Paul Johnson's job

IronJacket7

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,544
2016.PNG
 

4shotB

Helluva Engineer
Retired Staff
Messages
4,634
I don't think Bud Peterson would regard the GTAA as a critical hire. It's something to be tolerated. Just my opinion.


Then I think we are in agreement with the fact that athletics aren't important to the school and this is the very root cause of the issues we discuss here... things, good or bad, always start at the top of an organization and never in the middle. If I were a FB coach, GT would not be a place that I would want to coach at nor would it be a place that I would mind being fired from. It's indifference that is killing the program....not the last 7-8 coaches we have had, most of whom were/are good coaches.
 

g0lftime

Helluva Engineer
Messages
5,472
I am going to tell Peterson next time I have a chance that my endowment will come after we win at least 9 games in FB. I have the utmost respect for my school and how it helped mold me into a successful career but I fear GT is slowly becoming a bottom feeder in FB and BB. There is no single reason for the athletic decline we are witnessing in FB and BB, but things need to change and while $ is one factor, it is not the only reason. For example, paying PJ another $1M per year won't change a thing. Paying assistant coaches more would help but only if he hires different people which is probably unlikely anyway. Everyone still points to 2014 but for several key turnovers by our opponents, we would have lost 4 games that we won (VT, GS, Clemson, and UGA. We got into a bowl game one year with a losing record. We have consistently recruited in the middle to bottom half of our own conference so should we expect to out-coach every team in the conference? If we are able to up spending, then it should be on increasing the recruiting budget and if that doesn't work. then change coaches.
 

tech_wreck47

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,670
I am going to tell Peterson next time I have a chance that my endowment will come after we win at least 9 games in FB. I have the utmost respect for my school and how it helped mold me into a successful career but I fear GT is slowly becoming a bottom feeder in FB and BB. There is no single reason for the athletic decline we are witnessing in FB and BB, but things need to change and while $ is one factor, it is not the only reason. For example, paying PJ another $1M per year won't change a thing. Paying assistant coaches more would help but only if he hires different people which is probably unlikely anyway. Everyone still points to 2014 but for several key turnovers by our opponents, we would have lost 4 games that we won (VT, GS, Clemson, and UGA. We got into a bowl game one year with a losing record. We have consistently recruited in the middle to bottom half of our own conference so should we expect to out-coach every team in the conference? If we are able to up spending, then it should be on increasing the recruiting budget and if that doesn't work. then change coaches.
I know you aren't talking about football much in this post but you used teams that we as well had key turnovers in or we could have beat them worse lol, it's just part of football. Remember the TD UGA ran back after JET had been stood up on the goal line? That should have been blown dead and remember the pump fake fumble by JET late in the game? That's a two score difference right there. And I'm not so sure we would have lost to Clemson or GSU maybe VT, but that's the only one I can say could have beaten us.
 

Longestday

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
2,856
OK, lets look at the Georgia Tech program from 1967 to today, I will list the coaches, their records, and top 3 years and AP Rankings ( since that is what you used) and we can see were Coach Paul Johnson falls on the list.... I will use the following source: http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/georgia-tech/

1967-1971
Coach Bud Carson
27-27
Best Season 1970
9-3, final ranking 13 and won Sun Bowl
Second Best Season 2005
6-6, final ranking unranked and lost Peach Bowl
Third Best Season 2004
4-6, final ranking unranked, no bowl

1972-1973
Coach Bill Fulcher
13-10-1
Best Season 1972
7-4-1, final ranking 20 and won Liberty Bowl
Second Best Season 1973
5-6, final ranking unranked and No Bowl
Third Best Season N/A

1974-1979
Coach Pepper Rodgers
34-31-2
Best Season 1978
7-5, final ranking unranked and lost Peach Bowl
Second Best Season 1975
7-4, final ranking unranked and no Bowl
Third Best Season 1977
6-5, final rankingUnranked and no bowl

1980-1986
Coach Bill Curry
31-43-4
Best Season 1985
9-2-1, final ranking 19 and won Hall of Fame Bowl
Second Best Season 1984
6-4-1, final ranking unranked and No Bowl
Third Best Season 1982
6-5, final ranking unranked and No Bowl

1987-1991
Coach Bobby Ross
31-21-1
Best Season 1990 (Coaches Poll #1 not AP)//Atlantic Coast Conference football champions
11-0-1, final ranking 2 and won Citrus Bowl
Second Best Season 1991
8-5, final ranking unranked and won Aloha Bowl
Third Best Season 1989
7-4, final ranking unranked and No Bowl

