Paul Johnson on Tech’s recruiting: ‘Ask again in three years’
Tech A-back Orwin Smith: A good player, yes, but is he an impact player? (AP photo)
Some folks live to follow recruiting. Paul Johnson, who makes his living in a business tied to recruiting, isn’t among them. Here’s the Georgia Tech coach on the sport-within-a-sport:
“It’s kind of been blown out of proportion a little. Certainly [recruiting] is important, but you’ve got people hanging on every word. I think crowning a guy before he’s played a [collegiate] down is a little premature.”
I know what some of you are saying: Easy for Johnson to claim recruiting isn’t a big deal, but would he feel the same if the Rivals.com rankings were reversed? If Tech’s class were rated the nation’s seventh-best and Georgia’s the 40th-best?
Being Paul Johnson, he would. He’s a pragmatist of the first rank, and a bit of a contrarian. When asked a question, he often begins his response with, “Oh, I don’t know …” or “Not really.” He’s a football lifer who has seen pretty much everything, and one thing he knows is that, in football as in life, things aren’t always what they seem.
Johnson: “We did a study about the ACC, and it showed that more teams teams ranked in the bottom half of the conference in recruiting played in the championship game than those ranked in the top half. And yet you’ve got people ready to cut their wrists [over recruiting].”
Also: “I don’t think anyone really knows how hard a guy is going to work. Some guys have reached their peak; some guys are just scratching the surface. And people talk about ‘impact players’: A very small number of guys are ‘impact players.’ Go back to last year’s [Tech] group, where we had two guys go in the first round. [Receiver Demaryius] Thomas was redshirted as a freshman, and [defensive end] Derrick Morgan didn’t have a great freshman year. But they became playmakers.”
The issue of impact, or the lack thereof, is a Tech hot button. The Jackets plummeted from a 2009 ACC title to an Independence Bowl loss because of an apparent absence of difference-makers. Would Johnson concede that, with the famous 2007 recruiting class assembled by predecessor Chan Gailey all but gone, his program lacks top-end talent? He would not.
“As good a football player as [B-back] Johnny Dwyer was — and he was a great player, the ACC player of the year [in 2008] — he really didn’t play much as a freshman after his first four games. I just think as those kids worked, they got better.”
Gailey’s 2007 class was ranked 19th-best by Rivals, marking the only time Tech has cracked the Top 40 in the past decade. With this class at No. 40, it would seem the Jackets have done well by their standards but not quite as well as they’d have liked. Johnson’s take: “I think it’s going well, but ask me again in three years … It’s like a coach once told me: ‘They all came highly recommended.’ But you don’t know how hard they’re going to work.”
Will work alone be able to lift Tech back above .500? Or has a post-Gailey talent gap developed that Johnson — whose first three recruiting classes were rated 49th, 49th and 43rd by Rivals — has been unable to close?
Johnson: “We’ve got some good young players. We’ve redshirted some offensive linemen. [A-back] Orwin Smith made an impact; he had some big runs. And [outside linebacker] Jeremiah Attaochu had a better freshman year than Derrick Morgan. I don’t know if he’ll be as good as Derrick, but it’s possible he could be. ”
If it wasn’t an diminution of talent that led to 6-7 after 11-3, what was it? “We didn’t turn the ball over as much the year before, and we didn’t lose our quarterback [Joshua Nesbitt] … But you have to make your breaks. We did the year before, like Josh snatching the ball back at Florida State. Anytime something happened last year, it went the other way.”
That said, a coach is paid his million(s) to win games, not say, “Gee whiz.” Paul Johnson is nothing if not a results-oriented guy. But you’ll pardon him if he doesn’t see Signing Day, in this or any year, as a true result.
“You want to judge recruiting?” Johnson said. “How many games did you win? That’s the best bottom line.”
By Mark Bradley
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288 comments Add your comment
WnE
January 31st, 2011
8:59 am
Teflon-CPJ is such a friggin’ liar and hypocrite.
In this article he say “ask me again in 3 years”, but he knows that that is a bullcrap response, in 2008 CPJ himself BENEFITED from Great Recruits that were True-Sophs. when GT beat UGA.y, at the time he boasted how young of team that GT had.
Now that Recruiting is going poorly, he gonna sing a different tune like a HC can’t evaluate a Recruit until 3 yrs. or so, over at Bama they had a slew of True-sophs.that were critical to Bama’s MNC run, buys like Ingram, Julio Jones, T. Richardson was a Tr.Fr. during that season.
