Tech is close to a deal with Groh to coach its defense

Georgia Tech is close to an agreement with former Virginia head coach Al Groh to become the Yellow Jackets’ defensive coordinator, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. Tech coach Paul Johnson and Groh have discussed the position and plan to meet again, possibly before the weekend is out.

Asked if he and Groh were indeed close to an agreement, Johnson said Saturday: “No. Not really. I don’t know how this [talk of Groh] got started.”

Johnson attended Tech’s basketball game  Saturday — the Jackets upset No. 5 Duke at Alexander Memorial Coliseum — and responded to the question at halftime.

Final agreement would likely come only after Johnson and Groh meet face to face.

Tech announced Friday that Dave Wommack, who served as Johnson’s defensive coordinator his two seasons here, would not be retained. Rumors had already begun to swirl about Groh, who was fired after eight seasons at Virginia, being in line as a replacement. Groh has been a defensive coordinator in the NFL.

279 comments Add your comment

8-1 in the last 9 games

January 10th, 2010
10:46 am

Your new d-coordinator lost to William and Mary and went 3-9. Our new D-Coordinator won Assistant Coach of the year and a National Championship.

BUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[...] Georgia Formally Offers Kirby Smart Al Groh close to being GT new DC. Tech is close to a deal with Groh to coach its defense | Mark Bradley __________________ I miss my dad everyday and every minute. (4-27-1947 to 10-10-2005). Please [...]

ChuyDawg

January 10th, 2010
11:12 am

Look fellows as much as I dislike Tech you have to give some credit to CPJ for pulling the trigger on what was obviously the weakest link on the team. Go to a major bowl and rather than being satisfied with your team overall, he fires the DC who was not getting the job done. This is something that CMR has been hesitant to do while at UGA and it has hurt us. CWM should have been gone 2 years ago. Again kudos to CPJ for striving to make his team better, but honestly there are better candidates out there for the taking. But what do I know. Go Dawgs.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

January 10th, 2010
11:18 am

I’ve looked at the resumes of Smart and Groh as defensive coordinators….not as head coaches. No comparison. You could write a book on what Groh has accomplished and who he has coached under….Smart couldn’t fill a chapter of reading material. Alabama’s D won’t skip a beat as long as Saban is head coach and keeps his hands on the defense. Groh isn’t/won’t be the head coach and anyone who followed UVA knows it was the short comings of their offense that caused UVA to faulter.

McG

January 10th, 2010
11:20 am

You guys! It’s a miracle! My 68 year old mom sent her first text message! “UKA SKCKJ” to you too, Ma!

Homer L Ferguson

January 10th, 2010
11:22 am

GT fan, you do not want any part of Al Groh. He isn’t personable, he can’t make decisions, and he won’t accept a subordinate role, despite what he’ll say. He is only in this to keep his power base to help his walking popcorn fart of a son (Mike, who never succeeded in any of his assignments at UVA) get back into coaching, after being relegated to a GA role with Nick Saban. Groh gets a lot of credit for being a genius with LB’s, but come on! How hard was it to make LT look like a star? It should tell you something that Bill Parcells isn’t trying to get Al Groh to take his open LB coach job.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

January 10th, 2010
11:25 am

You apparently don’t follow NFL football blogs very closely…Parcells has been reported to have already contacted Groh about the LB coaching position.

G

January 10th, 2010
11:31 am

For those spouting off commentary about the statistical ranking of UVA’s defense – go check out where their OFFENSE was ranked last year and you will know why the defense was not ranked higher. You can’t have 20 3 and outs during the course of a game and NOT have your defense be tired. As much as I disliked the final years of Groh, the bottom line is that as his own defensive coordinator his defenses were excellent – but because his offenses were so bad it put too much pressure on the defense. With the quintuple option GT runs and with the ball control offense, people SHOULD be scared of GT if they get Groh. And this from a non-GT fan.

Nesbittch

January 10th, 2010
11:33 am

hopefully he’ll be able to hold the dawgs to less 339 rushing yards….
(30-24)
(73-66)
(24-14)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!

YJ

January 10th, 2010
11:37 am

If Groh is so great why couldn’t he win at UVA? We need new young blood not a retread.