1992-1994
Coach Bill Lewis
11-19
Best Season 1992
5-6, final ranking unranked and No Bowl
Second Best Season 1993
5-6, final ranking unranked and No Bowl
Third Best Season 1994
1-7, final ranking unranked NoBowl

1994-2001
Coach George O'leary
52-33
Best Season 1998 Atlantic Coast C0-Conference football champions (11-0 FSU gets the BCS bid)
10-2, final ranking 9 and won Gator Bowl
Second Best Season 2000
9-3, final ranking 17 and lost Peach Bowl
Third Best Season 2004
8-4, final ranking 20 and lost Gator Bowl

2002-2007
Coach Chan Gailey
44-32
Best Season 2006 -- Lost to Wake Forest in ACC Championship Game
9-5, final ranking unranked and lost Gator Bowl
Second Best Season 2005
7-5, final ranking unranked and lost Emerald Bowl
Third Best Season 2004
7-5, final ranking 8 and won Champs Sports Bowl

2008-Present
Coach Paul Johnson
65-46
Best Season 2014 -- Lost to FSU in ACC Championship Game
11-3, final ranking 8 and won Orange Bowl
Second Best Season 2009 -- Atlantic Coast Conference football champions (NCAA later vacated)
11-3, final ranking 13 and lost Orange Bowl
Third Best Season 2008
9-4, final ranking 22 and lost Peach Bowl


Call me Crazy but it would appear that Coach Paul Johnson can hold his own on this list, and throw in the College APR mandate that some on the list did not have to follow and the NCAA probation thru June 13, 2017 and the fact that some recruits have not worked out like Travis Custis and Myles Autry. Along with the fact that high school players who considers college nothing more than "the NFL minor league" are looking for the easiest route to that ultimate goal, the NFL, are not going to wrestle with the academic rigors at GT. Coach Paul Johnson has been great for GT.

I do understand that people want a 9-10 win season every year, however we are not a football factory and whoever coaches at Georgia Tech will have to be willing to coach and recruit at a disavantage to other football factories in the Southeast. It is what it is!!

I love when people look at the whole record. That is a very non-emotional way to examine records. The only thing the above skipped is APR, which would add an exclamation point to the data. I would agree that 3 seasons at 3 and 9 would be a bad trend, but we are not there.
 

jandrews

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
275
I'm not a historian but records don't mean much unless you take into perspective the level of competition. The ACC now is a lot tougher than it was just a couple years ago.
 

grandpa jacket

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
610
Yea everyone., I asked a simple question and people keep actin like we're competing with the top teams. When I say competing I don't mean lost by a few points or a couple touchdowns I mean beating some if not all of the top teams on our schedule. By competing I don't mean beating Florida state on a final play that was an awesome play. I don't mean having a great season and then losing to all of the top teams on our schedule. And no I'm not sayin I'm expecting us to be with Alabama or Ohio state or one of those teams right now. I mean gettin out there with the top teams in our conference and beating them or if we lose it's not by much and we played our *** off. I'm a loyal tech fan and by being truly a fan I'm tired of us losing to the top teams in our conference. And tired of us not being a top 25 team. It's time to be a team that starts the year in the top 25 and finishes the year in the top 25. It's time we get national respect.
I can see where you are coming from, lets not let the program come to the point where we look at the schedule and take for granted we will lose to UGAG, Mia,VT and Clemson. We can have those expectations with almost any coach, that is why a change does not scare me. As far as National respect, we are losing respect in our own backyard, the state of Ga.
 

Ibeeballin

Im a 3*
Messages
6,047
Interesting info here from someone within the program:

1. I completely agree with the fact that GT should be better than they are, but it's not something you can put completely on coach Johnson.

2. I think you have to look at how the landscape of college football has changed since he's come in. Between the years of 2005-2008 let's say who was really running college football. Alabama was trash, Clemson was a 7-5 program, VT was trash, UNC was trash, Duke was horrible, Auburn was trash and Tennessee was 7-5. That leaves the schools out west like USC, Cal, maybe Texas around that time. The only real schools running the south then was FSU, maybe Miami, and UGA. What I'm saying is that evened the playing field as far as recruiting goes somewhat. Now you have all those schools coming into the southeast especially Atlanta to recruit the cream of the crop. So when you're a 16-18 year old kid making that decision, you aren't necessarily thinking 40 years down the road which gets into his comments about having what the other schools have.

