Ted Roof hired as Tech coordinator
Ted Roof, once a Georgia Tech star linebacker and later an accomplished assistant, is returning to Tech once more.
Roof has been hired as the Yellow Jackets’ new defensive coordinator as the full-time replacement for Al Groh, fired in October. Roof leaves Penn State, where he had coached one season, for his alma mater.
In his only season at Penn State, the Nittany Lions ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (19.1 points per game), fourth in total defense (356.3 yards per game) and first in sacks (34).
“I’ve known Ted for a long time and I’m excited that he has decided to come back to Georgia Tech,” coach Paul Johnson said in a statement. “He’s one of the most respected football coaches in the nation.”
Roof served as linebackers coach for former Tech coach George O’Leary for one season (1998) and then defensive coordinator for three. He left to become defensive coordinator at Duke in 2002 with the changeover in head coaches. During that time at Tech, he worked with Bill O’Brien, now Penn State’s head coach.
He later became Duke’s head coach 2004-07, getting fired after a 1-11 season. He was coordinator at Minnesota for one season, then coordinated the defense at Auburn 2009-11, helping the Tigers to the 2010 national championship. He left Auburn to become coordinator at Central Florida for O’Leary, but left shortly after for Penn State.
Roof used a 4-3 defense at Penn State. He said last August that “the main core is I want us to be aggressive. I want us to play fast. I want us to be physical.”
In 2009, while at Auburn, he described his philosophy as using 4-3 some of the time.
“We’re pretty multiple in what we do,” he said. “You have to have a system that’s adaptable to different types of people — especially if you’re coming into a new situation. It’s one thing if you’ve been at a place several years and you recruit to a specific system. It’s another thing when you come in, you’re new and you have a system that’s broad enough and diverse enough to handle whatever personnel. This league, you don’t trick people. You have to out-hit people. There won’t be much tricking going on.”
With the departure of interim coordinator/secondary coach Charles Kelly for Florida State, Johnson still has one more opening on his staff to fill.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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355 comments Add your comment
Pelican
January 9th, 2013
6:31 pm
Yea…The return of the “Leaky Roof D”. Maybe he’ll get a shot at the HC job when CPJ is canned. He lost his last shot when O’Leary walked. I’m sure Duke, Auburn and UCF will give great endorsements.
black watch
January 9th, 2013
6:32 pm
dAWG dOO — idiots
George O’Leary and Ted Roof coached
GT teams whipped UGA and Jim Donnan almost every year.
McBuzz
January 9th, 2013
6:41 pm
Roof’s “to do” list … 1) get out to your alma mater, Central Gwinnett, & sign that LB that has
given a verbal to Ohio State. 2) Then hire Giff Smith & recruit, recruit, recruit ….
Marietta Buzz
January 9th, 2013
6:41 pm
These trolls should turn their angst toward Obama, public schools, gun control, etc. You know, things that really matter. They probably don’t vote.
O'keefe
January 9th, 2013
6:45 pm
McBuzz I couldn’t agree more. We need good LBs and Smith to recruit.
OldGold1964
January 9th, 2013
6:45 pm
Here’s to the Great Black Watch !!!! Great hire – IMHO. Hope it works out better than some alum hires, but definitely step in right direction and one that will being the faithfull together again. Head job at Duke aside (and i think we all know just how much the hierarchy got behind him), Ted’s various stints as defensive assistants has produced great results. Let’s continue some of that magic at GT.
Side note: good luck to Coach Kelly with your new FSU position.
GT1990
January 9th, 2013
6:48 pm
Better than groh but guys THE D was not good when o’leary was here. WHo was the d cord then?? Not the same guy we just hired is it?? hahahaha CPJ you will be fired after next year!
SoCal_GT_Fan
January 9th, 2013
6:50 pm
Looks to be a great hire. Glad to have you back on the Flats!
So, are we going to hire another assistant coach since Charles Kelly took over for Al Groh when he was fired but no one really replaced Charles Kelly as secondary coach? So we are one assistant coach short compared to what we had in place at the beginning of the season. If we are planning on hiring another assistant, will it be as a secondary coach or a coach for a different position?
now that Giff is availalble
January 9th, 2013
6:50 pm
dear Ken, will you please just contact CPJ and point blank ask him about Giff Smith, let him know there are numerous gt fans and bloggers that want him back as recruiter…
Dear Ted, just keep it simple like they did against USC Trojans…
OkieDawg
January 9th, 2013
6:52 pm
An Auburn University reject…great hire.
ramblingbuzz
January 9th, 2013
6:53 pm
You gotta admit TR has a ton of coaching experience. And I imagine he and Johnson have had some very in-depth discussions about what needs to happen to the D at GT. Like the fact that he will scrap the 3-4. Sure hopes this works out for Roof, Johnson & GT.
chc4
January 9th, 2013
6:56 pm
This is Roof’s 4th DC job in 13 months. Hilarious.
