5 reasons Paul Johnson isn’t going to Notre Dame
1. He’s a little too much like Charlie Weis. Meaning: He’s blunt, and he can’t be coached in the gentle art of public relations. That works in Atlanta, where there’s one daily newspaper, but might not in South Bend, where the college team is covered by the Chicago papers in addition to the South Bend folks. Notre Dame is going to want a charmer this time around, someone who can schmooze with Regis about the big game. PJ has never heard of Reege, let alone Kelly.
2. Notre Dame isn’t just a program; it’s a TV show. Meaning: Appearances matter. NBC might not be thrilled about the prospects of airing a team that runs the football 83 percent of the time. (Understand: I admire Johnson’s offense. But I’m not a network programmer.)
3. Notre Dame cares about recruiting rankings. Johnson famously does not. The subway alumni wouldn’t like it if their adopted team didn’t show up in Rivals’ top 10. (Understand: I’m with Johnson on this one, too. Recruiting rankings are overblown — ask Mark Richt — but I don’t contribute to anyone’s program.)
4. He’s happy at Georgia Tech. In two years Johnson has become not just a hero but something approaching a legend. If the final fourth-down gamble against Wake Forest had failed, he wouldn’t have been second-guessed one bit. Because Tech people love PJ, and Dan Radakovich is about to put yet another bumped-up dollar figure on that love. And Johnson doesn’t want to live in South Bend. He’s a Southern guy who has a nice spread in Vinings — “Inside the Perimeter,” he always takes pains to say — and doesn’t even have to take an Interstate to work.
5. Notre Dame once hired a coach from Tech. The perfect union, right? A feisty Irishman coaching the Fighting Irish. It lasted 3 1/2 days. Even Cher and Gregg Allman made it past a week.
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577 comments Add your comment
GT71
November 18th, 2009
6:59 am
Good thinking, Mark. Just one thing – it’s ‘CPJ’, not just ‘PJ’.
JustaThought
November 18th, 2009
6:59 am
I don’t have a dog (no pun intended) in this fight between Tech and UGA, but I bet there will be a lot of crow being served the Sunday after Thanksgiving………..and I wonder what “excuses” will be used then?
Flip
November 18th, 2009
6:59 am
Urban Meyer will be coach at Notre Dame.
Trembling chihuahua
November 18th, 2009
7:02 am
waiting – any place where work goes on is probably awful to you. You sound like a k2 student with that lttle tantrum. Get ready for a beatdown November 28th! IT’s COMING, trailer trash!
TheAntiMe
November 18th, 2009
7:04 am
Notre Dame football is so last millennium.
Georgiadawg70
November 18th, 2009
7:06 am
Mr. Every thing I said about the Tech program is objective and accurate. None of the players were recruited by top tier schools. Thomas was recruited by S.C. which I don’t consider a top tier school. The stadium holds 55,000. lt was not sold out for the VA Tech game which was the biggest home game at the time. Big stadiums and venues is what attracts top athelets. There is scientific evidence that confirms that. PJ is one of the best coaches in the country. Good coachs don’t stat at Tech very long. Bobby Ross, O’leary, even the guy at Ga. State. I can’t remember his name but he was a Tech alum. Big time coaches gravitate to big time programs. Tech hasn’t been one since Bobby Dodd and most likely never will untill all of the alums that were alive when Dodd was there is dead and a new group will make the necessary chages.
Trembling chihuahua
November 18th, 2009
7:09 am
Sanford Stadium – on Saturdays, the IQ of Clarke County plummets to retardation levels. And, I’ve never seen a more disgraceful massive amount of garbage piled everywhere. What you have here is no class, no upbringing and no intelligence.
Georgiadawg70
November 18th, 2009
7:09 am
I just remembered Bill Curry left Tech for Alabama.
Jacket!
November 18th, 2009
7:11 am
What about the shared NAT CHAMP in 1990. Ya’ll keep running down a program that beat you last year and will do it again this year.
Mutt H8r
November 18th, 2009
7:15 am
Gravy Choo Choo
If that bitter drivel is all you can contribute to this conversation, please go back to the mutt boards and lick your …………………………….
