“Competing” open Head Coaching jobs

[forensicbuzz]

Not really sure how the Hill can provide more money. They can absolutely provide more intangible support.

 

[Skeptic]

I think Tech’s win over Pitt might make us slightly more desirable now. It shows any coach who is confident in their abilities that Tech is not a complete dumpster fire and can be turned around. I think we move ahead of Nebraska in the pecking order now.

Saturday night in Omaha, Nebraska, is like being no place at all. Sorry John Denver.

 

[Techster]

Saturday night in Omaha, Nebraska, is like being no place at all. Sorry John Denver.

Not being a homer here, but Saturday nights at a packed BDS with the city lights surrounding the stadium is pretty special as well. It's down right electric when our fans pack the stadium, music blaring, and our team is playing like they should. That's the caveat with BDS...the stadium needs to be packed with our fans.

I've been to Notre Dame, Michigan, OSU, Washington, pretty much all of the SEC and factory ACC schools...yes, the sheer size and for some of them and the historic ambiance is pretty special. If GT can pack BDS at night, it's one of the best experiences in all of football...IMO.

 

[Vanillalite]

I thought Cryst was doing a pretty good job at Wisconsin. Something like 67-28. Is there more to that story?

Being serious should we be looking at him? I mean I’d love to have that record right now.

 

[bhoffman123]

The discussion in another thread, ranking open head coaching roles, made me think:

Is the GT Head coaching job more or less attractive after Geoff Collins' stint vs what Paul Johnson left?

After Paul Johnson:

• Players built for option football
• GT brand tied to option football
• average performance - not dominant but respected in the ACC

After Geoff Collins:

• Improved talent for Pro Style Offense
• GT Brand tied to Atlanta
• Dismal performance - basement dweller in rankings

Thoughts?

 

[Ramble1885]

I think it's just the same, trade out the option reputation for bad results under collins.

 

[Vespidae]

The GT job is a P5 job. That alone makes it desirable.

Coaches I know evaluate the job just like you would any other. Create a spreadsheet with categories for current/future talent, fanbase, admin support, investment rate, competition (can I win here?), donor involvement (good and bad), facilities, funding, etc ... and make a call.

After 2014 season, I would say Tech was was a Top 25 coaching destination. After Collins, probably Top 50-60. We have a lot of stuff to fix.

Having said all of that, I recall when Tennessee was looking for a replacement to Derek Dooley. No one, and I mean no one, wanted the job. Butch Jones was the 8th man interviewed and finally accepted the job. Along with a massive contract.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Being serious should we be looking at him? I mean I’d love to have that record right now.

Interesting question. Short answer for me is yes, we should be looking at him if only for due diligence.

Long answer is I am not sure. He was midwestern guy, and had a good run at Wiscy as their OC before becoming HC at Pitt for a few years. He was 19-19 (6-7, 7-6, 6-6) at Pitt before inexplicably getting such a big promotion to the Wisconsin job. He had immediate success at Wiscy and went 13-1 with an Orange Bowl win in year 3. His first three years he was 34-7. Impressive for a guy who was .500 at Pitt. Since then he is 33-19. Not terrible, but not up to Wisconsin standards. I think Chryst would be an excellent choice if you were looking for someone to come into a mature program and keep it going for a while. I don't know that he has shown me anything in his history suggesting he can rebuild a program, which I think will be our biggest need.

 

[WreckinGT]

I think it's worse but not really because of Collins so much as the changes in college football in general. Coaching salaries have blown up to ridiculous levels in that time frame which we can't compete with. NIL now exists and im not sure we are a big player in that department. Expansion is pushing more and more towards the SEC and Big 10, which we are not a part of. There are just many more variables than there were even 4 years ago. We don't look like a program that wants to be a serious player. Hopefully Cabrera and the new AD can change that.

 

[Billygoat91]

I think it's just the same, trade out the option reputation for bad results under collins.

This is correct. Also to add, any perceived update in talent level has been undercut by NIL/unrestricted transfer potal. We are pretty much in the same place

 

[Vespidae]

I think it's worse but not really because of Collins so much as the changes in college football in general. Coaching salaries have blown up to ridiculous levels in that time frame which we can't compete with. NIL now exists and im not sure we are a big player in that department. Expansion is pushing more and more towards the SEC and Big 10, which we are not a part of. There are just many more variables than there were even 4 years ago. We don't look like a program that wants to be a serious player. Hopefully Cabrera and the new AD can change that.

While you may be right from a purely Big Time College Athletics point of view, there are a lot of coaches who would be very happy to NOT have to deal with that and just coach competitive football at a decent level.

Not every coach wants to be in the CFB every year.

 

[jgtengineer]

What actually has happened is because of what Collins has done it has put even more a stigma on the option despite the fact that it was blown out of proportion.

