North Carolina Hires New DC - Geoff Collins

[Northeast Stinger]

Miss State in 2013 &2014. Ranked 16th and 15th.

That 2014 defense that struck fear in the hearts of the Tech faithful

 

[4shotB]

I believe even as a DC he inherited good defenses everywhere he's gone. He gets a lot of credit for Florida and Miss State, but they already had good players and defenses when he came on. Someone can research it and correct me if I'm wrong (and I very well could be...I just have zero desire to research it), but it seem Collins just had to make sure he kept the train on the tracks when he took over as conductor.

This is why the UNC DC job was, on the surface, a smart job for him to take. An underperforming defense that got the previous guy fired but seemingly recruits well and with good athletes. This is a good simulation to find out what he is or is not as a DC. the jury is NOT out on him as a HC to be clear.

 

[stinger78]

That 2014 defense that struck fear in the hearts of the Tech faithful

That TFG was handed the ability to dismantle that system is one of the more egregious actions in my lifetime relative to CFB.

 

[Towaliga]

That 2014 defense that struck fear in the hearts of the Tech faithful

It took him 5 years from then, but he was finally able to bring GT to a screeching halt.

 

[LargeFO]

I had to chuckle on a clip where it was "we are gonna create mayhem and chaos". Felt like watching Groundhog Day.

 

[stinger78]

I had to chuckle on a clip where it was "we are gonna create mayhem and chaos". Felt like watching Groundhog Day.

Worthless w/o the video…

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

That 2014 defense that struck fear in the hearts of the Tech faithful

Finished 15th in DFEI that year. But let's be honest. not many defenses were stopping the 2014 Tech offense (#2 OFEI).

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Finished 15th in DFEI that year. But let's be honest. not many defenses were stopping the 2014 Tech offense (#2 OFEI).

My question is about recruits and building the program. Didn’t Manny Diaz put a lot of that together before he got a bigger job and didn’t Miss St use co-DCs for an extended period as they were putting the system together? I think Collins only had the defense to himself 2 years but multiple hands were involved in building it prior to that.

To Collins’ credit he didn’t crash the system when he took over. And, I’m ok being wrong if Collins surprises us at UNC. As one of our mods said, it will be a good test case. He will need to be there longer than his usual tenure to get accurate data but if Brown leaves before then the new coach may want his own DC.

 

[CuseJacket]

Trigger warning

 

[Oakland]

He will need to be there longer than his usual tenure to get accurate data but if Brown leaves before then the new coach may want his own DC.

If you want to scare the heck out of UNC fans, mention he is the HC coach in waiting.

 

[CrackerJacket]

The UNC game may now run a credible second to COFH on the GT fanbase’s hate meter. You know GoofusGeoff will troll us on social media, classless chump that he is. CBK won’t say much in return, but he will have our guys meaned up and steamed up to let their play do the talking. I look forward to the splendidly excessive violence.

 

[Techster]

Miss State in 2013 &2014. Ranked 16th and 15th.

F it...let's go down that rabbit hole.

In 2011 and 2012, Collins was CO-DC with Chris Wilson. 2011, MSU's DFEI was #20, and 2012 it was 37. MSU's defense was not bad at all, and you can make the argument that once Collins was the sole DC, MSU did take a step forward during the two seasons Collins was the DC there. You can also make the argument that MSU's defense also matured in the 2-3 years from 2011 to 2013/2014 and benefitted from SAs maturing and becoming familiar with scheme. I'll give Collins the benefit of doubt here.

In 2015 and 2016, Collins was the DC at UF. During that time, Collins's DFEI was #15 and #8, respectively. In the 2 seasons before that (under another Head Coach...Will Muschamp), UF's DFEI was #3 in 2014 and #5 in 2013. UF's defense was ELITE in the two seasons that preceded Collins and UF's new head coach Jim McElwain and they did inherit a lot of defensive talent from Muschamp.

Collins is definitely entering into uncharted territory for his career. He'll inherit a defense that does have talent (UNC's overall talent on the roster is ranked #3 in the ACC, #17 nationally...but that will change due to graduation, transfer portal, etc.) but came in at #77 DFEI this season. We'll see how it goes for him.

 

[jgtengineer]

Trigger warning

No HS coach is going to tell a major college to kick rocks.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

My question is about recruits and building the program. Didn’t Manny Diaz put a lot of that together before he got a bigger job and didn’t Miss St use co-DCs for an extended period as they were putting the system together? I think Collins only had the defense to himself 2 years but multiple hands were involved in building it prior to that.

To Collins’ credit he didn’t crash the system when he took over. And, I’m ok being wrong if Collins surprises us at UNC. As one of our mods said, it will be a good test case. He will need to be there longer than his usual tenure to get accurate data but if Brown leaves before then the new coach may want his own DC.

Collins was Co-DC and was credited as a recruiter. Even now, people who question his coaching acumen don't really question his recruiting ability. He actually improved over the two years prior.

I doubt he ever gets a HC shot again at FBS unless he rehabs completely at a FCS/G5 school for more than a few years, but I wouldn't be shocked at all if he remains a better than average DC. UNC isn't the job I would have taken given the potentially shaky situation with Mack Brown, but he will definitely have talent to work with.

 

[Techwood Relict]

UNC's defense hasn't been great for a while. TPO has the biggest defensive transition in college football history ahead of him.

 

[slugboy]

Trigger warning

Hair today, gone tomorrow

 

[Techster]

Trigger warning

Good to see Dwyer bounce back from what happened with Pittsburgh Steelers. He's coaching at his HS alma mater it looks like.

 

[LargeFO]

Good to see Dwyer bounce back from what happened with Pittsburgh Steelers. He's coaching at his HS alma mater it looks like.

Yea he was mentioning a few of kids (I think last year) on twitter to the staff. (Kell)

 

[Techster]

Collins was Co-DC and was credited as a recruiter. Even now, people who question his coaching acumen don't really question his recruiting ability. He actually improved over the two years prior.

I doubt he ever gets a HC shot again at FBS unless he rehabs completely at a FCS/G5 school for more than a few years, but I wouldn't be shocked at all if he remains a better than average DC. UNC isn't the job I would have taken given the potentially shaky situation with Mack Brown, but he will definitely have talent to work with.

I get that GT fans want to bash Collins, but he can coach defense. Yes, he was the beneficiary of some good fortune at previous DC stops, but you still have to be able to coach ball to have the teams play at those levels. Now, the question we'll see him answer at UNC is whether he can take a below average defense and turn them into a respectable defense. If he takes that #77 ranked defense and turns them into a top 30-40 defense he'll have done a good job.

 

[Towaliga]

Trigger warning

I noticed that it looks like it was Mo* that insisted on taking the selfie, then he probably told Dwyer , “Here, I’ll send you the picture and I’ll help you put it on X, and say this while you’re doing it.” D looks like he’s thinking “How long do I have to hold this smile? Just take the fricking picture already!”