Collins report card after 2 seasons

[THWG16]

I would give him a C-.... it would be worse but with the good recruiting I give him a passing grade . I know this is a huge transition & he’s putting square pegs in round holes by using 3option players for his system , but if I had told you when we hired him that after his first 2 years he’d have won 6 games combined we’d all be disappointed ! I know the season isn’t technically over but we have about as much of a chance playing pick up sticks with our butt cheeks as we do beating Miami ! And the excuses he’s making after games is getting old

 

[D-man44]

I would give him a C-.... it would be worse but with the good recruiting I give him a passing grade . I know this is a huge transition & he’s putting square pegs in round holes by using 3option players for his system , but if I had told you when we hired him that after his first 2 years he’d have won 6 games combined we’d all be disappointed ! I know the season isn’t technically over but we have about as much of a chance playing pick up sticks with our butt cheeks as we do beating Miami ! And the excuses he’s making after games is getting old

Well tech actually hit the over on wins this season sooo most experts expected less.

 

[MacJacket]

I would give him a C-.... it would be worse but with the good recruiting I give him a passing grade . I know this is a huge transition & he’s putting square pegs in round holes by using 3option players for his system , but if I had told you when we hired him that after his first 2 years he’d have won 6 games combined we’d all be disappointed ! I know the season isn’t technically over but we have about as much of a chance playing pick up sticks with our butt cheeks as we do beating Miami ! And the excuses he’s making after games is getting old

I don't disagree with any of this. I think he has a high ceiling but there's a lot of learning to be done on his part.

 

[stech81]

I would give him a C-.... it would be worse but with the good recruiting I give him a passing grade . I know this is a huge transition & he’s putting square pegs in round holes by using 3option players for his system , but if I had told you when we hired him that after his first 2 years he’d have won 6 games combined we’d all be disappointed ! I know the season isn’t technically over but we have about as much of a chance playing pick up sticks with our butt cheeks as we do beating Miami ! And the excuses he’s making after games is getting old

I don't grade on the curve

 

[GoJacketsInRaleigh]

B -The wins and losses are irrelevant for me. Anybody that is objective knew it would be a tough transition from CPJ regardless of who the coach was because of the lack of talent and lack of sizes on the lines. Add in he lost spring practice in year two and is playing through a global pandemic and there's nothing surprising about this whatsoever. Sure it would be nice to be winning more games but it takes time to rebuild.

I think Collins has done an excellent job of marketing his program and getting kids interested in us. I think that will pay off significantly in the coming years if our fanbase will quit crapping all over Collins. Every loss, every bad play, every kid that leaves there are guys that claim to be fans just waiting to pounce on the guy. The one thing I can't tell is if our fans recognize that he's talking to his team and not us in the press conferences. Last night, he was telling his team how proud he is of them for fighting not talking to us as fans. I think most of those guys on the team would run through a brick wall for him

 

[Sarrick]

I'm not sure how anyone can properly grade this year when we had limited spring practice, a crazy fall with COVID and having young players across the board in a lot of key positions. We would have been a much better team this year if covid didn't exist, but still, our offense is much better than last year, and our defense has played better the past few weeks. We also still have a great recruiting class coming in to help our depth even more.

 

[Jacketman]

I'll say a C so far. Recruiting has been really strong and I like how he markets. The issues come in lack of discipline(absurd # of penalties), and losing too many winnable games like last night. I will say that I think we go bowling next year and that goes up to a B+.

 

[GTLorenzo]

C-/D+

I think he really wants to be here, which is half the battle at GT. Unfortunately, it has been a train wreck so far. I think there are things he could have done to make the product on the field somewhat more competitive, like using our strengths in running the ball last year more, using more clock in the Clemson game this year (I don't care about getting more reps in a hurry up offense when we're going 3 and out against the top team in the country), game management screw ups like in The Citadel game, etc.

His recruiting and marketing are likely an A. I get tired of the "greatest transformation in the history of the world" and "everything we do is at an elite level" stuff, but clearly is good at communicating with the 15-22 aged kids.