Voice of Reason
November 18th, 2009
7:18 am
I really don’t think Notre Dame has that cache any longer. Most of the better football players are coming from the south these days, instead of the industrial towns of the northeast. These southern boys don’t want to go freeze there tails off and eat hoagies and fish on Friday. The pendulum is swinging. Look at Michigan. Ohio State. If I were a good player that was highly recruited, I would keep my choices right along the border, from California and right around the horm to the east.
B. Dodd
November 18th, 2009
7:18 am
I think Charlie Weis would be a good fit as Georgey’s defensive coordinator.
Georgiadawg70
November 18th, 2009
7:19 am
Dear Trembel The SAT scores for the top 1000 freshmen at both schools are the same. Georgias average is some lower but they amit 4000 and Tech admits 1000. When you compare apples to apples they are they same. When you talk about the fans it is the state school and attracts all kinds. Also the opposing teams brings thousands of fans. When the Auburn fans arrive the leave snuff cans, chitlin wrappers and Ripple wine bottles everywhere and the school cannot control that. The main problem with the trash in that the school has restriced tailgateing to such a small area it concentrates all the people in such a small space there is not enought facilities. 100,000 plus fans make alot of trash. There alot of fans who can’t get tickets who come and tailgate and watch the game on portable TV. This has nothing to do with the quality of the program.
SatchelBuzz
November 18th, 2009
7:21 am
CPJ isn’t going anywhere,….why would he? He is right where he wants to be and can accomplish his goals at Tech. Great fit in a great setting. People like Mike Bell and John Kincade are complete morons–suggesting that he’s likely to leave for “greener” pastures. He’s going to make their pitiful lives even more miserable as he guides our program to national forefront. It’s truly a great day to be a ‘Jacket.
THWG!!!
Georgiadawg70
November 18th, 2009
7:21 am
B. Dodd, Georgia needs a new one but I don’t think Charlie is cut out for the colloge game. He would be better off in the NFL.
B. Dodd
November 18th, 2009
7:23 am
Georgiadawg70: Why do you hate me? You’re too young to remember the a$$ whippings I use to administer to my bitch Wally Butts. Give me some slack!
Georgiadawg70
November 18th, 2009
7:24 am
Satchel, Techs record of retainin good coaches indicates otherwise Bobby Ross won a National Title, somewhat, and the next year he was gone. Is anything different now?
need2fish
November 18th, 2009
7:24 am
“Tech hasn’t been one since Bobby Dodd and most likely never will untill all of the alums that were alive when Dodd was there is dead and a new group will make the necessary chages”.
Hey Georgiadawg70……stay tuned T-day weekend – I think you’ll see the first necessary change.
LET THE BIG DAWG EAT!
November 18th, 2009
7:25 am
Reason #6 They do not want to run a high school offense.
WTH
November 18th, 2009
7:30 am
Georgiadawg70,
Keep worrying about those recruiting rankings, it helped UGA a lot this year. By the way, UGA did recruit Dwyer and Stephen Hill so I guess that your statement about none of GT’s players being recruited by a top tier program is false. Wait, maybe I am wrong, maybe you don’t consider UGA a top tier program.
Another thing, so what I here you saying about the trash is that if there is no trash can available, you can just throw your trash anywhere. The civilized thing to do would be to take it somewhere and throw it away. You are right, the trash says nothing about the quality of the program, but it does say something about the quality of the fan.
Quality has nothing to do with quantity.
Tom
November 18th, 2009
7:31 am
Oh please – I actually read someone say “Notre Dame still has a coach?”
Jabba the Weis is history at South Bend and everybody knows it. Before the season, the ND AD basically came out and said it was BCS bowl or bust. Now that ND is 6-4 with a good shot at going 6-6, it’s all over but the crying.
Give me a break. That said, I don’t think Paul Johnson is going to ND either. Don’t underestimate the importance of #5 on Bradley’s list. It may seem a bit like a gag, but perception at ND is huge and they don’t want the “they went back to Georgia Tech AGAIN” chatter.
Bank Walker, Texas Ranger
November 18th, 2009
7:32 am
67th
Paddy
November 18th, 2009
7:33 am
Gravy Train… Tech is boder-line boing. You must not watch much football. They can and do score from anywhere on the field. They can also mount a 10 min drive that all coaches dream about. They are fun to watch! Go Dawgs Hope CPJ goes to ND or anywhere else we don’t have to play them.