CPJ knows that his “ask me in 3 yrs.” comment was complete misleading crap,, but he also knows that most GT fans/alums don’t crapa bout CFB so he can continue to get away with that kind of chicanery when dealing w/GT fans & alums.
Typical Teflon-CPJ, where nothing is ever his fault.
Jesse Stone
January 31st, 2011
9:01 am
Thank you Mark
www
January 31st, 2011
9:09 am
so anthony johnson has gone from the 47th rated running back out of high school (http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/21547/recruiting-rewind) to a featured back at georgia tech who made first team all-ACC in 2010 and won a conference championship in 2009 and now has a solid shot at being drafted into the pros, and this is an indictment by uga fans posing as gt fans of how bad CPJ is?
get real.
www
January 31st, 2011
9:10 am
* i meant anthony allen, of course. anthony johnson maybe be a decent backup pg in the nba but everyone knows he can’t run the ball.
dawgfan
January 31st, 2011
9:12 am
Oh, and LOL @ his comments about the differences between 2009 and 2010. Just a few bounces didn’t go their way. That’s all. If guy’s would just stop turning the ball over and let his brilliant offense work its magic, things would be swell. Nevermind that the defense sucks, special teams suck, and after year 3 the passing game remains a sad pathetic joke. These things are apparently not Johnson’s problem. It makes you wonder what IS Johnson’s problem. He has absolved himself of responsibility for almost everything.
LMAO @ this guy. I hope he stays at Tech for 100 years. Hating this arrogant schmuck is just too much fun.
boog
January 31st, 2011
9:16 am
“a bit of a contrarian”? Ya think?
Bark Madley
January 31st, 2011
9:18 am
I love me some CPJ! He keeps getting better and better every year and the record shows it! He don’t need no stinkin’ recruits. That is for all those SEC losers that luck into the BCS championship every year.
Old Tech Dude
January 31st, 2011
9:23 am
CPJ is a hypocrite. He targets the same 4 & 5 star players that everyone targets. When he can’t sign them he downplays the significance of their ratings. Look at his history – how many CPJ recruits have played at the next level (the true measure of talent)?
CPJ also falls back on the “he didn’t play as a freshman” which is a real cop out. Look at the college football landscape and the number of highly rated kids that didn’t play as freshman. The more drivel I hear from CPJ the more I want him to move on.
GT has reached its zenith under CPJ. Don’t believe me – just give it time. Oh yeah – gotta love his incomprehensible mind set of yanking offers if a kid takes another visit after committing verbally.
dawgfan
January 31st, 2011
9:26 am
Bark Madley, recruiting is not Johnson’s problem. He has no responsibility to evaluate high school talent and reach an opinion on whether or not they can succeed at the next level. That’s not his job as a head coach. Who knows, these guys might fumble when a speedy defensive end reads the pitch well and knocks the living crap out of them. Again, Johnson has no control over whether or not the opposing defense reads his increasingly one dimensional offense like a damn book and blows up the plays that he calls. That is totally not his problem and he has bigger fish to fry.
LMAO.
Go for 2
January 31st, 2011
9:32 am
Mark:
So this was your bail out article b/c the Dawfgs went 0-2 this week in hoops. How come no follow -up commentary on that great UGa basketball story? didn’t you have the Dawgs slated to win the SEC? Did you attend or watch the UK game? It was a 4 pm tip so why bno story on the biggest SEC game of the year?
Jesse Stone
January 31st, 2011
9:40 am
damn!
DScottGT91
January 31st, 2011
9:41 am
I hate the way these teenagers get their perspectives warped by grown men (and women) fawning over them before they have really accomplished anything. Given that the vast majority of them (even the 5*) will never be paid to play, this alternate reality that they exist in for their last few years before college has to be damaging.
Regarding CPJ, I’d like to think that I am a pragmatist. All GT alumns know they are not going to compete with the UGA or the other SEC schools year in and year out for the best recruits, and as such we are not going to knocking on the door of the BCS championship most of the time. That said, CPJ is the 15th – highest paid coach in the country. It is reasonable for us to expect a team that is consistently competitive at a high level, regularly competes for the ACC title, and periodically is discussed in terms of the BCS. If he can’t do that, we are overspending. We can pay fewer $$ to be mediocre.
Mark Bradley
January 31st, 2011
10:02 am
Stylized offense.
Heh, heh.
Delbert D.
January 31st, 2011
10:14 am
Aaron Rodgers didn’t get a Div.1 offer out of high school. He got a scholarship to Cal after attending a local junior college.
