Reports: Tech coach Spencer out

Georgia Tech co-offensive line coach Todd Spencer is not expected back with the team, according to two media outlets, rivals.com and coachingsearch.com.

“We don’t have an announcement (regarding a change),” associate athletic director Wayne Hogan said Saturday.

If true, the timing is not beneficial. Coaching changes typically occur immediately following the season or after signing day. In the days leading up to signing day, which takes place Wednesday, the last thing a team wants to project to prospects is any sort of change or instability.

Prior to last season, Spencer was reprimanded by the school and suspended for the first game of the season by the NCAA for violating its rules about calls to prospects. Apparently acting under a misunderstanding of the rules, Spencer made 14 calls to prospects that were outside of NCAA boundaries.

Spencer was the recruiting coach assigned to Lanier County High defensive end Junior Gnonkonde, whose scholarship was withdrawn Jan. 20. Lanier County athletic director John White, who is also Gnonkonde’s legal guardian, said he was told it was due to low test scores, which White disputed.

White spoke glowingly of Spencer, saying he was the “No. 1 reason” why Gnonkonde committed and that he would have de-committed were Spencer to lose his job.

Spencer came to Tech with coach Paul Johnson prior to the 2008 season after serving as an assistant at Navy for the previous 11, six with Johnson. He helped the Yellow Jackets’ offensive line produce four of the most productive rushing teams in school history.

190 comments Add your comment

gt4ever

January 29th, 2012
3:13 pm

It will be years before we ever dig out of this mess…..

flagboy?

January 29th, 2012
3:14 pm

size, I won’t argue that losing a coach at this time in the recruiting process isn’t bad. It is. That’s what I’m saying already. Losing one due to moving on/up is bad. Losing one because he got fired for something (whatever reason) isn’t good either.

I’m not sure what we’re discussing to be honest.

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
3:15 pm

flag, I’m sure there’s some kind of negative spin being given firing the one on Friday from USC too. It happens.

flagboy?

January 29th, 2012
3:20 pm

that’s recruiting. it’s what coaches do.

flagboy?

January 29th, 2012
3:23 pm

anyway. I wonder which coach was recruiting the Adams kid. Might open the door a little wider for someone else.

take care.

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
3:24 pm

Unless Spencer was intimately involved in the recruiting of some special players (other than Junior G), it shouldn’t have any impact. Apparently he was involved to some extent with the recruitment of Adams, but Adams made his decision to vist Auburn before this all came out, so I don’t think that was the reason he went. Of course, it might be a reason for him not now to come to Tech, assuming there’s even a spot for him now after making that trip to Auburn.

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
3:26 pm

flag, I think I just answered that question, but I don’t know the level of involvement there, so who knows?
Sounds like you are leaving? Amazingly (LOL), I enjoyed the back and forth with you. Have a good one.

5150 UOAD

January 29th, 2012
3:27 pm

SUPER S keeping up the Fight. LOL
I am still working on the F-14A Supersize.

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
3:41 pm

UOAD, I would say get a life, but that’s probably a better way to spend your time than the way I generally spend mine. LOL

5150 UOAD

January 29th, 2012
3:55 pm

I have really enjoyed finding my youth making models again. i have to do MORE work on some cause the nephew isn’t ready to do these more difficult ones. We hung the AH-61, B-24 and soon the F-14 from his bedroom ceiling at my mom’s his grand mom’s house. He does the Hotrod car models.

buzzyb

January 29th, 2012
3:55 pm

Coach Spencer was a class act and a great coach who will truly be missed. Best of luck to him!

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
3:58 pm

UOAD, that’s cool. I did a wooden model of the Cutty Sark many years ago. That was hard as hell. I still have it in a prominent place of display in my house. I would never try something like that again though.

5150 UOAD

January 29th, 2012
4:08 pm

Super S Hahahhaha. I was HUG HUGE into models until college. I did lead military figures. I made battle scene Dioramas. I made 1/12 scale Taima F-1 Race cars with over 1000 parts. I loved it and it really made me love WWII history.

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
4:09 pm

VERY COOL, UOAD

Paul Hewitt

January 29th, 2012
4:16 pm

To all the fans that ran me off: “Miss me yet”????? HAHAHAHAHAHA

Paul Hewitt

January 29th, 2012
4:23 pm

Hmmm Tech is 8-12 (1-5) without me and George Mason (my new team) is 18-5 (10-1). Yeah I guess I don’t miss you either. Thanks for the buyout money.

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
4:26 pm

Wait till you get your own talent in there and then get back to us. You did well with somebody else’s talent at Tech too, but when you got your own, you did NOTHING !!!!!

Paul Hewitt

January 29th, 2012
4:31 pm

We will see how the new guy does against North Carolina tonight. At least I’m 3-0 in my last three games against them.

Supersize that order, mutt

January 29th, 2012
4:34 pm

Since you didn’t leave him with any talent, it’s a wonder he’s won any at all. But he did win an ACC road game, which you seldom did, and he beat UGA in Athens, which you NEVER did.

Paul Hewitt

January 29th, 2012
4:39 pm

The talent I recruited was too good, which is why they all left me after 1 year to go make money in the NBA. I took this team the furthest they will ever go in the tournament. Do you know how hard it is to get people to come play at Tech? Congrats to the new guy for winning in Athens. That doesn’t happen very much in football or basketball. Again I beat a top 15 UNC team on the road, and this guy beats NC State and you’re using that against me. I’ll shut up after I see how he does tonight. I’m guessing a 75-52 victory for the Tar Heels.