Proud Cracker
November 18th, 2009
7:35 am
Eating Dawg – that high school offense dropped 400+ yards rushing on your pups last year and will probably go over 500 on the 28th. You losers kill me!
Sautee Dawg
November 18th, 2009
7:38 am
Mark
Why do you continue to take jabs at Mark Richt? Every artictle you’ve wrote lately has had some kind of jab at UGA either CMR or CWM. Your line about recruiting— “Ask Mark Richt”
What does CPJ and Notre Dame’s interest in him have to do with CMR? Getting kinda old Mark.
Coach Mark Richt is currently the Dean of the SEC coaching. He’s kept his job longer in the toughest conference in the country, not only that his winning percentage is above 80% during his 9 years in Athens. Not but 3 or 4 coaches in the country with a better record.
Go back Mark and read your atricles the week after the Miami vs Tech game, want to really get a laugh go back and read some of the blogs that week.
You and all the writers at the AJC have already punched Ga Tech’s ticket to the Orange Bowl and havent won the ACC title yet. Remember the last time that happened Wake Forest won the ACC.
Go ahead and get your Ticket to the Orange Bowl Mark, you may be watching Clemson vs Cinncinatti.
DawgInDC
November 18th, 2009
7:39 am
a legend mark? LOL..the guy is in his second season and all of a sudden he is Bobby Bowden…gimme a break..lets see what excuses you’ll have for him when he loses to the Dawgs this year
Trembling Chihuahua
November 18th, 2009
7:39 am
Dawg 70 – I’ve never said a disparaging remark about the program. Georgia has a fine football program. It’s those 10’s of thousands of retards that Walmarted their way into fandom.
gojackets
November 18th, 2009
7:39 am
I don’t think money is a huge deal with CPJ. Auburn offered him a LOT of money (almost TWICE what we were paying him at the time) at the end of last year and he turned them down.
GA Tech Insider
November 18th, 2009
7:40 am
Mark. here are a few more “bullet points” for your list:
Paul Johnson promised his wife and daughter when he took the GA Tech job that he wouldn’t even consider moving until his daughter graduated, and that will be several years from now. If the Notre Dame job does come available, I highly doubt the University would be willing to wait that long to field a football program.
Paul Johnson doesn’t like politics, he’s a football coach. Paul Johnson is no dummy – he can see that Notre Dame has turned into a black hole for football coaching careers. You go there with high expectations and demands and you have no home life year round because Notre Dame football is a year long commitment because of the location of the University and the fact that they consider themselves to be “America’s College Football Team”. Coach Johnson would be expected to travel across country year-round, being away from his family, making speeches, etc., being the face of Notre Dame football. While Paul lives and breathes football, he also realizes his need for family balance at the end of the season as he’s a dedicated family man.
Someone else touched on this earlier, but I’ll make another point of it; Paul Johnson has roots in the south. He, and his wife, are from the south (obviously, as is his daughter), so virtually all of their family is from the south so they get to visit easily during holidays, or when they want to come to town (believe it or not, Atlanta is a nice destination for their relatives).
Also, because Coach Johnson has extensive familiarity with the area, he already has an extensive, and well respected, network of high school school coaches in the southeast, particularly right here in the state of Georgia. They are already familiar with his style of offense, and there is already a “pipeline” of players poised for him to recruit right here. As GA Tech’s program is going well, and Paul, and his coaching staff sit down in a recruit’s living room with his parents, talking about the program, he knows he’ll have a player that fits his mold right in front of him, and a player who is well aware of his program because of the massive amount of the press generated in the press here in the state of Georgia.
Paul Johnson, also knew that he has the legacy of the former GA Tech coaches that he could build on; John Heisman, who has an award named after him given to the most Outstanding Player in College Football every season, Bobby Dodd, who has an award named after him given to the National Coach of the year every season, and even Frank Broyles, former Head Coach of Arkansas, who has was an assistant coach at GA Tech under Bobby Dodd, and who has an award named after him given to the National Assistant Coach of the Year every season. Quick, name a few PROMINENT Notre Dame Coaches (should we consider Lou Holtz “prominent”?). Knute Rockne is probably the only one that people can think of in the collegiate ranks as really prominent.
