this season and ranked sixth in the NFL in yards per game (370.4). That was thanks in large part to the effectiveness in the ground game.
Baltimore averaged 156.5 yards per game on the ground in 2023 and had two players with over 800 rushing yards (Jackson and Gus Edwards), as well as two others with over 380 yards (Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill).
Jackson has also been playing arguably the best football of his career this season under Monken, throwing for a career-high 3,678 yards in 16 games in addition to what he provides on the ground.
It's a well-rounded unit that also ranked in the Top 10 in third and fourth-down conversions and red-zone efficiency.
From the early stages of the season, Monken made his impact felt on the offense and it has translated into arguably the best in the NFL.
"The meeting room — I wish you guys could see the meeting rooms," Jackson said back in August. "He's full of expressing what he's got going on in his mind. His mind is everywhere. It's like, 'I love you as a coach right now.' You know, I'm grateful for him."
2. Lengthy NFL experience
Monken's start as a coach in the NFL came in 2007 as the Jaguars wide receiver coach.
He would spend four seasons with the club before going back to college. However, he would return in 2016 as Tampa Bay's Offensive Coordinator and wide receivers coach.
The Buccaneers offense saw an explosion under Monken and ranked third in first downs per game (22.5) and second in passing yards per game (279.5) throughout his three seasons with the team.
In 2018, the offense was able to lead the NFL passing yards (320.3) and finished third in total offense (415.5), setting single-season franchise records. Wide receiver Mike Evans had the most production of his career hauling in 1,524 receiving yards.
Monken would move on to Cleveland for one season and saw similar explosiveness as Nick Chubb rushed for the second-most rush yards in a single season for his career (1,494) in 2019.
The Chargers on Friday confirmed they have interviewed Todd Monken for their head coach position.
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans , Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL preseason football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2022, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken talks to reporters during his team's NFL football training camp, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken looks on before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
3. Two-time National Champion
It's been quite a run for Monken in recent years as a playcaller at both the pro and collegiate level.
Prior to joining the Ravens before last season, Monken was Georgia Offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach during their dominant run through college football.
Monken led the Bulldogs offense from 2020 to 2022 and won back-to-back National Championships.
The Bulldogs ranked fifth in points per game (39.8) and eighth in scrimmage yards per game (472.0) over the two championship seasons. And his final season Georgia was simply dominant.
Monken's offense led the country in total net yards (7,517) and total points scored (616) during an undefeated 2022 season that ended with a championship win at SoFi Stadium.
His work on offense helped quarterback Stetson Bennett become a Heisman Finalist that season. Monken was also a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the best assistant coach in college football.
"He's done a tremendous job, and he recreates it each and every week, and I think if you polled the coaches he plays against, they'd be the first to tell you he's really hard to prepare for because there's run and pass involved, and he does it with an NFL style," Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart said about Monken’s nomination in November 2022. "Kids like to play for him, so the fact that he's up for that award, I can't think of anybody better to win that with what he's done offensively, especially with what he's had to work with."
4. Multiple college stops
His stint in Georgia was far from his first collegiate experience.
Monken's coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Grand Valley State in 1989 before he went to Notre Dame in 1991.
Next up was Eastern Michigan, where he started as a defensive backs and wide receivers coach in 1993. He would work in that role until 1998 when he became the school's offensive coordinator.
Monken eventually landing at LSU as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, helping develop future first-round receivers Dwayne Bowe and Buster Davis.
After his time with Jacksonville, he went to Oklahoma State from 2011 to 2012 as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He would then go on to spend three seasons as the head coach at Southern Miss.
5. Knox College HOF
Monken has good perspective on a quarterback because back in his college days, he was one.
A three-year letterman at QB for Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, Monken found success under center.
In 1988, he was ranked No. 1 in the nation in pass attempts, completions and completion percentage as he earned an all-conference honors.
He also excelled on the diamond, lettering twice on the school's baseball team as an outfielder.
Monken would graduate in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in economics and was inducted into the Knox College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Bolt Up!
Be the first to learn about 2024 Chargers Season Tickets