Ramblin Man
January 31st, 2011
10:17 am
Um Dawgfan UGA caused one fumble by hitting the a-back in that game and that was off a pitch Washington should not have made and that is a defense figuring out the offense? Did the D just allow the 500+ yards out off pity?
Ramblin Man
January 31st, 2011
10:21 am
I admit I am troubled as a fan in some of the matters involving GT football and feel good about others. I know I would not be bashing another team when mine was struggling just as bad without the recruiting issues GT has. I know I know you play in the SEC and I actually like the fact that UGA does not oversign like most of the others but please explain why soooooo many UGA fans obsess over GT?
dawgforlife
January 31st, 2011
10:24 am
It is being pointed out by TECH fans that UGA’s recruiting success should make it where Tech isn’t even a threat to UGA on the field. They are talking as if TECH is a threat to UGA on the field, and are talking about the lack of success UGA has had since 2002…like six ten win seasons, two conference titles, and number two national ranking, a number three national ranking, Richt has averaged ten wins a year in his tenure, and has lost once in ten years to TECH. So, I say the recruiting has played out about right. TECH isn’t a threat to them on the field.
Whiskey Clear
January 31st, 2011
10:28 am
Let’s be honest, Georgia Tech is never going to get the recruits that Georgia does. And that’s fine, but that being said, it’s not fair to compare these two classes. Before that recruiting class ranked 19th, Gailey’s recruiting classes were ranked similar to those of Johnson’s. I think Johnson is right. It’s not how good the players are when they come in, it’s how hard they work and how much better they get while they’re in school. That’s one thing Gailey struggled with – player development. Reggie Ball was a great athlete, and had the physical ability to be a good quarterback, but he never got better. Johnson will develop his recruits, and Georgia Tech football will be fine.
TechRon
January 31st, 2011
10:29 am
Johnson is just trying to buy time. His recruiting sucks. UGA is beating us by miles. This recruiting season is all good news for UGA and all bad news for Tech. Nobody wants to jump ON a sinking ship, they want to jump OFF.
TommyJack
January 31st, 2011
10:31 am
No dog in this fight. But I guarantee you that if PJ was at GA, there would be no talk of regime change.
GBO
Charlie Strong
January 31st, 2011
11:06 am
Charlie Strong does not recruit kids with the so called GT profile. Period. Sorry. You are dreaming. Go after the Elon College coach or the Millsaps College coach or Citadel’s and then, you are in the realm of reason.
Why would a young, hot coach leave a C+/B- level program where he can build a top 20 team, then leave for the hot latest, greatest job in the SEC?? Hmmm?
Why? The money is in big boy ball.
GO SEC and Go DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGS
www
January 31st, 2011
11:06 am
tommyjack, the only people talking regime change at GT are dawg fans like logan booker/fire paul johnson/northavenuealum/wrexneffex/wrex1979/jacketbacker.
actually those are all the same single sad uga fan hoping to get GT fans anxious about our coach.
no one pays attention to him. i guess the ajc is really desperate for page views or he would be blocked already.
GTBob
January 31st, 2011
11:16 am
@TommyJack,
There is no talk of a regime change at GT either. Don’t be fooled by the UGA fans who hate CPJ and spend their time pretending to be Tech fans. Real GT fans are still happy to have CPJ as their coach.
dawgfan
January 31st, 2011
11:17 am
TommyJack, then why have none of the “football factories” ever offered the guy a job? I hear a lot of big talk about how Johnson would dominate if he had the recruits of such and such big school. Do you Techies know something that these big schools don’t? Because never once has a Georgia, an Alabama, a Florida, or an LSU approached this guy about coaching their football team. Not once. It seems to me that if Paul Johnson could do all these wonderful things with the endless resources of schools like that he would have received a job offer from them at some point, but its NEVER happened. The guy has been a HC for over a decade and the best job he can muster is a glorified trade school in downtown Atlanta. LMAO.
But I guess you Techies know better than all the powers that be at these “football factories” don’t you?
The truth is the guy is a glorified O-ccordinator with a gimmicky offense that would be in over his head at a big time program. He knows nothing about defense. He knows nothing about special teams. He knows nothing about throwing a football. He knows nothing about recruiting. He knows nothing about running a big time college football program and answering to boosters and high powered alums. Better to stay at a place like Tech where excuses are rampant and expectations are low. There is more to championship elite football than running for 400 yards per game. If that were enough we’d go ahead and hand Tech the next 5 national titles, but that’s not happening is it Techies?