Whether people want to admit it or not, GA Tech has a rich heritage of college football; it rivals anyone else out there, including boasting the oldest on-campus stadium of any BCS program in the country. People don’t look at Fenway Park, in Boston, as a disadvantage to the Red Sox, but as something everyone should embrace. Has anyone taken the time to think that maybe, just maybe, Paul Johnson has also embraced the fact that HE likes playing in the venue that IS Bobby Dodd Stadium at historic Grant Field?
As long as Coach Johnson is being compensated fairly, being treated with dignity and respect, and being allowed to run his program without having someone trying to dictate to him what he must (or needs/should) do, then I suspect we will be seeing Paul Johnson roaming the sidelines on the GA Tech side of the field for many years to come.
Atl Resident
November 18th, 2009
7:40 am
If I was Johnson, there is no way and all the money wouldnt make me leave Tech and get caught up in the B.S. with the Irish. The issue is trying to get recruits due to academic rules, until that gets fixed, Irish is washed up and will always be no matter who coaches. Its crazy they hire coaches demanding them to win without fixing the main issue first. Why dont these damn georgia fans sucked up to their not so good season and stop crying, blaming and making excuses. Everyone knew before season it was going to be tough. Can’t win them all.
Damon Amateur Hour Evams
November 18th, 2009
7:41 am
Richt is a better fit for what Notre Dame needs.
#1 GT fan
November 18th, 2009
7:42 am
I love coach PJ. I dont want him to leave. I think he will have alot of success here. ( considering the fact GT athletics team needs to have one good team )
Besides ND? who would want to go there?
GO JACKETS!!!!!!!!!
Georgiadawg70
November 18th, 2009
7:46 am
WTH, Georgia is ranked number 32 in the Sagarin ratings. You are right, it is not a top tier school anymore. Tech class rating last year was 22 in the nation so that confirms what I said. People that throw trash are trash and there is no excuse for it. The University will have to deal with it. If I were coach Adams I would make all university closed to tailgating until it stopped.
Yep
November 18th, 2009
7:46 am
#6 They don’t want him…..
m
November 18th, 2009
7:49 am
Paul Johnson is not going anywhere. He is going to kick arse and not even bother to take names right here in Atlanta. He also loves the annual stomping of the dawgs coming up next week.
Notre Dame would have been a helle of a lot better off with George O’leary that either of these bozos that they have had. O’leary would have put Notre Dame back on the map.
Thanks to God and Greyhound, chan gomer gailey is gone forever. Any Tech fan that ever supported gomer in any way sucks as bad as he does.
F-105 Thunderchief
November 18th, 2009
7:51 am
Oh, I think every heterosexual man has heard of Kelly. But, you’re right, he’s not going to South Bend. I don’t think he’s going anywhere for awhile. But think of the programs that could have pulled the trigger earlier that didn’t and probably now wish they had – Nebraska, Michigan, who else? DRad was the smart one. It’s not the offense, it’s the coach. He’s a darn fine coach. A throwback in the mold of the old time greats.
KG
November 18th, 2009
7:53 am
Georgiadawg 70, give it up. You rednecks haven’t filled your stadium the entire year. Lie as much as you would like but it’s true. What’s worse? A stadium that holds 55k and is missing 5k?, or sanford which holds 96k and is missing 20k? Apples to apples? Sounds like morons to morons!
proffish
November 18th, 2009
7:54 am
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa
A mommy with the body of a strippa
Could it be PF isn’t a fan of Cowboy Mouth’s great song?
Blaster
November 18th, 2009
7:54 am
Latest stats from AJC websites: Rushing Yards: GT (aka Highschool Offense) 3511 yards of which Dwyer has 1203; UGA (big bad SEC team) 1384 yards. Receiving yards: Greene (aka:best wide receiver in the country) 751; Thomas (no recognition from media) 950.
jimbob
November 18th, 2009
7:55 am
Money is very important, but CPJ is doing pretty well at Tech. Like others have said: Atlanta>South Bend any day. GT doesn’t require anywhere near the ‘politics’ and schmoozing that ND job would have, GT has a rich football legacy (it’s not like it’s Iowa State or some similar program where people go ‘who?’). Tech fans are not insane like the fans of ND. We expect greatness–but his job won’t be in jeopardy if he loses to UGA.
Now if he loses it year after year, failing to reach potential while winning only 7 games per year, that would be downer.
Overall, GT is a great gig, working for fans (and an institute) that know how to keep things in perspective.
Long live the reign of CPJ at GT!
