McCollum

[gtwcf]

He retained Brian Jean-Mary and at least one more assistant on defense. I think he also may have retained an offensive assistant. Monken, Bohannon and CLO followed from Navy, though I don't recall at what point Coach Owens came along. PJ I think retained the wide receivers coach for a year and then moved Preston over there. He added Sewak later to the staff but before spring practice. He may have come either right before or after signing day. I say this having run into Mike one night when he had on a GT jacket very late into the high school basketball season.

CPJ kept most of the defensive staff (Giff Smith, BJM, and Kelly) other than Tenuta (who decided to leave). The turnover came with Al Groh and the 3-4 (Giff wanted to try the NFL, BJM appeared to be staying and then left for Louisville).

And as for impact players, I don't look at stars as much as how they play on the field. I would say we're going to be pretty good in the defensive backfield for the next few years between J. Thomas, Oliver, Swilling, Askew, Kerr, and Carpenter (not to mention Walton and King!). We've got some potential game changers at LB (Charlie Thomas and maybe BJS), although I'd like to see us get a few more this cycle. DL will probably be fine, although I'm a little less sure of this group.

While I would've like to see CAM on staff, I'm guessing in a little while when the new staff is on board I'll be satisfied. I would say that CAM probably is the top recruiter in TN in the country. We've seemed to get who we want out of there and have even beat TN for a few of them. Nashville and Memphis are 2 pretty good recruiting areas now a days.

 

[00Burdell]

Honestly, I'm sad to see CAM leave - he was a great recruiter. But I'm having trouble thinking of any programs we compete against that we regularly out-recruit. So maybe being a great recruiter isn't good enough - we need fantastic, all-world recruiters. And if that's who's replacing him then I guess I'm cool with that.

 

[Cam]

It's not uncommon for new head coaches not to retain anyone from the previous staff. I think Collins wants a wholesale change of the program and that starts with his hand picked staff. We may see ramifications in the current recruiting class, but From the Rumble Seat has basically shown that everyone is solid except the OL recruits and Huff.

I'll just say that if CGC is cleaning house, he has good reason to do so. The guy seems to have cultivated a vision over the years of what he thinks would succeed at GT and I'd guess McCollum wasn't a part of that vision. If he's the recruiting guru he's cracked up to be, then I trust CGC's judgement. While Mac was our best recruiter under Johnson, who's to say he'd even be our 5th best on the new staff? Maybe how Mac recruited becomes our new floor.

 

[jeffgt14]

Boooooooooooooooooo

 

[MidtownJacket]

it is weird to see the same avatar from different posters seemingly disagree..

 

[TechPhi97]

Its a business isn't it. We'll be okay without McCollum. But many people still commit to the relationship, and not just the school. If we see any transfers or any of his commits change directions, you can rightly assign that blame to CGC. It strikes me as really odd that the 1 guy who recruited extremely well won't be kept. I mean, why wouldn't you at least give him 1 year to prove to you that's what you want?

The only extraneous circumstance I could see here is if the two spoke offline, McCollum didn't want to stay if everybody else was fired...or maybe he wasn't willing to take whatever his position would be.

McCollum won't be unemployed long - and we will suffer from it in some way shape or form you can bet.

EDIT: My feeling on not retaining CAM:

Maybe because we haven't been good at recruiting in 20 years? If you want to assign blame to losing a few recruits with ties to McCollum to Collins, that's fine. But be ready to assign blame to McCollum if our recruiting classes come in stronger the next few years.

 

[iceeater1969]

Head Coach johnson called all the plays.

Head Coach Collins will do the all the recruiting.

Was any of the staff lead to believe they would be retained to get gt through the recruiting cycle??? Hmmm

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Maybe because we haven't been good at recruiting in 20 years? If you want to assign blame to losing a few recruits with ties to McCollum to Collins, that's fine. But be ready to assign blame to McCollum if our recruiting classes come in stronger the next few years.

Have you read the rest of the thread here to see all the guys he brought in? 6 of the top 7 last year were his. Was ranked in the top 25 in recruiting in the country. Had nearly all the 4-stars the year before. For your 'what if' prediction to come true, we'd have to get like 7 or 8 4-stars per year, repeatedly. From 1 guy. If we were to get that, I agree that probably none of us will ever remember McCollum existed. But to get that many recruits from 1 guy...I'll believe it when I see it.

Right now 0 5-stars and 7-8 4-stars would rank your team's class in the top 20 in the country. If 1 guy could do that? Holy moly.

 

[Bigb]

Weird seeing so much chicken littleing going on in this thread.

We’ll be fine without any of the current staff.

 

[ibeattetris]

Weird seeing so much chicken littleing going on in this thread.

We’ll be fine without any of the current staff.

People would find a way to "chicken little" if we were to hire Bill Belichick.

 

[DCSS]

People would find a way to "chicken little" if we were to hire Bill Belichick.

We’d be the Cleveland Browns of the ACC.

 

[iceeater1969]

Will Andy say
1. Soon say he was treated very fairly?
2. Be silent for a time. See 3
3. Say he was played by ??

I have had to negotiate exit packages to get a 1 from well liked managers to keep corporate goodwill. Tstan wake up and let's hear 1

 

[swampsting]

CPJ kept most of the defensive staff (Giff Smith, BJM, and Kelly) other than Tenuta (who decided to leave). The turnover came with Al Groh and the 3-4 (Giff wanted to try the NFL, BJM appeared to be staying and then left for Louisville).