Please get a clue.
dyslexicbunny
January 31st, 2011
11:17 am
Judging by the lack of focus from the team, I’d suggest they get their bums in gear. There just didn’t seem to be any intensity on the field this year outside of Nesbitt. Defense has a year with the 3-4 under their belt so hopefully they’re more comfortable.
GT
January 31st, 2011
11:23 am
TCU has never had a ranking above Tech’s, Auburn was already on Alabama’s W list before the season begun, and don’t even start with Boise State. One thing that the SEC does is over sign and on any given year they may have over 4 years 20 additional signatures on the entire squad. They are also very good at getting rid of dead wood to make room for better players or more players to have a scholarship. Johnson is pretty good at rotating the crop too. Allen and Lyons were transfers, and there are a number of walk ons thanks to the Hope Scholarship. A lot goes on under the cover that you don’t see watching the recruits on recruiting day. Alabama and Auburn have done it the last couple of years with junior college transfers, Cody, Newton and Fairly all junior college. Three all Americans suited up and ready to play on delivery. These recruits leave at the first sign of talent, to the pros, why not get them the last two years instead of the first two, when they are hopeless freshman in many case that only get a little better as sophmores.
GTBob
January 31st, 2011
11:26 am
dawgfan, does Auburn count as a football factory? Because they were trying pretty hard to get CPJ after his first season at Tech.
Steve
January 31st, 2011
11:30 am
I think CPJ comment has some definate merit. I will point outside the GT/UGA bubble because of the passion involved. So lets look at Texas (you know the ‘other’ UT). I would say most agree that they are a staple for top signing class, usually top 10 within last 10 years. Yet look at the 2010 season, did not even go to a bowl game. I know for a fact, that if I had said Texas would not have been bowl eligble, almost anyone in the country would have put money against me at the beginning of the 1010 season. And yet here we are.
UGA=YAWN
January 31st, 2011
12:26 pm
Recruiting over-rated? Says the guy who went 6-7, is 0-3 in bowls and 1-2 vs UGA. LOL. Keep talking coach.
Reality
January 31st, 2011
12:38 pm
I would bet my house that Mark R. will be fired before CPJ.
Red-N-Black
January 31st, 2011
12:46 pm
Tech Man
January 30th, 2011
3:36 pm
There are no lay-ups at Ma Tech. Paul understands this. He is recruiting young men of character AND skill. Tech will be just fine.
And, we will be proud of those who represent the Institute. We will not sacrifice the great name and honor of Georgia Tech.
To the less honorable (i.e. UGA), there is no honor to defend. The brand is already tarnished and accepts a fouled reputation as par for the course. It is easy to be loose with character and substance.
I know we lost honor and character when we accepted the fact we beat on techies once a year “rolleyes” at the joke by coke whatever moron.
Red-N-Black
January 31st, 2011
12:49 pm
Reality
January 31st, 2011
12:38 pm
I would bet my house that Mark R. will be fired before CPJ.
I actually LOL’d – I feel sorry for GT fans.
Buckeye
January 31st, 2011
1:03 pm
UGA fans have a very narrow PoV. Yes, GT is an in state rival, but why the obsession? By reading this blog, UGA fans still don’t see themselves on the national level. Outside of this state, they are not even a blip on the national radar. What stands in the way of UGA attempting to play on the national level is UofF, Bama, LSU, Ark, Cocks, UT, not GT. UGA has had more top 10 recruiting classes recently than the Buckeyes, but what have been the results? OSU’s focus is bringing in players who can help them win national championships (i.e. beat Florida, LSU, Bama) and are beyond only comparing themselves to Michigan. UGA, if you want to play with the big boys, then you must start thinking like it.
slobberknock
January 31st, 2011
1:05 pm
Lets see, ugag has the big time coach and the big time players. What was their record last year? What was their record the year before? How many big time players were arrested last year? Give me a freekin break. I give Mark Richt one more year and he is goooooooooone.
my dog digs the Jackets!
January 31st, 2011
1:06 pm
Grading recruiting is like bragging why my grand-kid is smarter than yours…the criteria for assessment changes with each judge!
gtfanfrom1951
January 31st, 2011
1:14 pm
If 5 star recruits made NC then UGA and FS would be all world but they are not. I would rather be like VaTech than the others.
GTfan2011
January 31st, 2011
1:42 pm
I am trying to understand all of the UGA hatred regarding this article, Mark Bradley, and CPJ. UGA fans shouldn’t logically care this much. We are 1-9 against them in the last 10 years. They have whooped our butt, no question! They should be happy that we keep CPJ if they feel like they have such an advantage. I think this hatred comes down to two things. 1. They don’t like the media attention for CPJ over CMR. CPJ is built up in the media as being a better “coach” than CMR. 2. They see that if the future of CMR is to be fired next year, they would prefer that GT and CPJ go down in flames with them. This will both help them feel better and maintain the recruiting advantage in Georgia that UGA has always had over GT (if both schools are changing coaches at the same time).