No "grits" in South Bend
November 18th, 2009
7:57 am
Charlie Weis is an x and o genius in his own mind.
Coach Paul Johnson is a real one
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
waiting moderation
November 18th, 2009
7:58 am
Tech is having another flash in the pan moment. CPJ will leave because Tech Girls are so UGLY.
THE WHOLE TECH FAMILY IS AN UGLY PICTURE OF THE MOST TOXIC CITY and worst technical school IN AMERICA, The Georgia Institute of Insurgency and ugly women. and WHERE in the hell ARE ALL THOSE SMART ENGINEERS AND WHY ARE THEY NOT COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS TO THE AIR QUALITY OF ATLANTA, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL FROM 3rd world countries AND WANT TO KILL THE AMERICANS. CLOSE TECH NOW! before another is mind is wasted on another attempt of upgrading GALAGA. Which could never be improved. bottom line Larry the Looser, Tech Sux, and you really do not give a damn about your school, if you did you would show up at the games during a loosing season. wow! a jam packed 42k in the stands in Atlanta. Tech Sux. My frat boy status is why I am rich and have nothing to do but blog and hang out with killer hott women. Frat boys get laid Larry. That is the mark of a man. Thats what men talk about at deer camp and the bowling alley. Larry the looser. Tech sux!!! Nerd! Nerd! Nerd! Hey Larry internet porn is a close as your going to get to killer hott women who are in the SEC. CPJ is on his way out. This is only another Cinderella year. Larry the limp looser.
Vick=Dog killing thug
November 18th, 2009
7:58 am
Wow GA tech insider. Well written post with a lot of good information. I won’t even joke that it must of been written by a UGA grad. You should consider going to work for the AJC if you would have them?
that said THWGT
Dawg Fan 74
November 18th, 2009
8:00 am
After Georgia steam rolls GT 49-7, he may consider ND.
cbgb
November 18th, 2009
8:03 am
I agree except for the Notre Dame PR slant. I think every ND fan/supporter is looking for a winner and could pretty much care less about the image/Hollywood factor. Regis and Kelly? Nah, I don’t think that’s a part of it at all..
Big Tech Fan for the first time since graduating in 1989.
November 18th, 2009
8:03 am
You know…after our blowout victory over UGA last year, it is a wonder anybody even had college football this season. We should have been crowned greatest football team of all time, ever…removing the need for any other teams to ever take the field again.
Since we were slighted at the very presence of college football this year, our team will play the rest of the season with a chip on their shoulder. We will beat UGA 704 to 6 and engrave the score on rings again. These will be Magic rings that allow our players to see through an animal’s eyes, like the Beastmaster. Things are going so great for us that our fans will post this score on UGA blogs so often the week after the game that UGA football blogs cease to exist entirely…our fans also stop playing Magic the Gathering and World of Warcraft because we become so much better than anyone else that our competitors spontaneously combust.
We’ll take the field in the ACC Championship game wearing the UGA team’s skin for uniforms and beat Clemson so badly that the stadium needs a new scoreboard to put up all the extra digits. Right after the ACC Championship Game, all colleges ranked in the top 75, abruptly shut down their operations; so that they do not have to face us in the National Championship Game.
Why would Johnson want to leave after this kind of success?
F-105 Thunderchief
November 18th, 2009
8:03 am
Actually, last time I was at Tech a couple of years ago, the female hotness factor had really advanced in the 15 years since I’d been there last.
Blaster
November 18th, 2009
8:04 am
waiting moderation: That lobotomy you had apparently didn’t do any good. Maybe you can attack the problem with medications. You do realize you have a problem, don’t you?
Nesbitt for Heisman
November 18th, 2009
8:05 am
UGA better worry about Kentucky instead of putting the
cart before the horse
or
the willy before the bobo.
UGAX
November 18th, 2009
8:05 am
Hate to say it but CPJ is going nowhere. He has a good thing going here in Atlanta, loves the south, and has promised not to leave for a while. Scary thing is that he is winning with Chan’s players right now; can’t imagine how good they will be when he gets his players. Great coaches make adjustments as needed and I’ve never seen anyone make as many good adjustments as Johnson does during the course of a game- especially at halftime. This explains why they completely dominate the second half of games. Our coaches, especially our DC have yet to make any adjustments- either during the game or at halftime. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day on the Flats in a couple of weeks.