Spalding Jacket
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Nothing new, but a good avenue to market to recruits and HS coaches about our initiatives.
24/7 CGC Interview
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Tech Lawyer
Jolly Good Fellow
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Coach Collins looks like he is starting to let his hair down in these interviews. For several years I have been a huge fan of the All ACC Talkshoe Podcast. Each week an analyst from each ACC team is interviewed on their team's outlook for the year and make predictions for each game. So far they have done UNC, FSU and Va Tech ( the guy from UNC was not great , but the Va Tech guy was very knowledgeable.) Interestingly, the moderators and the analysts share a positive outlook for Tech going forward, but the belief is that Tech will be an easy win because of the transformation. Notwithstanding our schedule, I think we could surprise the ACC this year. If Kenny Cooper can come back healthy our OL should be one of the best in the conference. Same with the RBs and the WRs. On defense we have play makers in the secondary and hopefully Jahaziel Lee and Antonneous Clayton will give us some additional fire power up front. I see us being very over looked next year if we have a season.
TheFlyest
Ramblin' Wreck
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He’s saying and doing everything I always thought GT should be doing and at the forefront of. Spent last year cleaning up the program, this year is gonna be tough due to the schedule and the pandemic restraints, I feel strongly that the wins are coming.
Just keep chopping wood.
Just keep chopping wood.
swampsting
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that's a whole lot of iffing and hoping.
swampsting
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Not a discipline thing I'm sure, but rather a public image clean up, i.e. 404 Takeover etc...
swampsting
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This is going to be a little long, so ....
I’ll take issue with a couple of things CGC said in the interview. At best, they are misleading.
I went and looked this stuff up and I am using the results from O’Leary’s complete seasons, including the year he left, rather than the year he took over in midstream.
“We were ranked in the top 10 every year.” — The only time we finished the season ranked in the top 10 was 1998 at No. 9. We were briefly in the top 10 in 2001 before finishing the season out of the rankings. In 1999, we were top 10 early on but finished ranked No. 20. For 2000, we weren’t ranked much of the year and finished at No. 17. So to say we were ranked in the top 10 every year during O’Leary’s time, and during Collins’ time with O’Leary, is simply false.
“We were playing for conference championships.” Well, not in the conference championship game, since that didn’t start until 2005. Under O’Leary, we won one, in 1998. During that tenure, we were fourth, fifth, tied for third, champs in 98, three-way tie for third, tied for second and a three-way tie for fourth.
“We were playing in New Year’s Day bowl games.” Technically, true. But when I think of New Year’s Day bowl games, Rose, Sugar, Orange, and for back then, Cotton, come to mind. Under O’Leary, we played in bowl games twice on New Year’s Day. Both times it was the Gator. Not a bad bowl. But not what I consider a New Year’s Day bowl. It just happened to be on New Year’s Day those two times.
From an interview last year, Collins said when he was growing up, Tech was going to bowl games every year. So I decided to take a look. I chose the time from when he was 7 to 18, choosing 7 because that’s around the time most kids start paying attention to sports. Maybe a year earlier, maybe a year later, but around that time.
So from the time he was 7 until he was 18, Tech went to a bowl game. Not a bowl game every year. A bowl game. For the entire time.
I also chafe when he talks about selling the city and the academics, as if it hasn’t been done before. Hey, those are good things to play up to recruits. I'm glad the staff is doing it. Let me use this quote from a commit (as told to jacketsonline.com):
“I chose Georgia Tech because they sold Atlanta to me. It is close to my family, I like how everything is so close and just how strong a degree from there would be. I can say I am a Yellow Jacket. … The Georgia Tech coaches have been on me every day. They have been talking to me, my parents and my coaches. They have been on me hard, so that always stood out to me.”
That was from a commit, still on the team, who committed in August 2018. To PJ’s staff.
So for all those who think the former staff wasn’t selling the city, and academics, to recruits … well, there’s evidence to the contrary.
