HC Candidate/Rumors/Info Thread

RamblinRed

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
5,901
Honestly I don't think GT can hire someone right now that will be a hit with the whole fanbase and bring everyone together.
That is likely only going to happen a few years down the road if whoever is the new coach can win consistently (even then there will be issues as there are fans with unrealistic expectations of what GT can be in the current college football environment).

I'm fine with Fritz or Key or whoever we hire. I will say I am not a fan of the 'hire a coach because the players like him' idea.
You hire a coach because you think he gives you the best chance of building a sustainable winning program.

I'll say what I said months ago, my preference is for someone that is a program builder - a Pat Narduzzi, Dave Doreen, Dave Clawson type. Each of those guys excel at different things, but each has created a winning program (not a winning team) at their current schools. They also each have different backgrounds. We have former G5 HC, former P5 coordinator. The key is not what their past experience level is - it is how successful they were in their past experiences and what is their vision for the program and how well that fits in with the school.
 

WreckinGT

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,197
The rumored contract for Deion in that tweet is almost what we paid Collins, Thacker, and Long. Unless someone ponied up, we aren't exactly paying what it takes for top of the market talent.
Thats not even top of the market talent. Fickell and Rhule are top of the market talent. We apparently can't afford middle market talent. It's a depressing reality.
 

Jim Prather

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,043
I really hope we don't make a big mistake by not hiring Key. I just get a bad feeling.
So here is a slightly tangential question. Does the advent of NIL and the transfer portal change the way coaching hires/fires are done in the future? Will it now be important to have coaches in waiting on staff in order to maintain more continuity when a head coach is fired?
 

BleedGoldNWhite21

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,519
No Calvin, no Bosh, no nomar, no vairtek, no joe rogers, no mike duke (old wal mart ceo). No wonder we're broke.
Lots of anonymous donors.
As someone who’s job leads to a lot of interactions and collaborations with celebrities and prominent public figures, I can tell you most of them donate anonymously. Otherwise, what they give is never enough. “Brad Pitt only gave a million dollars? That’s like me giving 50 bucks!”
 
Last edited:

mts315

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
995
Folks claiming the AD "dropped the ball" need to observe the money being tossed around for top candidates. Then they need to recognize GT doesn't swim in those waters and, for the most part, it's because we don't collectively give enough.
We fired our coach a full 3 months ago and have nothing to show for it.

Unless we have someone lined up that is just a slam dunk of a hire, GT dropped the ball.

At this point if Deion or Chadwell take the USF job and we don't get the other, we are looking at Fritz (62 year old losing record at his current job) or Key (obviously the coach we settled on because we couldn't get someone else).

I think at this point we have to just give the job to Key, if we can't get Chadwell or Deion. I think the existing fan base can at least rally around Key and most of the players will stay in place.

Fritz will be like a wet blanket to the fan base and will not be exciting to the existing players, recruits, or portal transfers.
 

Heisman's Ghost

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,945
Location
Albany Georgia
It came from the internet and you can trust everything you read on the internet....

Cat Working GIF
That looks just like one of my cats. Come to think of it...its the kind of thing he would like to do.
 

Augusta_Jacket

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
8,125
Location
Augusta, Georgia
Honestly I don't think GT can hire someone right now that will be a hit with the whole fanbase and bring everyone together.
That is likely only going to happen a few years down the road if whoever is the new coach can win consistently (even then there will be issues as there are fans with unrealistic expectations of what GT can be in the current college football environment).

I'm fine with Fritz or Key or whoever we hire. I will say I am not a fan of the 'hire a coach because the players like him' idea.
You hire a coach because you think he gives you the best chance of building a sustainable winning program.

I'll say what I said months ago, my preference is for someone that is a program builder - a Pat Narduzzi, Dave Doreen, Dave Clawson type. Each of those guys excel at different things, but each has created a winning program (not a winning team) at their current schools. They also each have different backgrounds. We have former G5 HC, former P5 coordinator. The key is not what their past experience level is - it is how successful they were in their past experiences and what is their vision for the program and how well that fits in with the school.

To me, Fritz is a strategic hire. He's not likely to turn us into a 9 win team overnight, but he can stop the bleeding, get us bowl eligible and trending upward. In 4-5 years we will be back to competitive with our peers and likely able to stay in the games with factories. He retires in 5-6 years and we are a much better job for the next coach.

Now, this is NOT how many here want this to play out, but if you take the long view, it's genius.

It's what we should have done when CPJ retired.
 

LongforDodd

LatinxBreakfastTacos
Messages
3,264
I know about the Zelnak family but besides that I don’t know much about our boosters. Does anyone have a list of some prominent ones and what they are known for?
I've spent most of my 60+ years in ATL and, from the link posted later in this thread, I recognize many names who have business ties to ATL. There are two names who met on campus in the early 80's and from their business venture have their names on campus in fairly prominent locations. I'm surprised one of the names is in a much lower tier than his partner who is in the top tier but the lower tier name is more prominent than his partner on campus.
 

Oldgoldandwhite

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,841
Honestly I don't think GT can hire someone right now that will be a hit with the whole fanbase and bring everyone together.
That is likely only going to happen a few years down the road if whoever is the new coach can win consistently (even then there will be issues as there are fans with unrealistic expectations of what GT can be in the current college football environment).

I'm fine with Fritz or Key or whoever we hire. I will say I am not a fan of the 'hire a coach because the players like him' idea.
You hire a coach because you think he gives you the best chance of building a sustainable winning program.

I'll say what I said months ago, my preference is for someone that is a program builder - a Pat Narduzzi, Dave Doreen, Dave Clawson type. Each of those guys excel at different things, but each has created a winning program (not a winning team) at their current schools. They also each have different backgrounds. We have former G5 HC, former P5 coordinator. The key is not what their past experience level is - it is how successful they were in their past experiences and what is their vision for the program and how well that fits in with the school.
Well played sir!
 

Heisman's Ghost

Helluva Engineer
Messages
4,945
Location
Albany Georgia
So we can blame @Heisman's Ghost 's cat for this thread....
Well, he would probably post something that makes more sense than what I usually post especially about coaching hires. For some reason, I just never envision Tech getting the perfect coach that everyone just screams "That's HIM" I think that scenario is kind of rare anyway. I can think of a few modern or nearly so examples: Bear Bryant going back to Alabama where he had played under Wallace Wade, Steve Spurrier going back to Florida where he won the Heisman, a few others. The vast majority of the time, even at the factories, its a "sure hope this works" kind of deal. Sometimes it works, like Saban at Alabama or Kiffin at Ole Miss, sometimes it doesn't like Manny at Miami, Champ at South Carolina. IIWII a giant crap shoot.
 

Jim Prather

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,043
To me, Fritz is a strategic hire. He's not likely to turn us into a 9 win team overnight, but he can stop the bleeding, get us bowl eligible and trending upward. In 4-5 years we will be back to competitive with our peers and likely able to stay in the games with factories. He retires in 5-6 years and we are a much better job for the next coach.

Now, this is NOT how many here want this to play out, but if you take the long view, it's genius.

It's what we should have done when CPJ retired.
I know. I desperately wanted Fritz after CPJ retired. He was the only coach with a proven track record of taking over an under-center 3O offense and successfully converting to a shotgun spread. And 4 years later we now have a good anti-example :(
 
Top