3. Everything that has happened to help GT in recruiting for the past 6 years Johnson did on his own. Went personally to the donor that built the indoor and asked him for the money. He wrote a check, after that the administration told Johnson he could no longer go directly to donors for donations, it had to go through proper channels. Johnson disobeyed and went to another donor to have the locker room redone, after they had the blueprints done the donor promised to double whatever money was raised. Johnson put up 1 million of his own money for the project. Donor died 3 days later. Have you seen clemson's new football facility? Their Nike uniforms? Their stadium sold out playing against South Carolina State? Everything about the teams GT recruits against is better. And kids see that.

4. Also there is no help from the school in terms of getting recruits. The NCAA has the cost of attendance checks that they give to the student athletes and it factors in things that the kids have to do in order to go to school there (travel, clothing, electronics etc.) GT's almost 2x as low as everybody else that we also recruit against. We both played with guys that came from nothing that were ballers. Dogs. And if I'm a college coach at Tennessee and I come in and say you'll get a check for 3500 every semester that is your money, and then I coach at GT and say you'll get a check for 1500 every semester, but in 40 years you'll be a millionaire. Some kids get it, but majority take that upfront money.

5. I think it would be interesting to see what Pj could do with full support. If he has an even playing field and still loses then he's gotta go. But can't expect him to win in chess if he's playing with checkers.
 

VolJacket

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
480
I don't think Bud Peterson would regard the GTAA as a critical hire. It's something to be tolerated. Just my opinion.
I wish GT would bring back the management major they used to have in the 1980s-1990s. It would help the football and basketball programs in recruiting.
 

stech81

Helluva Engineer
Messages
8,726
Location
Woodstock Georgia
Interesting info here from someone within the program:

1. I completely agree with the fact that GT should be better than they are, but it's not something you can put completely on coach Johnson.

2. I think you have to look at how the landscape of college football has changed since he's come in. Between the years of 2005-2008 let's say who was really running college football. Alabama was trash, Clemson was a 7-5 program, VT was trash, UNC was trash, Duke was horrible, Auburn was trash and Tennessee was 7-5. That leaves the schools out west like USC, Cal, maybe Texas around that time. The only real schools running the south then was FSU, maybe Miami, and UGA. What I'm saying is that evened the playing field as far as recruiting goes somewhat. Now you have all those schools coming into the southeast especially Atlanta to recruit the cream of the crop. So when you're a 16-18 year old kid making that decision, you aren't necessarily thinking 40 years down the road which gets into his comments about having what the other schools have.

3. Everything that has happened to help GT in recruiting for the past 6 years Johnson did on his own. Went personally to the donor that built the indoor and asked him for the money. He wrote a check, after that the administration told Johnson he could no longer go directly to donors for donations, it had to go through proper channels. Johnson disobeyed and went to another donor to have the locker room redone, after they had the blueprints done the donor promised to double whatever money was raised. Johnson put up 1 million of his own money for the project. Donor died 3 days later. Have you seen clemson's new football facility? Their Nike uniforms? Their stadium sold out playing against South Carolina State? Everything about the teams GT recruits against is better. And kids see that.

4. Also there is no help from the school in terms of getting recruits. The NCAA has the cost of attendance checks that they give to the student athletes and it factors in things that the kids have to do in order to go to school there (travel, clothing, electronics etc.) GT's almost 2x as low as everybody else that we also recruit against. We both played with guys that came from nothing that were ballers. Dogs. And if I'm a college coach at Tennessee and I come in and say you'll get a check for 3500 every semester that is your money, and then I coach at GT and say you'll get a check for 1500 every semester, but in 40 years you'll be a millionaire. Some kids get it, but majority take that upfront money.

5. I think it would be interesting to see what Pj could do with full support. If he has an even playing field and still loses then he's gotta go. But can't expect him to win in chess if he's playing with checkers.
Please put this where everyone can see it and it won't get lost. Thanks.
 

Rock

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
615
Interesting info here from someone within the program:

1. I completely agree with the fact that GT should be better than they are, but it's not something you can put completely on coach Johnson.

