Georgia Tech Fires Geoff Collins Following Road Loss
The loss sent Collins’ record to 10-28 (7-19 ACC) at Georgia Tech in four seasons, according to a recent report from CBS Sports.
Below is an excerpt from the CBS Sports article about the Yellow Jackets’ former head coach.
Upon being hired away from Temple, Collins faced a difficult task: Moving Georgia Tech’s offense away from the option-based attack that Paul Johnson installed during his 11-year run with the program. That provided Collins with some leeway; however, the Jackets never finished better than 10th in the ACC in total offense while winning just three games in each of his first three campaigns, and they struggled mightily to start the 2022 season.
This past offseason saw a wave of transfer portal action with Georgia Tech losing multiple key players, including star running back Jahmyr Gibbs to Alabama, while bringing in contributors to help bolster the roster in a must-improve season for Collins. However, in its three games against FBS opponents (Clemson, Ole Miss, UCF), Georgia Tech has been outscored 110-20.
With the Jackets about to begin a coaching search, the program is considering the future of athletic director Todd Stansbury, who would stand to lead that effort if he remains in power. The Georgia Tech Athletic Association has scheduled a special meeting for Monday where Stansbury’s future and Collins’ buyout will be discussed, according to multiple reports.
Collins is the third Power Five coach who has been fired in the first month of the 2022 season after Nebraska rid itself of Scott Frost and Arizona State parted with Herm Edwards. Both Frost and Edwards were in their fifth years with their respective programs.
When Collins came to Georgia Tech, he saw recruits leaving the city of Atlanta as perhaps the most existential issue facing the program. He spruced up the program by bringing the city to the forefront and embracing Atlanta staples like the “404” area code and Waffle House. It brought some success as 30 of the 53 recruits he signed were from Georgia.
Unfortunately, few of his players ended up reaching their potential under his tutelage. The Yellow Jackets landed just two All-ACC players in 2021. Both left as Gibbs transferred and Quez Jackson graduated. Tech ranks bottom-two in the ACC in offense, defense, scoring offense, scoring defense and even field goal kicking. Trying to provide some wins on the recruiting trail was nice, but the program has bottomed out under Collins’ leadership.
To read the full story from CBS Sports, click here.