JuneBaby
January 31st, 2011
1:45 pm
This blog should not be about the lack of success at UGA, but about the lack of success at Ga Tech. One has nothing to do with the other. As long as Ga Tech continues to fixate on UGA the jackets will never be successful. You need to fix your own leaks before you worry about your neighbor’s leaks. Whatever you have to say about UGA’s problems, the fact remains they are beating Ga Tech like a drum year in and year out. As bad as you say UGA is, they’re on a 9 out of 10, 10 out of 11 whupping of the jackets, regardless of who’s coaching Tech. Get your own house in order, then you can criticize your neighbor’s house!!!!! This is coming from a fan of all schools in Ga., i have no hidden agenda, i just look at the facts, and at this point in time Uga is a better program than Tech, and that’s saying a lot when you look at UGA’s recent history.
macrotech
January 31st, 2011
2:50 pm
I LOVE having CPJ at Tech…he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy and as the article says, he’s “old school”. I am not offended that players choose to play elsewhere. Good luck to them! CPJ is going to take the players that have chosen Tech as their school of choice and coach them up. Last season was a tough one, but it SHOULD put things in perspective for the players that thought that we could just show up and expect a win! VERY different from the attitude of the team from the prior year! They went out and earned each win…every great team knows that this is a must!
Bigboy
January 31st, 2011
3:28 pm
Johnson will resign or be fired by the start of next season.The funny thing is if CMR got fired GT would pay him whatever he wanted!
papadawg
January 31st, 2011
3:38 pm
Recruiting overated like the Georgia doesn’t mean anything. You won with Chans players and now you show you can’t recruit so it’s overated. LOSER. NO good QB wants to run the ball all the time. LOSING OFFENSE NO DEFENSE. Bleak future on the Flats
Chuck Allison
January 31st, 2011
3:50 pm
Really? Does anyone want a coach who thinks recruiting is not important? He sure should try to do a better job of recruiting. He did not have the kind of year we hired him for.
Does Paul Johnson Believe What He’s Telling Tech Fans? | College Football News, Opinion and Analysis | Chuck Oliver.Net
January 31st, 2011
4:20 pm
[...] Click here to read Mark Bradley's blog. [...]
GDBurdell
January 31st, 2011
5:07 pm
Love having PJ at tek, he is on track to best his terrible 6-7 record in 2011 with a possible 4 win season…thats right nerds, write it down 4 win season. Maybe PJ will walk out on tek midseason? I’m not sure how I would stop laughing. man, you guys suck! GET A CLUE!
macrotech
January 31st, 2011
5:42 pm
ANY pup fan on here is a joke! WHY would you EVEN get stirred up if you weren’t frustrated with your own team? Tech has had ONE bad season since CPJ has gotten here….mutts just finished their second year of suck in a row capping it off with a loss to the might UCF….we get it….you’re just transferring your anger….Hell, if my team got bitch slapped by the Knights of conference USA…I’d be pissed too!
Kb
January 31st, 2011
6:00 pm
Pj has proven during his tenure at Tech that he lacks the recruiting skills to compete in a BCS conference. Don’t buy the BS , PJ recruits the same players as everyone one else. If you count this years commits to date he has offered 32 players that will be on the UGA roster in 2011.He goes after the big names but can’t sign them.Tech fans tend to forget Gailey had to recruit while Tech was on probation in 2005 and 2006, Free from the probation he signed a top 20 class . Anthony Allen was originally recruited by Chan.
PJ will leave your program in shambles.
Stinger
January 31st, 2011
6:04 pm
Ratings mean absolutely nothing. One-third of UGA’s recruits will go to jail, one-third will not get admitted, and the other third will be coached down to 1 star by their Soph year. Tech on the other hand will coach up the 3 stars to play like 4 and 5 stars. Nuff said.
Kb
January 31st, 2011
6:06 pm
@stinger just like this year. Hope PJ stays at Tech forever.
northavenuealum
January 31st, 2011
6:06 pm
@macrotech
I hate to call out a fellow techie, but we need to clean off our own doorstep before we start taunting IMO
northavenuealum
January 31st, 2011
6:15 pm
It pains me when I have to agree with what I assume is a bullpup fan like KB over GaTech fans but he makes a valid point.