Taking table scraps and KEEN CHOICES for DHC

January 10th, 2010
12:10 pm

The reason that CPJ took maybe 3 minutes to “offer Groh” is because he was DUMPED from about two teams in The League AND VA. See? He is a scrap on the trash pile of coaching. Not one, OTHER TEAM wanted him. He is frankly Willie Martinez II. HAHAHAHAHA

IF KS goes to UGA he has decided that he CAN make a difference. He is current assist coach of the year of the SEC/NC team and having won the coveted Broyles award,etc. His phone has been busy. Groh’s? Same as W Martinez’s phone.

CPJ is desperate to win now because he knows that Tech’s HISTORIC coaching clock is ticking …………. tick tock, tick tock. They come and go at The Flats every 4.5 years and he is entering his third year. Gulp ………he will either quit soon or be fired. Likely, he will move on to a major school like Elon College, Samford or maybe even that powerhouse Furman. HAHAHAHAHA

History can be hard to digest went it offers an incovenient truth. 4.5 years is the average tenure at tech for football coaches. HAHAHAHAHA 30-24, 1-8 and 4-15 and two MAJOR BOWLS in 43 years.

KS AND a BAND OF WINNERS will complement the GOOD STUFF already at UGA. With a solid SEC caliber D ……………….tech and others will pay a price. HAHAHAHAHA

UGA ’s WORST TEAM in 20 years physically WHUPPED tech’s best in 20 years. HAHAHAHA

Dywer vs Iowa and UGA in the first half had maybe 14 yds. HAHAHAHAHAHA

Tech's NC in 90?

January 10th, 2010
12:21 pm

Tech was the NC in 90 and the AJC, Macon Telegraph and even the Columbus Journal said so.

In those days I travled all over the USA and in Denver, COlorado was the NC that year and In Chicago, ND was. In Miami the Hurricanes were declared NC by boht the NY Times and the MIami Herald. See? That year of 1990 NC was truly the “mythical” NC. HAHAHAHAHA

Tech won it with about 3 or 4 schools and in the Korean War, when most men in the uSA were off fighting OBama’s COMMIE pals.

Gooooooooooooooooo Dogs.

macrotech

January 10th, 2010
12:54 pm

Tenuta isn’t coming back….though, his attack ‘D’, partnered with the methodical CPJ ‘O’ would make for some fun football!!! Tenuta’s ‘D’, while making it tough for quarterbacks to get comfortable, also made for some big plays in favor of our opponents. Tenuta wants to be a head coach….left when that wasn’t going to happen at Tech. He’s not coming back. Grogh? Not sure…..guess we’ll find out soon enough! GO TECH!!!!

macrotech

January 10th, 2010
12:58 pm

Taking table scraps and KEEN CHOICES for DHC, how’s that DC search going over there in athens? You mutts been looking for a while, now….AMAZING, that noone is chomping at the bit!

Tech’s NC in 1990?, hate all you want…..Tech has 4 NCs and uga has 2….denial is an ugly thing!

UGA Sux

January 10th, 2010
2:21 pm

What a pathetic program. Nobody wants to go to UGA…just pathetic….

ga tech sucks

January 10th, 2010
2:36 pm

Officially, gat tech is leading the nation in one stat, amazingly, and that is having the biggest bug lips in all of college football. When the camera is on your QB all you can see is a stupid bee on the side of a helmet and massive lips. there is no racial slur involved in the fact that ga tech has one thing, and one thing only going for it, huge lips. rock on!! roll tide!!!!

UGA Sux

January 10th, 2010
3:16 pm

Hey “ga tech sucks” ….UGA will see those lips running over their arse in Athens in 10 months!!!

McG

January 10th, 2010
3:29 pm

Gas station clerk asked if I was a Bulldog fan. When I said “No,” he looked at me like I shot his dog. I mean, I DID, but still. 
(3-4, 3-4, ready, *break*)

McG

January 10th, 2010
3:53 pm

BTW, your mom has big lips.

GT? That stands for G un T oters

January 10th, 2010
4:01 pm

I expect that GT will ask the NBA thug Crittendon to bring his pistol to graduation and address the proud 2010 graduates.What do REAL TECH fans think of this? I do not want to hear from teen thugs with no job and no education that plink, plink, plink all day at home on mom’s PC eating HUGE BAGS of chips and sipping Urange soft drinks. By the way …………OBAMA will TAX all the over weight slobs that live this way with his new HC tax and spend bill.