The coaching and game management has been an F to me. I get the lack of talent, but we do not play to our strengths. I get limited spring practice and fall camp and that fact that we've had a lot of injuries and opt outs. I'm trying to be understanding. But we've had some colossal losses the last two years, generally looking totally unprepared, lack any form of discipline and I just don't think our strategies are very good.

I was in school in '90 for the national title. I know that good recruiting and great coaching can make it happen here. I think he has the good/great recruiting part, but we are severely lacking in coaching. I appreciate the fact that Geoff wants to be here. His whole spiel sort of grates on me, but if it gets recruits, great.

I think he is currently in over his head and in grave danger of losing a large portion of the fan base very quickly. People are finding that they can live without a lot of things they didn't think the could in past, like college football. If the product is going to be this bad, it is going to be tough to draw fans and raise money, which we desperately need. I was told last year by people on this board that "he's not talking to you" and "he doesn't care what you think." I'll say again what I said last year, I write checks and buy tickets, so he better care what I think. I keep getting emails and calls from my AT rep asking for donations and I just can't pull the trigger right now due to various reasons, but one is the dismal product on the field.

He should think long and hard about making some changes to his coaching staff, maybe bringing in an older coach to help him with general preparations, game planning, game management, etc. Maybe even get with Fridge or O'Leary to help figure out how to run a program and do game planning like Dodd did with Curry when he first got here and was clearly in over his head. He's got the marketing part, but if we go 3-9 or 4-8 next year, his seat will be very hot.

I've got a buddy who keeps telling me to wait for September 2022. That's when we'll see it happen. Not sure what we'll look like then, but the team really needs to show significant improvement next year or this hire could take down Stansbury as well.

 

[TheTechGuy]

C-/D+

I think he really wants to be here, which is half the battle at GT. Unfortunately, it has been a train wreck so far. I think there are things he could have done to make the product on the field somewhat more competitive, like using our strengths in running the ball last year more, using more clock in the Clemson game this year (I don't care about getting more reps in a hurry up offense when we're going 3 and out against the top team in the country), game management screw ups like in The Citadel game, etc.

His recruiting and marketing are likely an A. I get tired of the "greatest transformation in the history of the world" and "everything we do is at an elite level" stuff, but clearly is good at communicating with the 15-22 aged kids.

The coaching and game management has been an F to me. I get the lack of talent, but we do not play to our strengths. I get limited spring practice and fall camp and that fact that we've had a lot of injuries and opt outs. I'm trying to be understanding. But we've had some colossal losses the last two years, generally looking totally unprepared, lack any form of discipline and I just don't think our strategies are very good.

I was in school in '90 for the national title. I know that good recruiting and great coaching can make it happen here. I think he has the good/great recruiting part, but we are severely lacking in coaching. I appreciate the fact that Geoff wants to be here. His whole spiel sort of grates on me, but if it gets recruits, great.

I think he is currently in over his head and in grave danger of losing a large portion of the fan base very quickly. People are finding that they can live without a lot of things they didn't think the could in past, like college football. If the product is going to be this bad, it is going to be tough to draw fans and raise money, which we desperately need. I was told last year by people on this board that "he's not talking to you" and "he doesn't care what you think." I'll say again what I said last year, I write checks and buy tickets, so he better care what I think. I keep getting emails and calls from my AT rep asking for donations and I just can't pull the trigger right now due to various reasons, but one is the dismal product on the field.

He should think long and hard about making some changes to his coaching staff, maybe bringing in an older coach to help him with general preparations, game planning, game management, etc. Maybe even get with Fridge or O'Leary to help figure out how to run a program and do game planning like Dodd did with Curry when he first got here and was clearly in over his head. He's got the marketing part, but if we go 3-9 or 4-8 next year, his seat will be very hot.

I've got a buddy who keeps telling me to wait for September 2022. That's when we'll see it happen. Not sure what we'll look like then, but the team really needs to show significant improvement next year or this hire could take down Stansbury as well.

Collins is definitely correct on the need to better market the program. My issue with his marketing is that nothing seems original. "Juice" was the popular saying on HBO's Hard Knocks in 2015 with the Texans. "Above the Line" is the name of Urban Meyer's book, also from 2015, and as others have noted, Money Down has been a popular saying for other coaching staffs on 3rd down. It just feels inauthentic to me.

