Bold claims about our program

[Jacket4Life9]

Can't you guys see what's happening? We hired Collins to lure in another set of Jon Dwyer, BeyBey, JfN, Burnett, Morgan, Jones... Once the cupboard is full, we hire a 3O coach, beat pre-season ranked #1 UGA, win the ACC, and make a title run. Genuis move by TS

 

[Animal02]

Didn't watch the video but a natty is not that far-fetched for GT. I believe CPJ could have won one with the right squad. All we have to do is win the ACC and we'll probably get in the playoff. Easier said than done I know, but our path is probably easier than other teams around the country since the ACC Coastal ain't exactly the best division out there right now.

Win the conference and we are in? Tell that to the Pack 12 and B10 champions.
Fact is that in order for Tech to make it into the playoffs, an undefeated season will be almost always be required. Schools like Bama and their pedigree may get in with a loss or two, but that a is nno happening at Tech unless the stars oddly align. In order for Tech to go undefeated in the near future will require Clemp, UGA, and FSU to be "off" in the same year.....as well as not having the ball bounce the wrong way against VT, Miami, Duke etc. There is far more parity in college ball once you drop below the perennial top ten. Is it possible.....sure...is it likely, no.

 

[Animal02]

Your comment reminds me of Admiral James Stockdale, who was the senior officer in charge of the POW's in the Hanoi Hilton. When asked, "who didn't make it", he replied, "Oh, that's easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.

Stockdale then added:

This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."

Tech will prevail as a competitive D1 school. Of that, I am sure. But, I have no doubts as to how difficult a journey it is and will continue to be. That's why I've been able to enjoy Tech football for 40 years.

After attending Tech during the darkest days of its football history, I view any season with more wins tan losses a great thing.

 

[COJacket]

Your comment reminds me of Admiral James Stockdale, who was the senior officer in charge of the POW's in the Hanoi Hilton. When asked, "who didn't make it", he replied, "Oh, that's easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.

Stockdale then added:

This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."

Tech will prevail as a competitive D1 school. Of that, I am sure. But, I have no doubts as to how difficult a journey it is and will continue to be. That's why I've been able to enjoy Tech football for 40 years.

++++ Taught the Stockdale quote to my sons Great philosophy to live by. Thanks for posting

 

[Boaty1]

lol it's as if CPJ retiring and the hype surrounding CGC has made everyone forget who we are. A natty? LOL right.

I'd be thrilled with 9 wins if one is over Ugag.

The cold, hard facts are that the big uglies on the O and D lines, the guys who are why Alabama and Clemson and Alabama and Alabama win every game they play, don't want to work at school.

They want to play football and then play Xbox, or go to the club. You can't play football and just hang out afterwards at GT and still pass your classes. Can we see some improvement in areas? Absolutely. A BOAT load more money injected into the program and a tireless recruiter HC with some solid X and O coordinators will probably have us playing better overall. But that's worth 2-3 wins, maybe?

Shoot. I hope I'm wrong. I hope we suddenly get the pick of the 5 and 4 stars across the US who have the brains to get their degrees at GT because suddenly GT is "cool" or whatever. That'd be awesome, but I'm not holding my breath.

I wonder how much this thinking affects the program in a negative manner? It's like we can't get excited without some know it all supposed fan coming in and wanting to throw water on our excitement. When UGA fired Richt there was absolutely nothing in their history that said they should expect better than him. But they wanted more, brought in a new coach and have invested in their program and boom, they are the powerhouse they always envisioned themselves to be. So much of college football is a self fulfilling prophecy. Fanaticism is almost a necessity in college football these days. I see people constantly complaining about being behind in facilities and funding for the program and for good reason. It's a big deal when it was comes to recruiting. But do you know what leads to more money? Excitement and energy which for some reason many involved with our program look to extinguish at the slightest hint of a spark. From Dave Braine to Paul Johnson, I'm tired of being told the program I support can't aspire for greatness. That it's meant for other programs. I had just bought season tickets this year when Paul Johnson went on his "GT is a 6 win program" rant. I swear I wouldn't have bought them if he had said that a week before.

Most programs are constantly making themselves seem like they are better than they are. A great example is South Carolina. By any statistical measure they haven't been near the program we have been but if you were to ask them who is a better program between us and them they would say them which is fine. The problem is most of our fans have been so beat up with negatives of our program they would say South Carolina is better also when all the data would support us being better! That is unacceptable. Let's get excited, let's be delusional as a fan base and lets shoot for the moon. There is absolutely no shame in trying and competing and falling short. Conceding without competing is a different story however. This negative nonsense I've been hearing over the past year is what I can't stand and there is nothing about our program I hate worse right now than this surrender mentality and I see absolutely no way it helps the program in any way shape or form.