I’ll take issue with a couple of things CGC said in the interview. At best, they are misleading.
I went and looked this stuff up and I am using the results from O’Leary’s complete seasons, including the year he left, rather than the year he took over in midstream.
“We were ranked in the top 10 every year.” — The only time we finished the season ranked in the top 10 was 1998 at No. 9. We were briefly in the top 10 in 2001 before finishing the season out of the rankings. In 1999, we were top 10 early on but finished ranked No. 20. For 2000, we weren’t ranked much of the year and finished at No. 17. So to say we were ranked in the top 10 every year during O’Leary’s time, and during Collins’ time with O’Leary, is simply false.
“We were playing for conference championships.” Well, not in the conference championship game, since that didn’t start until 2005. Under O’Leary, we won one, in 1998. During that tenure, we were fourth, fifth, tied for third, champs in 98, three-way tie for third, tied for second and a three-way tie for fourth.
“We were playing in New Year’s Day bowl games.” Technically, true. But when I think of New Year’s Day bowl games, Rose, Sugar, Orange, and for back then, Cotton, come to mind. Under O’Leary, we played in bowl games twice on New Year’s Day. Both times it was the Gator. Not a bad bowl. But not what I consider a New Year’s Day bowl. It just happened to be on New Year’s Day those two times.
From an interview last year, Collins said when he was growing up, Tech was going to bowl games every year. So I decided to take a look. I chose the time from when he was 7 to 18, choosing 7 because that’s around the time most kids start paying attention to sports. Maybe a year earlier, maybe a year later, but around that time.
So from the time he was 7 until he was 18, Tech went to a bowl game. Not a bowl game every year. A bowl game. For the entire time.
I also chafe when he talks about selling the city and the academics, as if it hasn’t been done before. Hey, those are good things to play up to recruits. I'm glad the staff is doing it. Let me use this quote from a commit (as told to jacketsonline.com):
“I chose Georgia Tech because they sold Atlanta to me. It is close to my family, I like how everything is so close and just how strong a degree from there would be. I can say I am a Yellow Jacket. … The Georgia Tech coaches have been on me every day. They have been talking to me, my parents and my coaches. They have been on me hard, so that always stood out to me.”
That was from a commit, still on the team, who committed in August 2018. To PJ’s staff.
So for all those who think the former staff wasn’t selling the city, and academics, to recruits … well, there’s evidence to the contrary.
Gold1
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He’s recruiting all the time. The recruits aren’t going to look this stuff up
Does it really matter? The horror of him trying to build up a program that we all give money to and want to be successful.
Like you, I wish he'd just tell the recruits that the school is hard and they will only get a business degree and that we will never and have hardly ever been a great team. That's the coach I want.
forensicbuzz
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Instead of trying to pick apart what he is doing, help celebrate that he's accentuating the positive and trying to create a narrative that things are different. Different is what the kids want to hear. Different is what we need to project. If he takes some liberties or stretches reality a little, I have no problem with that. We all know that previous programs sold every aspect of GT and Atlanta or whatever else it took to show kids what we have to offer. Some are better at it that others, some have the perception of being better at it that others.
The analysis you did isn't anything that most of us on this board don't already know. We're GT fans. We know our history. These kids and their parents know very little of this. They know the perception of what we were, and as we all know, perception is reality. Instead of wasting time and effort trying to correct that perception, CGC has just embraced that were "different" now and going back to the "good ole days" when we were constantly winners. Instead of trying tease apart what he's saying, just be happy he wants to be here and is catching the ear of the kind of kids we've always wanted to come to Tech. If that means throwing a little shade on the past two coaching regimes a little, as much as I loved and respected CPJ and respected CCG, I'm okay with that.
jacketup
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There is a difference between doing something and doing it effectively. We just had our first NFL draftee in 3 years--and he was a transfer brought in by Collins. That answers the efficacy question of whatever the prior staff was doing to sell Atlanta.