 

[lv20gt]

Collins, and the staff, was hired with the goal in mind to improve recruiting while transitioning away from the triple option.

Recruiting has improved with his first year being the best since, well the last time he was here recruiting for us. This year's class is solid and in a position where either a strong finish or favorable re-rankings could really help us. He's also been very good in the transfer portal bringing in talent as well. Overall I'd rate that aspect a B+ with the potential to be an A with a strong finish to this year's class.

In terms of transitioning offenses, last year was a show which was to be expected. This year is still obviously flawed but it has made great strides, and the building blocks are clearly laid for success down the line. I'd grade that out to a B-, but overall I'd give a C for the transition because of the defense not seeing the improvement that we probably should have. Obvious weaknesses personnel wise in the front 7 but there are some issues that shouldn't be.

Overall, I'd put that at a B. He's basically done what he was hired to do so far.

 

[Jacketman99]

Collins is definitely correct on the need to better market the program. My issue with his marketing is that nothing seems original. "Juice" was the popular saying on HBO's Hard Knocks in 2015 with the Texans. "Above the Line" is the name of Urban Meyer's book, also from 2015, and as others have noted, Money Down has been a popular saying for other coaching staffs on 3rd down. It just feels inauthentic to me.

I would judge this on the results. I don't think the recruits or transfers care that he did not come up with those things himself. Most of what you see these days is recycled anyway. Based on the attention we have gotten from recruits and potential transfers and seeing their comments about the vibe at GT I think the marketing has been successful.

 

[supertech1984]

I feel like this is the Braves of 2015-2016. You saw things happening that you liked, but you knew it was a way away form actually happening.

There is a lot I really like about what's going on right now. My wife cried both when David Curry left the field and came back out. That's a team that's bought in. Collins did not oversell where the team is at and has been in places like Alabama which knows how to win.

We have a ways to go. We ahve good players, but they're young. They will get better though. Effort wise, it's 100%. Dumb mistakes wise, they will improve.

Last night, with those stupid calls and bad refs, a lesser team would have folded. I still in my heart of heart thought a miracle was going to happen until the end. But our lines are simply too small, too thin, and too weak right now to win a game like that. But the players and coaches are bought in and know what they have to do. Be patient, be encouraging.

On a side note, I'm going to miss out THICC punter.

 

[LargeFO]

I think @CuseJacket stated something along these lines last night. I'm not gonna fully judge the staff until the DL and OL have guys that collectively have P5 offers. That's not to take anything away from who we have been playing, but we are not where we aim and plan to be there.

 

[stinger 1957]

We are about where I thought we would be, we are near the end of year 2 in what I always thought was a 4 year complete rebuild. He had a lot of square pegs for round holes that were young when he arrived, we don't run kids off, we sell education and need to always honor our part of the deal.
Frankly I think he is doing a heck of a job keeping the kids motivated as we work our way through the square pegs.

 

[smokey_wasp]

Will tell you next year. Still in the pass or fail classes for me and he passes.

 

[wvGT11]

This year is hard to judge given the circumstances. But I will say, Ive got full confidence in Collins recruiting efforts.

What I'm not convinced on is coaching and cleaning things up.
Kicking / special teams had had issues all season.
Defense has had issues with tackling all season.
Offense, not so worried on, play calling is questionable. But getting there.

Next season to me is the big test, we should have a normal season, a good batch of new and old players. I know coach talks about progress and improvement in practice, but I want to see that on the field. I know some don't see wins as a big deal, but this year will make 3 years of sub 5 wins I believe . I want to see us make a bowl next year. That would be huge for the program considering we used to have sufe a good streak

 

[GT_EE78]

I'd agree with the C overall
but would give him a B for recruiting and D for player dev and on field performance
for CGC sake i hope to be .500 next year and go to a crappy bowl.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

3 wins a year equals an F. Not enough improvement so far to generate any optimism for me. I currently predict more of the same in 2021. That's as far out as I care to look. Not feeling that this is going to work. Just being honest.