 

[Animal02]

I w

I had just bought season tickets this year when Paul Johnson went on his "GT is a 6 win program" rant. I swear I wouldn't have bought them if he had said that a week before.

Proof of the sort of "fan" you really are.

 

[UgaBlows]

I wonder if all the negativity from our own fans and elsewhere gradually ground CPJ down and helped lead to his retirement?

 

[Vespidae]

I wonder if all the negativity from our own fans and elsewhere gradually ground CPJ down and helped lead to his retirement?

Hard to say. As I recall, he announced it before the season started ... or at least, told TStan he was considering it.

 

[UgaBlows]

Maybe we need a new subforum on here where mods can move these threads to and people can go and reminisce, relitigate, and argue endlessly about old coaches, players, teams, and Stanford to their hearts content.

 

[Animal02]

I wonder if all the negativity from our own fans and elsewhere gradually ground CPJ down and helped lead to his retirement?

That along with lack of $$$$ support for a decade, the rule changes that affected Tech and the 30 more than other schools, millennials..........

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

This may not be the right place to put this, but ... there's a lot of discussion around will changing the offense help recruiting? My personal view is no. What is comes down to is ... "Do I like the guys on the team and my coaches?" I spoke to a friend last night whose son played for Auburn. I asked why Auburn since he was from Atlanta. "He liked his coach." So I asked another, a guy I've known for 35 years and who played for UT and was recruited by UGA as well. Why UT? "I liked Bill Battle." And UGA? "Dooley was the coldest man I ever met. I couldn't see myself playing for him."

No discussion of offense. Schemes. Playing.

I found this article from ESPN below. No discussion of the TO.

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- O.J. Howard, the nation's No. 2 tight end prospect, has heard almost every pitch in recruiting.

The guarantee from one school that he would start immediately. A promise from another that he would catch a certain number of passes. Assurances that his talents would take him quickly to the NFL.

You want to know what Alabama coach Nick Saban promised Howard? Nothing. When they last talked, Saban asked Howard about his baseball team and told the rising senior at Prattville (Ala.) Autauga Academy to say hello to his parents.

Chris Hawkins (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga), on a visit to Stanford, watched his high school film with coach David Shaw. In the middle of the viewing, in walked several assistant coaches. Hawkins said one tempted him with this: "Do you want that here? Do you want to start here?"

Hawkins ultimately committed to USC because of his relationship with secondary coach Marvin Sanders, who never even so much as encouraged the cornerback to pick the Trojans.

"He was acting more like a father to me," Hawkins said. "He's just like me. We listen to the same kind of music. We laugh at the same things. He just told me to find the best fit for me."

The sentiments of Howard -- a centerpiece of the Crimson Tide's third-ranked 2013 class -- and Hawkins represent the majority of recruits.

Last week as approximately 150 of the top prospects gathered at The Opening, RecruitingNation sought an answer to the age-old question in recruiting: What do kids want in a college?

Surely, in today's era of immediate communication and instant gratification, the desires of premier recruits would reflect the changing times.

Not so much, the results say. The football players interviewed largely said they seek the same reliable comforts in a college program that have served top coaches well for decades.

Highest on the list of priorities were relationships, chemistry and a family feel among the current players and coaches, in addition to strong academic support.

"I wanted a place I could feel like I'm at home," tight end Marcus Baugh said.

Baugh, of Riverside (Calif.) John W. North, committed to Ohio State, calling the Buckeyes his "dream school."

The moment in recruiting that has most impressed Prosper (Texas) High School uncommitted receiver Torii Hunter Jr.? When Iowa told him of its strong graduation rates for football players.

"If sports doesn't work out, I'm going to need a Plan B," said Hunter Jr., MVP of the seven-on-seven tournament at The Opening.

Hunter Jr., also a baseball star and the son of Los Angeles Angels outfielder Torii Hunter, is considering both sports in college. Hunter Jr. said the best advice he's heard in recruiting came from Stanford baseball assistant Dean Stotz.


"He told me picking a college is like picking your wife: You've got to stick with it your whole life," Hunter Jr. said. "So be like a lawyer and read the fine print."

OK, so perhaps that's a new twist on recruiting.

The best experience for Alabama quarterback pledge Cooper Bateman (Murray, Utah/Cottonwood), though, was simple and straightforward.

