Wheels turning for Tech coordinator hiring
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson expects to have a defensive coordinator hired before national signing day Feb. 6. Johnson said he has already begun speaking with candidates about the opening created with the midseason firing of coordinator Al Groh.
“I should know what I’m going to do here in the next couple of weeks when I get through” meeting with candidates, Johnson said. “I just want to be real thorough with it. I’m not going to rush into something and then regret it.”
Johnson told 790 the Zone Thursday that he had three or four candidates that he was committed to talking with before making a decision. Interim coordinator Charles Kelly, who replaced Groh, is a candidate. Tech’s defense finished strongly under Kelly, shutting out Florida State in the second half of the ACC Championship game loss and then holding USC to a touchdown in the Yellow Jackets’ 21-7 Sun Bowl win. Johnson told 790 that he spoke Thursday with Kelly about the position.
“I thought he did a good job,” Johnson said. “I thought all our defensive coaches did a good job.”
Johnson said his plan is for Kelly to remain on staff even if he isn’t made the full-time coordinator. Johnson deflected a question about the budget for the hire. Asked if the budget for the hire would be similar to Groh’s slot ($344,000), Johnson said, “We’ll see. It depends on what we have to do.”
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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75 comments Add your comment
Glad to see, Supersize......
January 7th, 2013
6:09 pm
…that you are back making rationale and well thought out suggestions – I was worried the last couple of weeks with all the negative stuff you were posting about everything…
I agree 100% with both your thoughts about the budget NOT being a consideration in hiring a DC, and that Groh WAS given complete autonomy to do his own thing with the D, which, as we all know now, did not turn out well at all! And, wasn’t he paid about $1mil to coach at Tech, or am I just thinking out loud?
now that Giff is availalble
January 7th, 2013
6:12 pm
Chuck Oliver.Net: ACC, C-USA and SEC college football news, opinion and analysis by a contributor network that spans the South.
CHUCK OLIVER.NET
What’s Next for Georgia Tech? Choose Giff (Smith)
October 3, 2012 | 8:16 PM Comments: Comments Off
By Joseph Wyatt
After a crushing loss like the one Georgia Tech endured last Saturday the Yellow Jacket nation and local media have been taking stock of where the program is, where it should be and whether it can get there under the current management. Calls for the head of Al Groh and now even Paul Johnson have become louder. The same arguments that were made under former athletic director Dave Braine resurface that GT has a limitation and the type of success (or mediocrity as it were) under Chan Gailey is about where this program can expect to be. I’m here to tell you it’s a false premise, drastic changes are not needed and one only needs to do some quick investigation to find where things went off track and what can be done to maximize this program’s potential once again.
Paul Johnson has been as successful a coach in his 5 seasons at GT as anybody not named John Heisman, Bobby Dodd or Bobby Ross. So cutting him loose is an irrational option. But his success has tailed off since the end of the 1st half in Blacksburg in November 2010. You’ll remember that’s the moment Josh Nesbitt’s career ended at GT. That would seem to give credence to the argument that Johnson won with Gailey’s players. However, that ignores the majority of Gailey’s tenure where the program’s mediocrity was only matched by the mediocrity of the players recruited to it. But “what about Calvin Johnson?” you would say. It is well known that Calvin wanted to be an engineer and was from the Atlanta area. So GT had a great chance of getting him regardless of who was coaching there. Well then, “what about Jonathan Dwyer, Roddy Jones, Morgan Burnett, Derrick Morgan, Demaryius Thomas?” you’d say. But I don’t consider that group of players to be Gailey recruits. I’ll come back to this in a moment.
One of the strengths of GT’s defense in recent times was the defensive line. It was not that long ago that GT fielded a defensive line that contained four future NFL players. DE’s Michael Johnson and Derrick Morgan along with DT’s Vance Walker and Daryl Richard were a force. Morgan was the last one left in 2009 and he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. But GT hasn’t developed a difference maker on the defensive line since.