2. I think you have to look at how the landscape of college football has changed since he's come in. Between the years of 2005-2008 let's say who was really running college football. Alabama was trash, Clemson was a 7-5 program, VT was trash, UNC was trash, Duke was horrible, Auburn was trash and Tennessee was 7-5. That leaves the schools out west like USC, Cal, maybe Texas around that time. The only real schools running the south then was FSU, maybe Miami, and UGA. What I'm saying is that evened the playing field as far as recruiting goes somewhat. Now you have all those schools coming into the southeast especially Atlanta to recruit the cream of the crop. So when you're a 16-18 year old kid making that decision, you aren't necessarily thinking 40 years down the road which gets into his comments about having what the other schools have.

3. Everything that has happened to help GT in recruiting for the past 6 years Johnson did on his own. Went personally to the donor that built the indoor and asked him for the money. He wrote a check, after that the administration told Johnson he could no longer go directly to donors for donations, it had to go through proper channels. Johnson disobeyed and went to another donor to have the locker room redone, after they had the blueprints done the donor promised to double whatever money was raised. Johnson put up 1 million of his own money for the project. Donor died 3 days later. Have you seen clemson's new football facility? Their Nike uniforms? Their stadium sold out playing against South Carolina State? Everything about the teams GT recruits against is better. And kids see that.

4. Also there is no help from the school in terms of getting recruits. The NCAA has the cost of attendance checks that they give to the student athletes and it factors in things that the kids have to do in order to go to school there (travel, clothing, electronics etc.) GT's almost 2x as low as everybody else that we also recruit against. We both played with guys that came from nothing that were ballers. Dogs. And if I'm a college coach at Tennessee and I come in and say you'll get a check for 3500 every semester that is your money, and then I coach at GT and say you'll get a check for 1500 every semester, but in 40 years you'll be a millionaire. Some kids get it, but majority take that upfront money.

5. I think it would be interesting to see what Pj could do with full support. If he has an even playing field and still loses then he's gotta go. But can't expect him to win in chess if he's playing with checkers.


You know what kids also see?
The TO offense and think its outdated/HS. I am not saying all of them but a lot.

I know what some of you are thinking but he said it too. They are 16-18 year old kids, they don't see the "magic" (if you will) of the TO. They want to be the center of attention and start right away and be flashy.

Don't agree? Why do we have press conferences for a kid to pick where he is going to college and big to do's? You didn't see that 10-15 years ago.
Times change. CPJ isn't changing and I get that but don't expect big time recruits to play in this O.
Being around HS athletes, they talk about colleges and the O/D they run. It is what it is.
 

CTJacket

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
532
I have seen us go through Fulcher,Rogers,Curry,Ross,Lewis, O'leary, Gailey and Johnson. I am tired of the carousel and lost any type of faith in the "fire the coach and roll the dice" approach. I don't want to see CPJ fired to appease the vocal minority. I want the new AD to identify and remove obstacles that have hampered our head coaches. And I want him to communicate these things to the GT community.(Yes, Ross delivered a NC in spite of them but that was the FB equivalent of winning the powerball imo. But I also believe Ross felt that way as well and left because of these systemic issues). I have not lost faith in our coach. I have lost faith that GT is really committed to its athletic programs.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
 

okiemon

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,755
I wish GT would bring back the management major they used to have in the 1980s-1990s. It would help the football and basketball programs in recruiting.
I've been gone a long time. What's the difference between the management major now and the management major then?
 

JStewart2227

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
185
I don't see the offense(even with not getting the big time recruits) being our problem, if we had a better D most years we would average 8 plus wins. Our offense plays well enough in almost every game to win. Take the Pitt game for instance and even the Miami, the offense stepped it up but the the D gave up a 4 play TD. We could just as easily be 5-1 as we are 3-3 imo.
And you may completely right and more than likely CPJ is going to be with us at least next year If not several more years so we need to bring in a better D.C. And if we could maybe demote Roof but still keep him that would be ok. I know we put up points even though there are some games that we can't move the ball example Clemson but maybe we should start with a new D.C. And see if that fixed our problems and go from there
 

VolJacket

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
480
And you may completely right and more than likely CPJ is going to be with us at least next year If not several more years so we need to bring in a better D.C. And if we could maybe demote Roof but still keep him that would be ok. I know we put up points even though there are some games that we can't move the ball example Clemson but maybe we should start with a new D.C. And see if that fixed our problems and go from there
I can't see CPJ being at GT if the Jackets finish 2016 with 5-6 wins and GT wins 5-6 wins in 2017. I would think Paul would be shown the door in December 2017 in that scenario.
 
Top