Kirby Smart took notes under legendary Nick Saban, and over the years, his pedigree has branched out. The likes of Dan Lanning, Sam Pittman, and Fran Brown have risen from assistant positions to head coaching roles, leading major programs across the sport. In the latest, one of his former assistants was being pursued by Kevin Stefanski at Atlanta.

On Wednesday, Matt Zenitz reported that the Atlanta Falcons had requested an interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receivers coach, Bryan McClendon.

The Falcons are going through a transitional phase. Raheem Morris was fired after an 8-9 season that saw the team make a late playoff push. Now, former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has taken over. With new leadership, the coaching staff is undergoing further changes. After Morris’ firing, Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is not expected to return for the 2026 season and is reportedly interviewing for the Philadelphia Eagles OC job.

Working on a clean slate, the Falcons were looking for a new face.

Besides, McClendon, Cleveland Browns’ Tommy Reese also had came off as one of the top candidates. However, on Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Stefanski is expected to hire Tommy Rees as his new offensive coordinator. The duo has already worked together at the Browns, along with Rees handling the playcalling duties.

As for McClendon, he remains a cherished offensive coordinator at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After nearly two decades in the coaching business, McClendon has made his mark, including an impressive run with the Georgia Bulldogs and the Bucs(among his other stints). Working alongside the WR corps, he helped develop Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, and Emeka Egbuka.

Last season, the Bucs ranked third in passing yards per game, finishing second in passing touchdowns (41). McClendon’s deep knowledge of the game stems from his long-standing experience. One that he has kept on honing since his collegiate days.

Bryan McClendon’s ties to Georgia run deep

Bryan McClendon’s Georgia roots go back to his time playing wide receiver for the Bulldogs in the 2000s, when he won two SEC championships. In 2007, he became a graduate assistant and continued to rise through the ranks, becoming the running backs coach two years later.

Having won the 247Sports National Recruiter of the Year honor, he went on to become the Dawgs’ interim head coach for a while. Former head coach Mark Richt was fired, and at that time, Kirby Smart was still wrapping up his duties at Alabama before taking over the Bulldogs.

So for a while, McClendon took up the interim head coach duties. When Smart officially took over at Georgia, there was discussion about Bryan remaining in Athens. However, a week later, he joined South Carolina. On being asked about that, McClendon remained evasive.

“Those questions like that, I’d rather keep between Kirby and me,” said McClendon, according to Dawg Nation. “But we did have those discussions, and it kind of ended up how it did.”

After working in South Carolina and Oregon, he marked his first homecoming in 2022 as the Dawgs’ wide receiver coach. He helped the program in its national championship run, becoming a valuable part of Georgia’s 2022 campaign. The next season, he moved to seek new opportunities with the Bucs.