So what do these two things have in common? Giff Smith. Smith was the defensive line coach from 2004-2009. So that all time line I mentioned above, along with All-ACC performers like Eric Henderson, Joe Anoai and Adamm Oliver were coached and developed by Smith. In addition, Smith became the recruiting coordinator for GT in 2006. By his second recruiting season, he brought in the single greatest recruiting class in GT history. Smith had great relationships in the state of Georgia among the high schools and knew how to create a sense of community among the recruits. That’s why I don’t call those guys Gailey’s recruits.
In January 2010, Giff Smith decided to take the defensive line coaching job with the Buffalo Bills, reuniting with Gailey. What event immediately preceded his departure? The hiring of Al Groh as defensive coordinator. I have no idea if Smith was ever interviewed or considered for the job or if he didn’t see himself as a fit to coach DL in a 3-4 scheme. But I do know Smith wants to be a head coach one day. Getting a coordinator job would seem to have been a logical next step for him.
That was the moment GT lost its best recruiter and its best position coach. Who knows maybe the past two years would have been different. Paul Johnson has lifted GT’s offense to as high a level as it has ever been. The offense, for all its built in disadvantages, is one that can continue to succeed in the ACC. So I think he has earned the right to remain head coach here. But wouldn’t it be interesting to see where GT could take its program if they could once again marry Johnson’s offense with Giff Smith’s recruiting and ability to develop NFL quality defensive players? I seem to recall a local team that had some success hiring an NFL defensive line coach, but the team escapes me at this point. Smith worked with Johnson at Georgia Southern, so presumably they have a relationship beyond the two years overlap at GT. In my opinion this is a realistic idea that could reinvigorate the program. We saw what the combination did in 2008-2009. I’d choose Giff.
ignition
January 7th, 2013
6:25 pm
Wow if Kelly has already left, that will for sure hurt recruiting since he was the main recruiter for many of our big recruits.
ignition
January 7th, 2013
6:30 pm
And so it seems Charles Kelly is gone … To FSU no less.. That hurts recruiting.
https://twitter.com/coachingsearch/s…96748295135232
GT Lee
January 7th, 2013
6:42 pm
Here’s the link I found…..
http://www.tomahawknation.com/2013/1/7/3848394/charles-kelly-florida-state-linebacker-coach-fsu-georgia-tech
yeller bug
January 7th, 2013
6:44 pm
Wow—we better have Giff Smith in the bag then. Kelly was our best recruiter…..CPJ better pull a diamond out his arse or he’ll be next to go. Pretty deep analysis above—sounds legit—Giff would be a great grab—hope the money is there.
1 4 GT
January 7th, 2013
6:46 pm
Y’all will pardon me if I wait for an official announcement on any coaching changes before swallowing some trolls post hook, line & sinker!
Real Jacket
January 7th, 2013
6:53 pm
My source said that he will be leaving for FSU on Wednesday. He said GT was dragging their feet and he is getting a good raise and will have a much easier time recruiting. I was hoping that he would get the hire.
Jacket Man
January 7th, 2013
6:53 pm
Giff Smith is one of the worst position coaches available and he only had one really decent class that came on board when he was on campus. In fact, on average Paul Johnson’s classes have been as good as, or better, than those when Giff was the “Recruiting Coordinator” for GA Tech.
As a position coach at Buffalo, he has been blamed for taking two All Pro’s on their defensive line and basically making them irrelevant, which caused the Bill defense to pretty much tank this past season.
Jacket Man
January 7th, 2013
6:57 pm
Kelly isn’t leaving Tech because they were “dragging their feet”…in fact, he was in line to get the DC job. He’s leaving because he wants to be closer to his family in Alabama and he just felt like he’s been at GA Tech too long (he was a holdover from Chan Gailey) and didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into a one-school resume in the event he wants to become a head football coach some day. He’s also a long-time friend of Jimbo.
Tech93
January 7th, 2013
7:01 pm
Does anyone no for sure who Tech is interviewing for DC?
Real Jacket
January 7th, 2013
7:02 pm
I do not think you are correct on that.
ignition
January 7th, 2013
7:20 pm
@ Jacket Man I completely agree with you on Giff Smith, I haven’t seen anything that would suggest to me that he would be a good but, well who are the candidates ??