Bateman toured LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Florida during a busy spring trip.

"In no way did Alabama try to lay out the red carpet, which was great," Bateman said. "Other schools did. I'm not going to single anybody out, but some places had girls with me the whole time. I don't really see how that's going to persuade someone.

"Some of the things they said, promises they made, it's far out there."

Top-rated receiver Ricky Seals-Jones (Sealy, Texas/Sealy) committed to Texas in February, then decommitted in June. He's considering offers that include UT, Oregon, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and LSU.

Seals-Jones does not count Alabama among his favorites, but a phone conversation with Saban ranks near the top of his most memorable encounters.

In fact, Saban's name surfaced more than any in discussions with players at The Opening about the most impressive coaches they had encountered.

And let's just say he's not into sugarcoating his message.

"He told me, 'If you want to come to Alabama, you can. If not, so be it,' " Seals-Jones said. "I was like, 'Whoa, I wasn't really expecting that one.' It shows me that he doesn't beat around the bush."

Of course, not every coach can be Nick Saban. Bateman said he once spent 30 minutes on the phone with the Alabama coach.

"I didn't really get the chance to say much," Bateman said.

His most important factor in choosing the Crimson Tide involved offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier -- not Saban. Those relationships mean so much.

It's a big part of the reason linebacker Alex Anzalone (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) committed to Notre Dame last weekend. Anzalone pledged to Ohio State in April while in Columbus for the Buckeyes' spring game. He backed out of the commitment in May and waited two months to decide on the Irish.

When Anzalone looked closely at his finalists -- Notre Dame, Penn State and Florida -- it all made sense, he said, for many of the same reasons kids picked their programs 20 years ago.

"Your first impression of a school does have an impact," Anzalone said. "But once you get down to the nitty-gritty, that stuff wears off and you see what's really important."

What I take away as a commonality is....these recruits all focused in on top factories first...then the fit and feel aspect kicked in.

 

[Animal02]

What I take away as a commonality is....these recruits all focused in on top factories first...then the fit and feel aspect kicked in.

Little things count. Like how the facility looks and is maintained. A group of us went to a D3 school campus visit ( it was an excuse to get out of class). The head coach was old, and during lunch had food hanging out of his mouth that went unnoticed....that was the memory that all of us retained, not anything else about the school. (Four years later, they lost in the D3 championship game with the same coach.) You never know.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I wonder how much this thinking affects the program in a negative manner? It's like we can't get excited without some know it all supposed fan coming in and wanting to throw water on our excitement. When UGA fired Richt there was absolutely nothing in their history that said they should expect better than him. But they wanted more, brought in a new coach and have invested in their program and boom, they are the powerhouse they always envisioned themselves to be. So much of college football is a self fulfilling prophecy. Fanaticism is almost a necessity in college football these days. I see people constantly complaining about being behind in facilities and funding for the program and for good reason. It's a big deal when it was comes to recruiting. But do you know what leads to more money? Excitement and energy which for some reason many involved with our program look to extinguish at the slightest hint of a spark. From Dave Braine to Paul Johnson, I'm tired of being told the program I support can't aspire for greatness. That it's meant for other programs. I had just bought season tickets this year when Paul Johnson went on his "GT is a 6 win program" rant. I swear I wouldn't have bought them if he had said that a week before.

Most programs are constantly making themselves seem like they are better than they are. A great example is South Carolina. By any statistical measure they haven't been near the program we have been but if you were to ask them who is a better program between us and them they would say them which is fine. The problem is most of our fans have been so beat up with negatives of our program they would say South Carolina is better also when all the data would support us being better! That is unacceptable. Let's get excited, let's be delusional as a fan base and lets shoot for the moon. There is absolutely no shame in trying and competing and falling short. Conceding without competing is a different story however. This negative nonsense I've been hearing over the past year is what I can't stand and there is nothing about our program I hate worse right now than this surrender mentality and I see absolutely no way it helps the program in any way shape or form.

It’s ok for our fans to be fanatics. It’s ok for our hc to be a fanatic in public because that is recruiting both players and doners. I’ve got no problem with any of that. But our head coach damn well better have a coherent comprehensive strategy in all facets of the program from long range vision to how best to manage the waterboys and it must attack our very real and unique hurdles that won’t just poof disappear because you call them strengths in a press conference.

FSU hired themselves a “players coach” too, one that blares hip hop over the loud speakers at practice with all the players dancing around like a scene from Glee. How’d that work out? And they already were stocked full of “elite” recruits with NFL blinders on.