GT FAN ATL
January 9th, 2013
6:57 pm
FEAR THE BEES……GO GT
Therut
January 9th, 2013
6:59 pm
My daughter’s former boyfriend (Roof) from Central Gwinett is coming home. Hope it works out!
molar roller
January 9th, 2013
7:02 pm
The most important hire CPJ will make. CTR will either resurrect the defense or the whole experiment will go down the tubes. THWG
cewbee
January 9th, 2013
7:04 pm
Awesome! In my hear of hearts Ihad hoped he’d be considered. Kickass! Go Jackets!
George P Burdell
January 9th, 2013
7:05 pm
Man I hope he can teach tackling better than he did last time he was hear. He cost us a Heisman Trophy
Uncle Mike
January 9th, 2013
7:06 pm
Hope it works out, surprised, but hopeful!
West Coast Jacket
January 9th, 2013
7:09 pm
Best thing about this hire is fact that he always played with passion. If he can get the D to play that way as well he will be an improvement.
Rico
January 9th, 2013
7:10 pm
Awful and disappointing hire for sure. Friegen had to score 35 pts per game to cover up the horrible defenses until Roof. I really am shocked at this hire. Coach Johnson probably just made his last hire.
Tokyo jacket
January 9th, 2013
7:10 pm
Ken, any word on how hiring CTR will affect the rest of the defensive staff? I’m guessing with CPJ’s penchant for offense and CTR having been a head coach in the past, I have to assume that he will have total control over the defense. Knowing that, would he want Groh’s staff?
Now that Giff is available has a good point. A lot of us really want to know how and if CPJ plans on directly addressing recruiting. I have to think Roof still has contacts as he’s only been out of the are a little while. But, will he be allowed the finances to build a staff that will be better than the previous one?
Full Metal Jacket
January 9th, 2013
7:14 pm
Welcome back and best of luck to Coach Roof. Let’s’ hope that he and Johnson get along. Coach Wommack was a good DC, and has done well at Ole Miss this year. Coach Groh was a gamble because of having two strong-minded head coaches working together. Roof will be a really good one for recruiting and coaching, and when CPJ is gone, he’d likely make a good canddate for HC.
Tokyo jacket
January 9th, 2013
7:16 pm
@ George P – my friend Joe Hamilton not being able to lead us to a score on four tries from the UNC 1 yard line cost us a Heisman. That said, 22 of 25 for 385 yards with 4 passing TDs and a rushing TD against FSU’s national championship team was pretty impressive.
Full Metal Jacket
January 9th, 2013
7:17 pm
I agree that this hire may well determine CPJ’s future as Tech’s HC. He’s basically 0-2 in hiring DC’s so far.
Asst DC
January 9th, 2013
7:17 pm
Go get Giff for D line coach, asst coach and head recruiter. That would make to D better.
RAMBLE ON!!!
January 9th, 2013
7:19 pm
I hate this hire.
This is Ted’s first time getting a job, where he wasn’t fired previously in a looooooooooong time!
HE COST JOE HAMILTON THE HEISMAN HIS SR. YEAR, BECAUSE THE DEFENSE COULDN’T STOP ANYBODY!!!
We went 8-3 and should have won every game. PERIOD!
Hello, does anybody remember 1999!?!
THEY WERE TERRIBLE, I MEAN TERRIBLE!!!
Man, this really has taken the wind out of my sail. I’d much rather have Kelly.
RAMBLE ON!!!
January 9th, 2013
7:21 pm
Looks like George P Burdell beat me to the punch.
Hate it, hate it, hate it!
Asst DC
January 9th, 2013
7:21 pm
Ramble on ramble on
Charlie Bee
January 9th, 2013
7:23 pm
It doesn’t matter who we get as a coach. We can’t get the top recruits because we have a higher academic standard for our athletes.
Island Jacket
January 9th, 2013
7:23 pm
Nice Hire…. Welcome Back Ted…
Graphite
January 9th, 2013
7:24 pm
Love to see something worked out so Tech could open with BAMA this year. We would see what a great hire it is. The Granning-Holt thing is in the past,so step up Techsters and play with the big boys.The SEC hasn’t been the same since ya’ll tucked tail and ran off.. ….RollOn…
RAMBLE ON!!!
