“Competing” open Head Coaching jobs

[Augusta_Jacket]

He easily could have ran a power run offense and still been pro-style. I doubt they told him he had to run an RPO.

Yates was a freshman in 2019 a true freshman actually and I wouldn't think coming into a game where you are down like we were was going to show off anything.

We'll agree to disagree.

 

[jgtengineer]

We'll agree to disagree.

Sure.

 

[Randy Carson]

And why would a 4-5 star athlete want to play 3rd string at [football factory] when he could start somewhere else?

How does riding the bench on Saturday get him on the field on Sunday?

 

[Randy Carson]

As of October 2nd, the following programs have interim head coaches

Georgia Tech (that’s us)
Colorado (Dorrell)
Wisconsin (Paul Cryst)
Nebraska (Scott Frost)
Arizona State (Herm Edwards)


Programs likely to fire their coach:
Auburn

There's a tracker at

2022 college football coaching changes tracker

A look at all of the college football coaching changes in 2022

www.deseret.com

That's pretty stiff competition.

 

[CEB]

There are some differences though. Texas A&M and soon to be Texas donors, expect their program to consistently beat Saban and compete for NC. No one has been able to do that besides Dabo with a couple of once in a generation QBs and now Kirby with 5 star players at 3rd and 4th string. At GT, as cool as it would be to compete for a NC, the hope is that the bar would be 7-8 wins every year, beat UGA and Clemson 1 every 4 times and be in a NY6 bowl game every 4-5 years. Huge difference

I think the number of wins the program aspires to is irrelevant. When donors are able to buy influence, its a problem. That was the point...

I am thankful there are people able and willing to donate to Tech at that level, but I don't want them making decisions for the program.

 

[Sheboygan]

Wisconsin is by far the best job that is currently open, and would be a better job than Auburn if Auburn opens.
WI has a huge fanbase, a large budget, and a well run AA. They also don't have nearly the same level of meddling by boosters as Auburn does.
The last time they had a losing season was 2001 when Barry Alvarez went 5-7.
Excluding the COVID season they haven't won fewer than 8 games in a season since 2008 (when they went 7-6).

All that said I think there are likely 2 candidates who will be targeted by WI. Lance Leipold and Jim Leonhard. Chryst was 2-3 to start the season with a bad home loss to Washington St and then a completely disinterested loss to ILL.

As others have said, basically Leonhard is getting an open tryout and based on how this season goes either I think he gets the job full time or they grab Leipold.

Agreed about Leonard,

 

[Sheboygan]

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.

I tend to agree with this. The guy is about as exciting as watching turf grow. IMO, he is solid, but has a limited upside due to recruiting. He has slipped a notch in that recently and it's showing. Interview ? Absolutely ! Hire him ? Only if he is the best we can do.......and I hope that is not the case. I am hoping it's O"Brien.

 

[stinger 1957]

As it is today I see it as a money problem, in order to compete at the highest level we have to make some major changes in our financial setup. HC at 3-5 million, coordinators at 1-1.5 mill each, large sums of money to get players, both recruiting cost and NIL, an enormous debt problem. Appears we're broke. We could band aid it together like we have been doing and another bad coach buyout and our hole gets deeper and deeper. Unless we fundamentally change some things I think it's useless to even talk about any other problems and whether coaches want to come to GT.

 

[laoh]

Sometimes I think we're too hard on ourselves. Aside from us being P5 and deep rooted traditions, we are also smack in middle of metropolis while many other schools are in the middle of nowhere. It all depends on what priorities the coach has (besides football), like where does he/wife, kids want to live. Some coaches are southern boys and want to stay/return to the south. Some are midwesterners and desire schools like Nebraska. We can't compete for a coach that has to have a beach in the backyard. I can't think of another FBS school that has a stadium smack in the middle of the busiest part of the city, as part of the campus. And some people hate the city and prefer the rural setting.

 

[alagold]

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.

the VT game of several yrs ago with Nesbitt and Morgan( on DEf) fit the definition of --electric and chills inspriring

 

[Skeptic]

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).

Everybody was running some flavor of the option; Johnson was just a 100 percenter because he believed in it so -- look at his Navy and Georgia Southern records, and his first six or seven years at Tech -- and he knew with the various sets and quick motion he could run any offense in the country from a "spread option" set. Recall the demolition Derby in the 2015 Orange Bowl, with our FBs and Abacks cutting up the middle and off tackle. A lot of that was power I football. Mullen's confused and baffled demeanor on the sideline was priceless; I have always thought Geoff Collins' decision to bolt to Florida just before the bowl game was to avoid that offense. I am not sure what happened with Johnson late in his tenure, though fighting with that idiotic AD and losing so many potential QBs didn't help. It probably was time to move on, but we should not forget his accomplishments and what he did to elevate Georgia Tech back to relevance. If he wanted to be a curmudgeon, have at it. At least he did not whimper and wine and blame somebody else. But to the point, whoever is hired will show some option.

 

[laoh]

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.

GT vs #5 Climpsuns 2011 was pretty special.

 

[slugboy]

I could see Deion here, or Auburn, or Texas A&M (if that happens). There are other places.
If Texas A&M fires Jimbo, does he take a year off, or does someone hire him right away?
If Harsin actually wants to go out West, Arizona State seems like an option. I don't know about Nebraska. I could see Harsin here.
Louisville is in flux--Satterfield hasn't gotten them in good shape.
Who knows who Stanford might get if they make a change. David Shaw has gone from potential NFL coach to undesirable.
If Houston fires Holgerson, there's a ton of money in that program. I'd be interested in him as a coach, though. Houston would outbid us for anyone of common interest, though.
Chadwell is a good fit here. He might be a good fit at Auburn, but I think Auburn is looking for someone more like Kiffin or Deion.
RamblinRed talked about the Wisconsin-Kansas-Nebraska triangle. What happens with Kansas is interesting. What happens with Wisconsin and Nebraska is really interesting if Kansas keeps Leipold somehow.