And as for impact players, I don't look at stars as much as how they play on the field. I would say we're going to be pretty good in the defensive backfield for the next few years between J. Thomas, Oliver, Swilling, Askew, Kerr, and Carpenter (not to mention Walton and King!). We've got some potential game changers at LB (Charlie Thomas and maybe BJS), although I'd like to see us get a few more this cycle. DL will probably be fine, although I'm a little less sure of this group.

While I would've like to see CAM on staff, I'm guessing in a little while when the new staff is on board I'll be satisfied. I would say that CAM probably is the top recruiter in TN in the country. We've seemed to get who we want out of there and have even beat TN for a few of them. Nashville and Memphis are 2 pretty good recruiting areas now a days.

I remembered PJ keeping Giff right after i posted and that wasn't surprising, see as Giff was on PJ's staff at Southern.

 

[85Escape]

Weird seeing so much chicken littleing going on in this thread.

We’ll be fine without any of the current staff.

Straw man. Trying to demean others buy using derogatory statements like "Chicken Little" says more about you than those you are trying to invalidate. Saying "I think he made a mistake" is not saying "Oh no, we are doomed". It's simply expressing an opinion about the merits of a single decision that was the OP's question. I'm sure we'll be fine. I still think, based on the information I have, that he made a mistake not retaining Mac. In other words, I'd like to be better than "fine." And this isn't a question of can you get a better recruiter than Mac...sure you can. But I seriously doubt he can get seven better recruiters than Mac. Do you?

 

[swampsting]

CGC has said all the right things regarding CPJ and his legacy, but it is clear that he disagrees fundamentally with how a program should be run. I hope CGC is the correct one.

I would like to know what fundamentally CGC might have a problem with. PJ was upfront and honest with recruits and players - which they all have said throughout his 11 years - he got the grad rate up, guys did what they were supposed to do on and off the field and if they didn't, there were consequences. Other than offensive scheme and how they approached recruiting, seems to me that how PJ ran the program is how you would want Tech's program run.
PJ has run an amazingly clean program and managed to get grad rates up. I thought fundamentally that's what he was supposed to do.

For those who think PJ is some fuddy duddy who doesn't listen to the players, I've got two instances from his days at Southern. When he got there, the players asked if they could have their names on the backs of the jerseys. Southern had gone the first 12-13 years of the program without names on the jerseys. PJ said, sure, no problem. It's y'all's team.
Then they asked for blue pants. He said we'll do it and we'll break em out for special occasions, like revenge games or big games.
He also takes time to meet with every player one on one on the roster once the season is done.
I have absolutely no problem with how PJ has run the program as a whole the last 11 years. Sure, I would have loved for us to have won more. But as far as the program itself, getting guys into school and through school and out with degrees, and not having guys get busted like some schools just east of us, what else fundamentally could he have done?

 

[swampsting]

Back to McCollum...

How about Andy Mac for next UTC head coach?

 

[ibeattetris]

I would like to know what fundamentally CGC might have a problem with. PJ was upfront and honest with recruits and players - which they all have said throughout his 11 years - he got the grad rate up, guys did what they were supposed to do on and off the field and if they didn't, there were consequences. Other than offensive scheme and how they approached recruiting, seems to me that how PJ ran the program is how you would want Tech's program run.
PJ has run an amazingly clean program and managed to get grad rates up. I thought fundamentally that's what he was supposed to do.

For those who think PJ is some fuddy duddy who doesn't listen to the players, I've got two instances from his days at Southern. When he got there, the players asked if they could have their names on the backs of the jerseys. Southern had gone the first 12-13 years of the program without names on the jerseys. PJ said, sure, no problem. It's y'all's team.
Then they asked for blue pants. He said we'll do it and we'll break em out for special occasions, like revenge games or big games.
He also takes time to meet with every player one on one on the roster once the season is done.
I have absolutely no problem with how PJ has run the program as a whole the last 11 years. Sure, I would have loved for us to have won more. But as far as the program itself, getting guys into school and through school and out with degrees, and not having guys get busted like some schools just east of us, what else fundamentally could he have done?

I don't disagree with anything you said, but I also don't think this is the appropriate thread to discuss this.

I will say that CGC having a roster sheet from Nick Saban that he follows and then uses to justify us having "roster issues" would be one. I don't personally recall CPJ claiming our roster had issues when he first got here (but I could be wrong). CPJ has always been open about he recruits players he think will win and if you are good enough to play in the NFL you will. CGC has multiple times said they are preparing players for the NFL first and the GT degree is there to fall back on. The message is the same, but the approach to me is very different and is being sold different.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

I respect Coach Collins for wanting to start with a clean slate. It's his show and he gets to pick the cast. Coach Mac is a great guy but has not been a great position coach. When you are trying to change the culture it is best to make a clean break from what was so you can get to what will be quicker. The fundamental qualities of a strong program have been in place for a long time we just need to achieve a level of consistency and performance that will take us to the next level. Hopefully, Collins is the man to get that done.

Go Jackets!

 

[MikeJacket1967]

Back to McCollum...

How about Andy Mac for next UTC head coach?

Andy Mac would be a great hire by Chattanooga

 

[swarmer]

I don't disagree with anything you said, but I also don't think this is the appropriate thread to discuss this.

I will say that CGC having a roster sheet from Nick Saban that he follows and then uses to justify us having "roster issues" would be one. I don't personally recall CPJ claiming our roster had issues when he first got here (but I could be wrong). CPJ has always been open about he recruits players he think will win and if you are good enough to play in the NFL you will. CGC has multiple times said they are preparing players for the NFL first and the GT degree is there to fall back on. The message is the same, but the approach to me is very different and is being sold different.

CPJ made a few snarky comments about the “the previous guy” in 08 including the roster composition, namely the OL. He also wrote off all the high end talent and thought we would be better over time with more depth instead of “a handful of good players”