SOWEGA Jacket
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I don’t care if Collins tells kids GT won 7 national titles out of 9 years in the 1990’s. Or that all players get in free to the establishment on Spring street. All of us have the long view of history but teenagers don’t and don’t care. I love that Collins has adapted his recruiting to his true audience which are 14 to 18 year old alpha males. It has paid off and will continue to pay off. Sometimes I just don’t understand why smart people like all of you don’t understand that Collins has 1 audience and is relentless in message to that 1 audience. If he is successful with that 1 audience then the alum, boosters, and fans will all be happy. If he tries to have 4 audiences it makes it harder. Keep plugging away and take whatever liberties are needed. Every good recruiter does the same thing.
swampsting
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I posted that hopefully for CGC's benefit.
some sports radio tool, like a Chernoff, is going to play "gotcha" with him one day. Maybe not while he's on the air with them, but right after the segment, after they have an intern look up all the stuff Collins claims.
the sports talk guys in ATL turned on CGC hard at the end of the season. the ones I listened to on the drive back from the Georgia game were brutal on him. Like I've always said, they're front runners.
He may think they're on his side, but they're not. and if he goes in fast and loose with the facts, they'll be salivating to get after him. that's just how they are.
some sports radio tool, like a Chernoff, is going to play "gotcha" with him one day. Maybe not while he's on the air with them, but right after the segment, after they have an intern look up all the stuff Collins claims.
the sports talk guys in ATL turned on CGC hard at the end of the season. the ones I listened to on the drive back from the Georgia game were brutal on him. Like I've always said, they're front runners.
He may think they're on his side, but they're not. and if he goes in fast and loose with the facts, they'll be salivating to get after him. that's just how they are.
SOWEGA Jacket
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What you said is true. But again, right now today Collins only mission and only path to success is to rebrand GT football for 14-18 year old males which he has been doing from day 1. If he succeeds at getting in top 25 recruiting classes GT will win a lot of games and when you win everyone loves you. If he doesn’t succeed at recruiting it doesn’t matter how much he sucks up to media, boosters, alum, etc as he will be gone at some point. I think part of the problem our fan base is having right now is not understanding their are only 3 paths to high level success in college football and GT will never take 2 of them.
Path #1 - big state university with a handful of majors to hide athletes and underhanded recruiting methods (most of the top 20 take this approach).
Path #2 - Smaller school in state who has worthless majors, does some underhanded deals with athletes representatives, then hires a scumbag coach and throws money around (think Baylor and Auburn types).
Path #3 - smaller school with limited resources who hires a staff, keeps them for years, recruits the local area, build a reputation, and get lucky every 4-5 years (see VT under Beamer, Duke with Cutcliffe, Minnesota right now, Boise St., etc).
These paths are something we all know but often forget. And GT has even a tougher path because we are managed by a state system run by UGA (Board of Regents). The only path to high level success is exactly what Collins is trying. We just had a Hall of Fame coach who couldn’t keep us there so that tells you how hard it is. Saban couldn’t do it at Mich St. Of all the teams in our tier, Collins knows GT has the most upside simply due to Atlanta. He’s trying to do the Schnellenberger without strippers and cash. Miami is a case study in taking a mid level small elite school and catching lightening in a bottle. And it was amazing. Collins could play it safe and win 7 games a year like most of our past coaches, but he dreams bigger and I appreciate that. I often post that if he doesn’t succeed there are hundreds of retread coaches we can hire to sleep walk through the next 40 years. I loved the Johnson hire and the Collins hire because they both have unique visions.
Path #1 - big state university with a handful of majors to hide athletes and underhanded recruiting methods (most of the top 20 take this approach).
Path #2 - Smaller school in state who has worthless majors, does some underhanded deals with athletes representatives, then hires a scumbag coach and throws money around (think Baylor and Auburn types).