Expect more people to point at what happened to us as reasons to not run anything different than the flavor of the decade offense ( in this case pro spread passing).

 

[CEB]

The discussion in another thread, ranking open head coaching roles, made me think:

Is the GT Head coaching job more or less attractive after Geoff Collins' stint vs what Paul Johnson left?

After Paul Johnson:

• Players built for option football
• GT brand tied to option football
• average performance - not dominant but respected in the ACC

After Geoff Collins:

• Improved talent for Pro Style Offense
• GT Brand tied to Atlanta
• Dismal performance - basement dweller in rankings

Thoughts?

Its more attractive now but not for any of the bullet points you mentioned. It has pretty much been proven in coaching circles that you never want to be the guy who follows "The Guy."
Even though CPJ was losing some support, he was still "The Guy" here for a long time. The specific style of play made that even more pronounced because you aren't only replacing The Guy, you're also upending the entire system. The next coach isn't managing any of that expectation and is going to have much more widespread support for building his own vision / system.
Honestly, Brent Key has a lot to say about all of this... If he really wins, he has got to be in the discussion. If he sorta wins, it signifies there is something to build on. If last Saturday was lightning in a bottle, well.... let's just say we've tabled the rebuilding process for four years...

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Not every coach wants to be in the CFB every year.

I don't want one of those coaches at Tech.

 

[Backstreetbuzz]

I hope it is more attractive. Collins was basically the only one who would take the job after CPJ. I think our talent level has improved significantly.

 

[iceeater1969]

We have not been serious $$ since we hired cpj. The ol coach Todd didn't have budget to come to Texas

Some accommodations in a generals studies degree and better tutoring move the needle off nearly nothing.

We ran offense with a combined oc hc and hoped that would be the easy fix for being bottom givers. I now only give almost zero to the alumni roll call.

I hope AC makes some long term structural changes and becomes a champion for the part of gt that is doing badly.

The most positive thing he said is he equates a winning football team w a positive college experience ( players). I have faith he will see this as mandentory as a de- stresser for the students highly competitive academics life.
PREZ AC CAN A GREAT REASON TO COACH AT
GT

 

[lv20gt]

The job itself is more tied to things like location/money spent/support that is not really coach dependent.

The situation is probably more appealing to most coaches now than it was after Johnson for a couple of reasons IMO.

1. No transition from the option. No matter how big an impact you think this actually had, the belief was that it was going to be a big undertaking.

2. A high potential QB that can fit what the new OC wants to do. Sims has his issues, but he has high potential for most systems. A new coach can make a splash right away with a good fit at QB who has high potential. We didn't have that previously.

3. 7 wins vs 4 (tbd) wins year prior. Easier to show early improvement.

4. In general rebuilds/transitions/whatever you want to call it are probably not seen as daunting because of the portal allowing for new coaches to turn over rosters quicker. This wasn't true in 2019.

 

[takethepoints]

I hope it is more attractive. Collins was basically the only one who would take the job after CPJ. I think our talent level has improved significantly.

Oh. Even after finding that all the Tech players that made the league are CPJ recruits except Cochran, Davis, and McGowan? I have to tell you that I've seen little to show that the players we have today are better. I never bought what Collins said about the team he inherited. It was talented, just not for the O he wanted to run. Or, to be more accurate, dreamed of running.

 

[slugboy]

2018 (post CPJ):

• Pro: AD provided good support
• Con: Previous AD withheld resources from the HC to get the coach to leave. No head coach wants to work somewhere that the AA won't have his back or worse--actively sabotages him
• Con: Little institutional support.
• Pro: Can win
• Con: Lower fan support than surrounding SEC schools
• Con: Following a talented coach
• Con: roster needs work
• Pro: great recruiting area
• Con: academic requirements
• Con: "wrong" conference

2022 (Post CGC):

• Con: Interim AD -- situation cloudy
• Pro: School president announces importance of the program for the first time in 30 or more years. (better institutional support)
• Pro: Some talent on the roster
• Con: Lower fan support than surrounding SEC schools
• Pro: Following a massively underachieving coach. Low bar to exceed
• Pro: Can win
• Con: Lower fan support than surrounding SEC schools
• Pro: great recruiting area
• Con: academic requirements
• Con: "wrong" conference

Yes, the situation is better than 3 1/2 years ago. It's not better than Texas A&M, but it's better than it was.

I bolded what I think are the key considerations. The AD is important--you don't want an AD you can't get along with; making that hire will make hiring a HC easier, or we'll need to hire an AD that fits our HC.

 

[Fatmike91]

Collins was basically the only one who would take the job after CPJ.

That’s BS.

Our terrible lazy former AD didn’t do a proper search.

Former AD was fixated on hiring one guy. When that didn’t work out, Collins called us (presumably to avoid the pending Temple program meltdown) and we were dumb enough to hire him.

/