Go Jackets!

 

[tomknight]

C-/D+

I think he really wants to be here, which is half the battle at GT. Unfortunately, it has been a train wreck so far. I think there are things he could have done to make the product on the field somewhat more competitive, like using our strengths in running the ball last year more, using more clock in the Clemson game this year (I don't care about getting more reps in a hurry up offense when we're going 3 and out against the top team in the country), game management screw ups like in The Citadel game, etc.

His recruiting and marketing are likely an A. I get tired of the "greatest transformation in the history of the world" and "everything we do is at an elite level" stuff, but clearly is good at communicating with the 15-22 aged kids.

The coaching and game management has been an F to me. I get the lack of talent, but we do not play to our strengths. I get limited spring practice and fall camp and that fact that we've had a lot of injuries and opt outs. I'm trying to be understanding. But we've had some colossal losses the last two years, generally looking totally unprepared, lack any form of discipline and I just don't think our strategies are very good.

I was in school in '90 for the national title. I know that good recruiting and great coaching can make it happen here. I think he has the good/great recruiting part, but we are severely lacking in coaching. I appreciate the fact that Geoff wants to be here. His whole spiel sort of grates on me, but if it gets recruits, great.

I think he is currently in over his head and in grave danger of losing a large portion of the fan base very quickly. People are finding that they can live without a lot of things they didn't think the could in past, like college football. If the product is going to be this bad, it is going to be tough to draw fans and raise money, which we desperately need. I was told last year by people on this board that "he's not talking to you" and "he doesn't care what you think." I'll say again what I said last year, I write checks and buy tickets, so he better care what I think. I keep getting emails and calls from my AT rep asking for donations and I just can't pull the trigger right now due to various reasons, but one is the dismal product on the field.

He should think long and hard about making some changes to his coaching staff, maybe bringing in an older coach to help him with general preparations, game planning, game management, etc. Maybe even get with Fridge or O'Leary to help figure out how to run a program and do game planning like Dodd did with Curry when he first got here and was clearly in over his head. He's got the marketing part, but if we go 3-9 or 4-8 next year, his seat will be very hot.

I've got a buddy who keeps telling me to wait for September 2022. That's when we'll see it happen. Not sure what we'll look like then, but the team really needs to show significant improvement next year or this hire could take down Stansbury as well.

A whole lot of this was said in the last few years of the last coach's tenure.

 

[FlatsLander]

Offense: I think we've made huge strides as a whole. multiple 400+ yard games is a significant improvement. Turnovers became a major factor with our QB under stress and throwing sometime bad passes. The run game is in a VERY good spot, imo. I'd say B-, and trending upwards.
Defense: Less of a step up than I was expecting, but still an improvement. Keep in mind, we never played a game with our full depth on DL (Chimedza and Yonjuen(sp?) were out for the year, Clayton injured/reduced playing time, Lee opted out, etc.) LBs were hit and miss, and DBs were not great. I'd give them a C, with plenty to improve on, including a lot of help with recruiting and returning to a normal offseason.
Special Teams: very very very bad. Having like 5 FGs/PATs blocked on the year is a fundamental scheme/planning problem. Returning KOs at all with our lack of consistent execution constantly amazed me in a bad way. Lack of coaching on some punt returns stood out. This should hopefully be an area we can greatly improve on for next year. Grade: D-, Harvin III was a bright, shining star here, though STs have been better in the last 3rd of games.
Other: Penalties stand out as a major weakness of this team. From 3-4 false starts per game to numerous personal fouls, this team was possibly over-juiced. I think with most of the team returning again, and therefore being mostly older next year, we should see an improvement here. D

Overall: C. I think a more typical offseason (spring camp, summer workouts, fall camp with normal practice including actually practicing FGs) will improve a lot of shortcomings and weaknesses, as well as returning a majority of our depth on the DL.

I think that there are no longer any excuses for CGC and the staff after 12/19. Starting with winter conditioning (or spring camp, whenever we are hopefully done with the "new normal") this is fully CGC's team. It may not be all players he recruited, but he knows what he has now and can plan around it. I think 6 wins is the acceptable floor for next season.