January 9th, 2013
7:24 pm
Tokyo.
you are talking about Shawn Jones. 1990
Ike
January 9th, 2013
7:25 pm
This will put the last nail in CPJ”s coffin. It’s over. Seems I remember his last years at tech were not good. Last year at AU not good. Handwriting was on the wall left for CF. NOT A GOOD HIRE!
ice eater 1969
January 9th, 2013
7:25 pm
what a good hire. All the read – keep good position now break on the ball defense of the last 4 years is gone. It made no sense with a TO to rest the other teams defense while we bend but dont break – till we go to the break break defense in the third quarter. We should put pressure on the QB by sending 5 minimum each down. The offense need possessions! Now we will have a defense to match our offense – sure we will lose to good passing teams and teams with good defense – but we will also have a chance at some big upsets. With and agressive defense we can recurit some 4-5 star kids that want to show thier talents – what a mistake the GRO_OLD defense was by CPJ! This could be the start of a major turn around too = with some PISTOL and even some BAYLOR OFFENSE the TO could be fun on the FLATS. Wish i lived near by! GO jackets
Full Metal Jacket
January 9th, 2013
7:27 pm
Giff Smith may be the most popular coach of the last decade at Tech. He was an effective recruiter and has a solid resume, but I don’t know if Tech has the money or position to lure him back now that they’ve hired Roof. And given his proximity to CPJ through Ga. Southern and Tech I gather there is some personality conflict or adversity between the two of them.
Drew Miller
January 9th, 2013
7:28 pm
I think it’s great. His name is recognized in the area, so it will help recruiting. I hope he brings fire with him and Johnson tells him to turn it up a notch. I can’t wait.
YouBet
January 9th, 2013
7:28 pm
LOVE THE HIRE!!!
cw
January 9th, 2013
7:31 pm
I would think that Coach Roof is a different and hopefully much better coach than his last stint as DC at Tech. I too remember Roof as a player and one of Tech’s all-time greats, but the defenses under Roof and O’Leary were not very good. This is a safe hire for Coach Johnson as Ted Roof is a “big” name to Tech fans and comes from two bigger football schools, Penn State and Auburn. I know he is leaving Penn State on a fairly high note, but Auburn fans all but ran him off just a year after their national title.
I know the 3-4 experiment has not gone well at Tech, but switching back to a 4-3 potentially means two or three years of additional transition and defensive confusion. Tech and Coach Johnson need the defense to really step up next year, no excuses.
Techster
January 9th, 2013
7:34 pm
Dare we hope for the return of a Black Watch-esque defense? Roof was a pretty nasty, physical player in his day and, hopefully, he can get that same effort and attitude from his side of the ball.
ToccoaDawg
January 9th, 2013
7:40 pm
Good hire, Now if Tech only had a HC to go with the D Coordinator. No reason for some many instate guys going out of state. Georgia can’t take them all. And don’t give me all those excuses, O’liary won at Tech. It can and SHOULD be done at TEch. No reason Tech can’t compete for the ACC EVERY year.
GT1990
January 9th, 2013
7:40 pm
If Roof was so good? Why was he fired at AU with all the talent down there????????? HELLO JOHNSON!!!!!!!!!!
Paul in NH
January 9th, 2013
7:40 pm
Please tell me this is a joke
GT1990
January 9th, 2013
7:43 pm
The only the JOKE is CPJ!
lance manion
January 9th, 2013
7:43 pm
Great hire! Congratulatons Coach Roof!
GT1990
January 9th, 2013
7:45 pm
How in the H3ll can this be a GREAT hire??????????????????????????????? Hiring KIRBY SMART WOULD BE A GREAT HIRE!
56dog
January 9th, 2013
7:46 pm
who cares you need players to win .
Iluvnutella
January 9th, 2013
7:46 pm
Can he recruit?
RAMBLE ON!!!
January 9th, 2013
7:51 pm
Hell, Let’s fire Gregory and hire Paul Phewitt back again.
Uncle Mike
January 9th, 2013
7:52 pm
Bottom line is CPJ wants to release the DC to someone who can Handle it…looking forward to a NC IN 14 or 15…Old School aint that bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Biff Pocoroba
January 9th, 2013
7:55 pm
PJ gets mad when people way he doesn’t care about defense and then he hires a washed up old man run out of Virginia and then replaces him with a guy who coached some of the worst defenses in Tech history. Roof was horrible at Auburn and got run out of town. He has been job hopping around since then trying to move before people see how bad his coaching is once he gets his own players in. With a tougher schedule, new QB, and retread Roof leading the D, we are looking at 3-9 next year and no money to buy out PJ.