GTFAN123
January 7th, 2013
7:21 pm
doesn’t look like it will be Kelly, Rivals is reporting he is headed to FSU
GT Librarian
January 7th, 2013
7:23 pm
why not the mich state DC in the recap of their win over TCU I believe it said they won several of their games by 17 points or fewer and won their bowl game by 17-16 pretty good defense if you ask me
GT Librarian
January 7th, 2013
7:31 pm
mich state was 4th in defense and 10th in scoring defense so it might be a good pickup
Tech93
January 7th, 2013
7:33 pm
With the alumni we have that love GT football I believe a few heavy hitters are willing to pony up a couple hundred thousand a year to get a big name DC in here. I don’t know if CPJ would be secure enough for a highly touted DC to get job. Giff Smith is not the answer!
ignition
January 7th, 2013
7:38 pm
I don’t think CPJ cares who is running the defense as long as the defense is good, to his detriment actually. I don’t think Tech has the money to fork over for a big name DC or to steal a DC from a big school like Mich St.
Tech has all the money they need...
January 7th, 2013
7:45 pm
…but why leave a job like Mich State for GT – just seems like a no brainer to stay at Mich State, to me…Big 120 football (big 14?) is way better, financially speaking, than ACC football…
Tokyo jacket
January 7th, 2013
7:58 pm
I think anyone hoping to lure a DC from a BCS conference with money is not living in reality. It’s not just money, it’s situation. I think a lot of DCs would enjoy total ownership of the defense as well as the fact that they will likely only have to play D for 27 minutes per game. But, we don’t have the cache that we used to.
If we can get a guy like Giff Smith, he’s our best bet. Can he recruit? Check. Can he produce a talented D-line? Check. Does he have a connection to the school and CPJ? Check. Remember we don’t need a top 25 D. We need a top 50 D and we can bank 9 wins a year. Defense is much more about Jimmies and Joes than Xs and Os! We need someone to start landing the Jimmies and Joes…and also develop Gotsis, Kallon, Gamble, and Greene. We’ve got some solid D-line talent, we just have to develop it.
Joe
January 7th, 2013
8:00 pm
It’s time to replace heads coach Johnson. Tech backed into the Sun Bowl. Tech continues to be just ok. Time to make a statement. No glory days ,like the Tech teams of bygone days. Don’t care for Johnson’s attitude. Lets win and fill Grant Field with fans.
Tech93
January 7th, 2013
8:01 pm
I’m sorry, but you do need a top 25 defense to compete. Offense wins games but Defense wins championships!
1 4 GT
January 7th, 2013
9:59 pm
If McCarron & Saban return to Bammer next year, Georgie will be a bridesmaid again….if they Murray & Georgie survive their schedule next season. Bammer & Saban has now won 3 out the last 4 BCS trophies. Break ‘em up!
1 4 GT
January 7th, 2013
10:26 pm
After watching one half of the Bama/ND game, I’ll say this for Georgie. They had to have played the best game of their lives in the SECCG to have come as close as they did to winning. If CMR or AM had only been smart enough to spike the ball at the end and get a play set up, maybe………….they overachieved as it was. Bama had this game won after the 1st quarter. T A&M overachieved too! It will take one hell of a team to beat Bama next season too!
Freddie Blassie
January 8th, 2013
12:40 pm
It is rare that in my several years on this planet that I have a good idea, so I offer this incredibly bad idea for Coach Johnson:
hire the tanned and rested Jerry Glanville as defensive coordinator! He’s back in Atlanta, folks.
Glanville was the freshman coach at Georgia Tech “I’d tell ‘em the Regency Hyatt House was the freshman dorm.”
Glanville was a great recruiter: “Georgia Tech has the finest Forestry School in the nation!”
Is Glanville as crazy as a March hare? Definitely!
Would there be constant NCAA scrutiny? Oh yeah!
Would he and CPJ get along? Of course not!
Does Glanville have baggage? Think Cleopatra.
Can he recruit? Can he coach some D? Check and doublecheck!
Would Glanville be a distraction? From what, giving up 40 points a game? It would be a welcome one.
What’s the worst thing that could happen (other than lose eleven games and get the death penalty)?
That’s what I’m talking about.
That would be more fun than smearing Gorgeous George’s mascara down at the old Municipal Auditorium on a Saturday night!