Big Ol Stinger

January 29th, 2012
5:06 pm

Doesn’t really matter how they do tonight Paul. You left the program in shambles and you’re an embarrasment to your profession. You should have left with a shred of decency when you had the chance.

I’m just glad you’re not on the sidelines with your face in your hands night after night. Running out of TO’s with 5 minutes to play, not able to inbound the ball, the worst free throw shooting teams I’ve ever seen, no recognizable offense. Nope, I’m just glad you’re long gone Paul. Tech will recover, but not this year.

You must see a thief every time you look in the mirror. Even at your worst though, you’re better than Jim Harrick.

Old Blind Dawg.

January 29th, 2012
7:13 pm

Is it fact that Spencer was fired? I may have missed it but I don’t recall seeing the word fired attached to him leaving.

Hey 5150 – you build models huh? Are you any good at it? I need to find a very good model builder to build me a replica of the machine I flew in VN.

Old Blind Dawg.

January 29th, 2012
8:50 pm

Yeah I saw it and have commented on several of the blogs – AJC needs to clean up what is becoming a cesspool.

What about your model building?

5150 UOAD

January 29th, 2012
8:54 pm

OBD I am at a friends tonight now. I finished the PRE painting on the Rockets . Thanks for understanding. I am an AZZ but I do MOST of it in fun.

Old Blind Dawg.

January 29th, 2012
9:01 pm

You have a friend – really :-)

You ever build a UH-1

big gt fan

January 29th, 2012
9:07 pm

If there is shortage at db then move Zeon or Bostic to db they should have quickness and speed plus toughness to handle it

5150 UOAD

January 29th, 2012
9:40 pm

OBD a UH-61 Bell Huey Air CAV work horse. Did it Black with posperesent(?) colors to make it Glow in the dark on parts of the interior. It hangs over my nephew’s bed and a BIG RED 1 G.I.Joe(real one) with full Parachute as part of his SKY WAR.

5150 UOAD

January 29th, 2012
9:48 pm

Stand up
Hook up
Shuffle to the door
57 Rangers headed out the Door
Grease gun
K-bar
45 these are the weapons
I live by
If I die on the ole Drop zone
Box me up and ship me Home.

WnE

January 29th, 2012
10:05 pm

re:
big gt fan
January 29th, 2012
9:07 pm
If there is shortage at db then move Zeon or Bostic to db they should have quickness and speed plus toughness to handle it
__________________

Xenon is 5-6 170lbs. soaking wet and Bostic is 5-10 170lbs. soaking wet, and Bostic hates contact which is why he stopped getting PT during his Freshman yr., he hated contact and refused to block.

If I were an OC and saw either of those 2-guys lined up at CB, I’d run toss-sweeps all day and would make sure that I pulled an OG on the play also.

When you Recruit too many undersized A-Backs that can’t play any other position, it hurts your team’s depth at important positions like OL & DL & WR.

Old Blind Dawg.

January 29th, 2012
10:13 pm

Phosphorescent ?

Old Tech Fan

January 29th, 2012
10:27 pm

Junior G committed to North Carolina. What the heck with gradesBS????

Old Blind Dawg.

January 29th, 2012
11:10 pm

I know I was offering a little help. I was taught speeling in college.

I read it – AJC needs to ban him / her along with a few others.

[...] school told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they “don’t have an announcement” to make regarding Spencer’s status.  Spencer is still listed on Tech’s official [...]

Larry Robertson

January 30th, 2012
8:46 am

If you don’t have an official announcement, why do you publish such information. No one wants to read in the fish wrapper prior to their dismissal that they are about to be canned. Stories like this are counterproductive to Georgia Tech, Coach Spencer, Coach Johnson, and the AJC. This IS a gossip column. Way to go Ken!!!!

UO5150

January 30th, 2012
3:41 pm

I think I’ll trade in my GT football tickets for a sick horse, then shoot the horse.

BG

January 30th, 2012
3:48 pm

Why would a Coach want to stay at Tech?

big nose "Buzz" is aka "RAT Capybara"

January 30th, 2012
6:47 pm

Spencer’s out, Gnonkonde’s out, Will from Sandy Creek might go to Auburn, another recruit left for Miami today. I guess they all are getting wise to “Buzz” representing the Baby Jackets only.

Freddie Blassie

January 31st, 2012
10:05 am

DRad is a good AD and Johnson is a great coach. Tech Administration has always been tough on athletes. Most Tech profs are pencilnecks.
A football player missed a weekly psychology quiz at Tech because he was in the hospital for knee surgery. Prof says: “You don’t have to play football and if you weren’t playing football, you would not have been hurt. Therefore, you get a zero.”
Player flunked the course.
GTAA never let another jock take a course from this prof, but it is indicative or the administrative pushback when it comes to helping athletes.

porthole

February 1st, 2012
3:29 pm

This is the last year i will get season tickets, if these silly staff mistakes don’t stop.

ole yeller

February 4th, 2012
11:36 pm

Ken, LAST POST WAS THE 1ST. Milked this enough yet? Are you taking lessons from Bradley??