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
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
288 comments Add your comment
macrotech
January 31st, 2011
6:32 pm
northavenuealum….I concur, but have a problem with pup fans coming over here barking when their program is in trouble. I’m not suggesting that I’m without concern, but remain confident in our coaching staff. One season does not a coach make.
James Stewart
January 31st, 2011
6:51 pm
I read this techie blob for laughs. it is hard to believe that techie fans are this stupid but I know that most of the fans that write on ths site never watched a game of football. because thier stadium is allways half full and most of the fans are from the other team. allyou have to do islook at the collor of thier dress and you knpw tech has no one in the stadium. they are a welfare school as they are beggining for money to fix thier stadium as it look worst than some high school stadiums and not much bigger and these deff, dumb and blind fans were making fun of the 50,000 seat bowl game tech played in wonder do they know how many seats in techie stadium.
sugarpikegang
January 31st, 2011
8:31 pm
Kudos to James Stewart for such spelling prowess.
Sting Time
January 31st, 2011
8:57 pm
How about we rank the recruiting classes after the guys actually qualify. All of THUGA’s recruits won’t even make it into school.
GDBurdell
January 31st, 2011
10:07 pm
this blog reminds me of a tek game- everyone rooting against tek. hahaha!!! just like in real life!!
all MR’s players will go to jail or not qual to get in school? haha dream on. UGA looks to be on an upward trend, you losers on the other hand are looking at a program that can’t get a whole lot worse!!
GDBurdell
January 31st, 2011
10:09 pm
I guess the current nerd feeling is that teks program is a disaster – BUT since the article letting them know this had a spelling error, they feel like they can ignore the obvious.
tommy
January 31st, 2011
10:51 pm
Gailey had one good recruiting class. the rest were horrible. Reggie Ball couldn’t start for Carrollton High School. Give Johnson time. I read on another blog that we will have more talent across the board next year than we have had in 20 years. I did the math and found that the guy was right. It took Gailey 7 years to build a decent team that he left to Johnson. Lets give Johnson a couple more years. He has been to good to early. That is the problem. Uga finishes in the top 10 every year in recruiting. Sure I would like to have a few of them, but UGA really sucks and has sucked since Van Gorder left there defense.
wreckmaniac
January 31st, 2011
10:52 pm
And how many ” 5-Stars” did TCU, who tied Auburn for this years national champ, recruit. “5 Stars” are a joke.
wreckmaniac
January 31st, 2011
11:00 pm
UGA92: ” a one dimensional offense?” I’ll take the Johnson offense any day. UGA’s “defense” ( is that what you call it ?) has been humiliated by Tech for 3 years. UGA has a one-dimensional offense. Lets see, lets throw it to Greene and hope. The UGA running game has been abysmal. Has any UGA back other than Moreno run for 100 yards in the past 5 years ? Help me out here. You guys are the
football “genie”.
tommy
January 31st, 2011
11:06 pm
I would like for all of you negative tech fans to look at our recruiting over the last 15 years. Then let me hear you say how bad this class is compared to them. Gailey had the one good class other than that you will have to go back to O’leary. One more thing you don’t realize: Johnson is recruiting heavy in Georgia. Even more so last year. A would dare say a 3 star athelete in Georgia is worth 4 stars in most states. Georgia is like the 4th most talented state in the country. We just need some depth. We are getting it. Don’t worry. I the next couple of years you will see things come together.
Reality Sucks
January 31st, 2011
11:40 pm
Wreckmaniac,
Two years ago, we had to RBs go for over 100 yards each in the same game. Know what game that was? UGA vs. GT in Atlanta, the year GT won the mighty A-She-She. Caleb King and Washaun Ealey.
Oh man, that was way too easy. You really opened yourself up on that one. I assume some of your own fan base even cringed at your post, remembering the horror that was two years ago.
Reality Sucks
January 31st, 2011
11:41 pm
If a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound? If UGA didn’t exist, would GT have an identity? Face it, we define you – whether you like it or not.