Auburn isn't officially on the list, but they've all but fired Harsin.

This is like the match game for coaches.

 

[iceeater1969]

I could see Deion here, or Auburn, or Texas A&M (if that happens). There are other places.
If Texas A&M fires Jimbo, does he take a year off, or does someone hire him right away?
If Harsin actually wants to go out West, Arizona State seems like an option. I don't know about Nebraska. I could see Harsin here.
Louisville is in flux--Satterfield hasn't gotten them in good shape.
Who knows who Stanford might get if they make a change. David Shaw has gone from potential NFL coach to undesirable.
If Houston fires Holgerson, there's a ton of money in that program. I'd be interested in him as a coach, though. Houston would outbid us for anyone of common interest, though.
Chadwell is a good fit here. He might be a good fit at Auburn, but I think Auburn is looking for someone more like Kiffin or Deion.
RamblinRed talked about the Wisconsin-Kansas-Nebraska triangle. What happens with Kansas is interesting. What happens with Wisconsin and Nebraska is really interesting if Kansas keeps Leipold somehow.

Auburn isn't officially on the list, but they've all but fired Harsin.

This is like the match game for coaches.

"Houston would outbid us for anyone of mutual interest. ".
Of the list of teams needing coach - unless its changed any of them would out bid us.
omg - we could bid low and give a 10 year contract- what could go wrong??

 

[jgtengineer]

Everybody was running some flavor of the option; Johnson was just a 100 percenter because he believed in it so -- look at his Navy and Georgia Southern records, and his first six or seven years at Tech -- and he knew with the various sets and quick motion he could run any offense in the country from a "spread option" set. Recall the demolition Derby in the 2015 Orange Bowl, with our FBs and Abacks cutting up the middle and off tackle. A lot of that was power I football. Mullen's confused and baffled demeanor on the sideline was priceless; I have always thought Geoff Collins' decision to bolt to Florida just before the bowl game was to avoid that offense. I am not sure what happened with Johnson late in his tenure, though fighting with that idiotic AD and losing so many potential QBs didn't help. It probably was time to move on, but we should not forget his accomplishments and what he did to elevate Georgia Tech back to relevance. If he wanted to be a curmudgeon, have at it. At least he did not whimper and wine and blame somebody else. But to the point, whoever is hired will show some option.

Agree. But explaining johnsons offense to people is damn near impossible if they don't want to learn.

 

[LongforDodd]

I have a feeling Cabrera and whoever the AD ends up being will be putting on a full court press and sales job on whoever they target. This coach recruitment may be like no other we've seen. We will have an uphill battle but I think Cabrera knows what's at stake in keeping GT at FBS level and not having to drop down if we don't get this right.

 

[slugboy]

Agree. But explaining johnsons offense to people is damn near impossible if they don't want to learn.

How is it harder than explaining a real RPO or air raid offense?

Football might have the thickest rule book of any sport I can think of, and offenses are either constrained or set to take advantage of some of those rules. There are different reads for each offense, and a bunch of things you’re trying to do with each formation. In the Flexbone, you have a decent starting understanding if you know where the center is and can count defensive players.

If football fans can’t or won’t understand a Flexbone offense, what offenses do they really understand? Or, are they just watching something that looks familiar?

 

[Techster]

I could see Deion here, or Auburn, or Texas A&M (if that happens). There are other places.
If Texas A&M fires Jimbo, does he take a year off, or does someone hire him right away?
If Harsin actually wants to go out West, Arizona State seems like an option. I don't know about Nebraska. I could see Harsin here.
Louisville is in flux--Satterfield hasn't gotten them in good shape.
Who knows who Stanford might get if they make a change. David Shaw has gone from potential NFL coach to undesirable.
If Houston fires Holgerson, there's a ton of money in that program. I'd be interested in him as a coach, though. Houston would outbid us for anyone of common interest, though.
Chadwell is a good fit here. He might be a good fit at Auburn, but I think Auburn is looking for someone more like Kiffin or Deion.
RamblinRed talked about the Wisconsin-Kansas-Nebraska triangle. What happens with Kansas is interesting. What happens with Wisconsin and Nebraska is really interesting if Kansas keeps Leipold somehow.

Auburn isn't officially on the list, but they've all but fired Harsin.

This is like the match game for coaches.

I'm calling it now. I'd be shocked if Deion gets a P5 job for next year.

What "wows" fans is not what wows people making the decision...of course, if boosters get involved, who knows. That said, I'll reiterate, I'd be shocked if Deion is a P5 coach next season.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

I am not sure you understand how similar Johnsons offense was to several other in the same tree. I am also not sure you have any idea what you are talking about with regards to offensive football.

Do you actually know what a Run and shoot, or gun spread is vs say a Post snap RPO based offense?

I do not think you understand our level of talent, how good of a coach CPJ was or the impact of losing our only good lineman. As another font stated, CPJ only won 11 games over the last two years with a better roster than the one he left the next coach.

I also think you are overestimating the ability of our players to transition from CPJ's spread option to a run and shoot or shotgun spread. Just because they have similar blocking patterns, formations, reads, and objectives does not mean they require identical skill sets. We did not have the skill set at QB to run any of those offenses and we certainly did not have the talent at OL to run any offense effectively.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

What is does "effectively" mean here? I honestly believe we had enough talent to run another offense more effectively than how we've run what we have the past 3.5 years

I am not talking about today. I am talking about the team that CPJ left behind.