Path #3 - smaller school with limited resources who hires a staff, keeps them for years, recruits the local area, build a reputation, and get lucky every 4-5 years (see VT under Beamer, Duke with Cutcliffe, Minnesota right now, Boise St., etc).
These paths are something we all know but often forget. And GT has even a tougher path because we are managed by a state system run by UGA (Board of Regents). The only path to high level success is exactly what Collins is trying. We just had a Hall of Fame coach who couldn’t keep us there so that tells you how hard it is. Saban couldn’t do it at Mich St. Of all the teams in our tier, Collins knows GT has the most upside simply due to Atlanta. He’s trying to do the Schnellenberger without strippers and cash. Miami is a case study in taking a mid level small elite school and catching lightening in a bottle. And it was amazing. Collins could play it safe and win 7 games a year like most of our past coaches, but he dreams bigger and I appreciate that. I often post that if he doesn’t succeed there are hundreds of retread coaches we can hire to sleep walk through the next 40 years. I loved the Johnson hire and the Collins hire because they both have unique visions.
Sheldon's
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Most engineering types don’t like or appreciate Marketing thus they place no value in it. I have two engineering degrees fro GT and an MBA and see great value in Collins approach to marketing. Without the MBA not sure I’d have the same perspective.
Cam
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I don't really mind CGC's Top 10 claim. It's really not as big of a stretch as some think if you don't look strictly at the end of season ranking. Here's Collins' years as a GT staff member (source):
1999 - Ranked in the Top 20 all season (17 weeks), Ranked in the Top 10 for 9 weeks, peaked at #7
2000 - Ranked for the last 7 weeks, peaked at #15
2001 - Ranked for 13 weeks, peaked at #9
2006 - Ranked for 10 weeks, peaked at #13
In Collins' experience as a staff member, we were ranked for 47/68 weeks (69% of the time), ranked in the Top 15 for 22 weeks (32%), and in the Top 10 for 13 weeks (19%). So, GT was almost always going into games with a number next to their name and was a top 10 team almost 20% of the time. Which is astonishing considering we have only been a Top 10 team for 7 total weeks since 2001.
There's a ton of value in being ranked during the season as it shows the public perception of the program. This is why CGC always talks about being in the "college football conversation." Generally speaking, you won't be talked about unless you're ranked. For reference, we were ranked at some point in the AP poll every year between 2005-2011, but haven't been ranked since week 4 of the 2015 season. It essentially means every player we are recruiting has never seen Georgia Tech ever discussed in depth on College Gameday since they started high school. In fact, every ACC team (except GT) has been ranked at some point since 2015, which is a pretty depressing thought when you try to compare our program within our conference. That's part of the uphill battle he's trying to combat by "stretching the truth" on these shows.
1999 - Ranked in the Top 20 all season (17 weeks), Ranked in the Top 10 for 9 weeks, peaked at #7
2000 - Ranked for the last 7 weeks, peaked at #15
2001 - Ranked for 13 weeks, peaked at #9
2006 - Ranked for 10 weeks, peaked at #13
In Collins' experience as a staff member, we were ranked for 47/68 weeks (69% of the time), ranked in the Top 15 for 22 weeks (32%), and in the Top 10 for 13 weeks (19%). So, GT was almost always going into games with a number next to their name and was a top 10 team almost 20% of the time. Which is astonishing considering we have only been a Top 10 team for 7 total weeks since 2001.
There's a ton of value in being ranked during the season as it shows the public perception of the program. This is why CGC always talks about being in the "college football conversation." Generally speaking, you won't be talked about unless you're ranked. For reference, we were ranked at some point in the AP poll every year between 2005-2011, but haven't been ranked since week 4 of the 2015 season. It essentially means every player we are recruiting has never seen Georgia Tech ever discussed in depth on College Gameday since they started high school. In fact, every ACC team (except GT) has been ranked at some point since 2015, which is a pretty depressing thought when you try to compare our program within our conference. That's part of the uphill battle he's trying to combat by "stretching the truth" on these shows.