Kirby will be in place SOON and the 5 stars will be standing in line. We are knee deep with them anyway over in Athens. Groh? Used car he is. Washed up and over the hill and fired twice.

Go Dogs.

Dawg bloggers and CPJ and his mouth

January 10th, 2010
4:14 pm

The only reason that UGA folks come to the web is to read what the techers are saying about their messiah, CPJ. He is a mouth and is a fool. That “slap them in their face” comment about UGA was gasoline on the camp fire. Now? We look forward to watching him and seeing his fat face when players um, ah, like Caleb and Wahuan and Chapas and Muzenmeir and IOWA BLOW PAST HIM.

The famous 4th down drop of D Thomas and how that might have been the game. Rontavious Wooten did drop a pass right in his hands and he was FULL STRIDE at the tech 35 or 40 and would have made the score, then in the mid second qtr about 21-0. See? Wooten’s drop WAS A TD but baybays?? That was nothing ……..in fact, the next play Dwyer could have fumbled or Nesbitt fumble or toss a quick 6 pic.

The other tech TD was just from a lousy tackle like we did in 08. Take about 4 missed tackles in the last two tech games and UGA wins them both BADLY> As it turned out we won the last one and that made it 8-1 over the last few years.

UGA will never, ever respect CPJ and his fat mouth or Tech. SEC is simply ……..BIG BOY football and the ACC is well, um, ah a girl’s league. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Cop cars, blue lights, sirens etc @ The Flats

January 10th, 2010
4:21 pm

When an APD squad car roars past GF@HBDS, I heard that safety # 37 heads for the basement to get lost and outta sight. Is that true?

If true, um ah ………why??? Can anyone fill me in on this???

Oh yeah, how are my men J Hamilton and R. Houston doing? Have they gotten out yet???

Gooooooooooooooooo Dogs. Sic em !!! 1-8, 4-15 and yes, 30-24 and the Urange Bowl had 34,000 fans

Go Dogs.

McG

January 10th, 2010
4:52 pm

Great news! I’m at the Animal Shelter and guess who I found? You can take down those LOST MOM signs now. THWG.

Jackette

January 10th, 2010
5:30 pm

Mark Bradley, nothing against Al Groh, his DC stats are decent but I wince at his head coaching stats, yuck..losing to Wm and Mary….disagree with you calling Tenuta overrated…Tenuta won at Miami in 2005 and held Canes scoreless in 2nd half, thus the demise of Coker… and also won again in 2007 as well as winning in Blacksburg too. That is not an easy thing to accomplish. GT needed an offense to go with that defense. Do not know if Tenuta was not offered a chance to stay on or left because GT did not offer him the head coaching position, but overall Tenuta did a good job.

Kentucky Joe

January 10th, 2010
6:41 pm

Hahahaha we own you!!!!

34-27
76-68

LOL
KENTUCKY runs this state

Ekim

January 10th, 2010
7:00 pm

I’d agree with “Settle Down’s” point and take it further: I can pull for anyone I want, not because I graduated there, or went there, or pay taxes that support a school…. but simply because I want to. No laws against that. Yet.

Ekim

January 10th, 2010
7:07 pm

You UGA fans REALLY are looking for a rally point — something to hang your hat on — if you’re STILL going after the “… get thick skin or punch them in the face comment.” No one who bothered to listen, or knew the context of the statement, could possibly be offended. He was poking fun at Tech fans as much as anything else.
In 100 or so games, there’s MUCH for both sides to pick on. But this isn’t it.
And it’s gotten tired, because it never deserved the legs it had to begin with.

[...] the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Georgia Tech is close to hiring longtime Bill Parcells’ assistant Al [...]

[...] We’d have to credit Tech for running the smoother search. (This falls under the heading of “Duh!”) The Jackets dumped Dave Wommack last Friday and landed a new man within eight days, which put Paul Johnson five-plus weeks ahead of Mark Richt. As was reported in this space last week, PJ locked in on Groh from the start. [...]