Reality Sucks
January 31st, 2011
11:42 pm
*two RBs
macrotech
January 31st, 2011
11:58 pm
uga is on an upward trend?! The pups lost to UCF….what’s ‘upward’ about that? Two straight seasons of disappointment in the past two seasons? Over 100 years of playing football and you only have 2 National Championship? Are you pups STILL falling for the fake toss of the ball?! If you’re hanging your ‘upward trend’ on recruiting….I suppose you are! In the end….Reality DOES suck!
GDBurdell
February 1st, 2011
7:28 am
I mean…how many of the last 10 games has tek lost to UGA?? How many bowl games has PJ won? Hey “tommy” what are you smoking? tek is about to field its worst ever season under PJ in 2011 so what ‘math’ did you do that makes you think PJ has been able to get any talent?
Cloudmanjacket
February 1st, 2011
8:11 am
GTFAN01
I like how you pull out all of the recruiting rankings for the past 10 years to show how it doesn’t really matter what the recruiting teams are ranked. What was Tech’s record vs. the Mutts during the past 10 years. Also, look at the teams that consistently have top 10-15 recruiting classes. Pretty funny they are typically the teams in the top 10-15 year in and year out. That includes the Mutts. Other thant he past couple of years they have been a consistent top 10-15 team. I hate it, but recruiting is the 1st game you have to win. There is the occasional exception, but the norm is recruiting does matter.
GDBurdell
February 1st, 2011
9:50 am
hahaha absolutely no possible way that recruiting doesn’t matter, somebody said Ga is 4th in overall talent- I’d buy that, but still you have to get out there and make things happen. I’m happy with what PJ is doing though HAHAHA
bamaguy
February 1st, 2011
10:33 am
Way too much emphasis is placed on “five star recruits” if you ask me. Some do turn out to be phenomenal, but not most. And the one that are phenomenal start as freshmen and leave after three years.
What matters is what the coaching staff does with the eighteen-year-olds they recruit. What is the old Steve Spurrier line “Georgia gets all those five star recruits but I can’t figure out what they do with them” or something like that?
PonGT
February 1st, 2011
11:03 am
Let it be known that I am now, have always been, and will always be a hater of the North Avenue Trade School… but I have to agree with the arrogant PJ on this one. I’ve seen him take less talent and do more with it than my beloved dawgs who seem to get good talent every year, so the experts say, and not do very much with them. I ‘d take a recruiting class under the radar every year if the coaches could coach them up and get them to play like Erk and Vince used to do. Go Dawgs — PonGT!
Failed Logic
February 1st, 2011
11:06 am
Mark, the logic of your beloved CPJ is laughable. He’s asking us to “check back in three years” and proceeds to reference three former Tech players as his proof explaining they did not experience immediate success (while this might be debatable, I’ll leave those observations to him as the coach of the program). Still, the point is, immediate success and recruiting rankings are not directly linked. All three (Morgan, Dwyer, Thomas) had phenomenal careers at Tech, and guess what?
Morgan – 4 Star
Dwyer – 4 Star
Thomas – 3 Star
All were high profile recruits with two being “4-Star” recruits. Simply because they didn’t have an immediate (i.e. freshman year) impact does not mean they were not highly regarded high school prospects. Johnson is correct in believing you have “coach them up” to win, but his overplayed, arrogant attitude shines through when discussing recruiting. Recruiting is important. CPJ should review the recruiting successes of the past BCS champions and re-think his stance.
Failed Logic
February 1st, 2011
11:09 am
This “do more with less” argument is ridiculous. What every fan should want from the coach of their program is for the coach to be an excellent recruiter AND have the ability to “coach them up” to win on the field. If CPJ is such a great coach, and constantly does “more with less” than CMR, just think what CPJ could do if he paid a little more attention to recruiting.
/techiecalculateslogicofstatement
//techiesmindisblown
LCDawg
February 1st, 2011
11:27 am
Simply put the problem for PJ/GT is that top offensive recruits who have pro aspirations do not want to go to a school that runs the option/veer 99% of the time. Having said that PJ has run a solid program the first few years. The key will be to see what he can do with his own recruits going forward.
vcki
February 1st, 2011
11:32 am
Football, like life, is about results, not talk. Let’s see what happens in the fall. I back PJ 100%. There are alot of good players who may not be highly ranked during recruiting, mature and become great players. Paul is right, let’s keep it all in perspective.