One thing’s for sure, if we get a bunch of guys who believe the well phrased factory mantra “I didn’t come here to play school” we’re in deep doo doo.

 

[wesgt123]

I wonder how much this thinking affects the program in a negative manner? It's like we can't get excited without some know it all supposed fan coming in and wanting to throw water on our excitement. When UGA fired Richt there was absolutely nothing in their history that said they should expect better than him. But they wanted more, brought in a new coach and have invested in their program and boom, they are the powerhouse they always envisioned themselves to be. So much of college football is a self fulfilling prophecy. Fanaticism is almost a necessity in college football these days. I see people constantly complaining about being behind in facilities and funding for the program and for good reason. It's a big deal when it was comes to recruiting. But do you know what leads to more money? Excitement and energy which for some reason many involved with our program look to extinguish at the slightest hint of a spark. From Dave Braine to Paul Johnson, I'm tired of being told the program I support can't aspire for greatness. That it's meant for other programs. I had just bought season tickets this year when Paul Johnson went on his "GT is a 6 win program" rant. I swear I wouldn't have bought them if he had said that a week before.

Most programs are constantly making themselves seem like they are better than they are. A great example is South Carolina. By any statistical measure they haven't been near the program we have been but if you were to ask them who is a better program between us and them they would say them which is fine. The problem is most of our fans have been so beat up with negatives of our program they would say South Carolina is better also when all the data would support us being better! That is unacceptable. Let's get excited, let's be delusional as a fan base and lets shoot for the moon. There is absolutely no shame in trying and competing and falling short. Conceding without competing is a different story however. This negative nonsense I've been hearing over the past year is what I can't stand and there is nothing about our program I hate worse right now than this surrender mentality and I see absolutely no way it helps the program in any way shape or form.

Exactly. The negativity is a plague. Even I am victim to the defeatist way of thinking. But I’m willing to wait and watch the next few years. Let’s hope for the best.

I will say the majority of the fan base is seemingly awakened with excitement now. And even without on field results with a new coach, excitement that quickly is a great start to a new era.

 

[ncjacket79]

What I take away as a commonality is....these recruits all focused in on top factories first...then the fit and feel aspect kicked in.

This 100%. No matter how much a kid may like a coach he’s not going someplace that runs a 3o offense if he is a passing qb or top receiver.

 

[ncjacket79]

It’s ok for our fans to be fanatics. It’s ok for our hc to be a fanatic in public because that is recruiting both players and doners. I’ve got no problem with any of that. But our head coach damn well better have a coherent comprehensive strategy in all facets of the program from long range vision to how best to manage the waterboys and it must attack our very real and unique hurdles that won’t just poof disappear because you call them strengths in a press conference.

FSU hired themselves a “players coach” too, one that blares hip hop over the loud speakers at practice with all the players dancing around like a scene from Glee. How’d that work out? And they already were stocked full of “elite” recruits with NFL blinders on.

One thing’s for sure, if we get a bunch of guys who believe the well phrased factory mantra “I didn’t come here to play school” we’re in deep doo doo.

This is why I like the hire. Collins has been in big time programs like AL and FL and seen how it’s done. He’s also been at Tech and seen what we have to deal with and he STILL took the job. I can’t imagine anyone else more uniquely qualified for the job.

 

[gthxxxx]

This 100%. No matter how much a kid may like a coach he’s not going someplace that runs a 3o offense if he is a passing qb or top receiver.

Wasn't that one of the reasons for favoring the 3o offense at GT, because GT more often than not won't get the better passing qb or top receiver when compared to the "top factories"?

 

[Vespidae]

Wasn't that one of the reasons for favoring the 3o offense at GT, because GT more often than not won't get the better passing qb or top receiver when compared to the "top factories"?

Now that the TO is gone, 5* recruits will come. They'll come to Tech for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up Bobby Dodd Way not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at the gate as innocent as children, longing for the past. "Of course, we won't mind if you look around", TStan will say. "It's only $20 per person". They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it, for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the sidelines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

And Tech will get the QB of their dreams.

 

[Animal02]

This is why I like the hire. Collins has been in big time programs like AL and FL and seen how it’s done. He’s also been at Tech and seen what we have to deal with and he STILL took the job. I can’t imagine anyone else more uniquely qualified for the job.

Pretty much any G5 level HC would jump at the chance of HC at a P5....

 

[GTJake]

I'm starting to believe this "Energize the Fanbase" statement is a bunch of BS ... mostly because I think some of our fanbase would find something to ***** about if we hired the reincarnation of Dodd-Bryant-Heisman-Lombardi etc !