Luke
February 1st, 2011
11:42 am
Lets put this out there. For the past 3 years, CPJ has had a QB who cannot throw, but can run. So what does he do? He runs the ball. At Southern, he had a QB who had a decent arm and could thread the needle, and opened up the passing game a little bit.
CPJ runs his offense that best fits the abilities of the players he has, not try to force an offense on a team that can’t run it. (See Urban Meyer and Florida)
That being sad, CPJ is recruiting players that fits this description. And for the record, this is the best recruiting class we’ve had over the past 10 years with the exception of one, which was the that 2007 year in which we had 3 ESPN Top 150. I’m actually excited to see what these boys can do, and until they step on the field for the last time next season, I’ll hold my judgement until then, as should the rest of you, whether its about CPJ or CMR.
Games aren’t won in February.
kb
February 1st, 2011
11:50 am
Stars do matter 5 star recruits 1 in 15 will become all american , 4 star recruits 1 in 54, 3 star recruits 1in 147 2 star recruits 1 in 358. considering 4 and 5 star recruits make up about 15% of the recruiting classes the odd of success are much higher. These stats were compiled by rivals over a 5 year period
2005-2009 and almost directly correlate with Players drafted into NFL.
gtdave
February 1st, 2011
12:01 pm
I don’t argue the fact that UGA year in and year out has better recruiting classes (on paper) than Tech. I think over the years, Tech has proven that they have enough talent to go toe-to-toe with the Dawgs. What bothers me is that what you have seen in Tech’s losses is the consistent lack of focus (whether it be muffed punts, bad penalties, throws being forced, etc.) For the most part these errors are not because of lack of talent or recruiting, it is because of a lack of coaching. There’s also been a lot of talk whether or not the option can work here. Tech’s offense isn’t much different than some of the spread offenses that the Oregons, Floridas, etc have. Main difference is that they rely on receivers more or less ‘running’ with quick screens rather than pitches and handoffs to RB’s. Get a QB to establish some sort of passing game and you will see a much better Jacket team.
Getting a QB that can throw the ball has to be first and foremost top priority. Devin shown flashes last year, but his arm is suspect at best.
AndBeyond
February 1st, 2011
12:12 pm
too bad PJ brought in that recruiter from NC, who then brings in players from NC. We need players from GA to stay here! what better QB for Tech’s offense than the GA POY Tim Byerley. He will work hard, is a proven leader, solid as a rock, runs, passes and even has good grades. GT fans like to watch kids succeed, stay out of trouble and win! Maybe PJ should look at who is out there recruiting for him
Byerley
February 1st, 2011
12:20 pm
AndBeyond – good call on Tim Byerley. Great kid who is overlooked by major programs.
The Big Cat
February 1st, 2011
12:21 pm
Grown men who live and die and hang on every decision involving recruiting are morons and losers. You are obsessed with where a 18 year old boy is going to college. Think about that. If you described that to somebody in Australia or England they would think it was some type of sexual sickness. Undisputable facts about “recruiting”:
The magazines, books, websites, etc. are just made to sell. If they were credible they would give you yearly updates of their past accuracy.
If you want ot truly measure a kids ability to contribute at the college level, the ranking would also include some type of intelligence exam like the NFL Wonderlick exam. None of them do. You are taking kids from states that rank 48, 49 and 50th (Ga, AL, MS)in education and expecting them to be able to understand complicated college offensive and defensive schemes.
Georgia, Notre Dame, etc rank in the top 10-15 every year. They never sniff a national championship.
We are told that “5 star” guys can basically walk right into the NFL. This year’s Super Bowl has 2 “Five Star” players in it.
David Greene and David Pollack, arguably the two most dominate players on each side of the ball at Georgia in the past 20 years, were maybe 2 or 3 star guys.
Wolfman
February 1st, 2011
12:30 pm
If you “checked back in three years” on UGA’s recruiting classes that were there last year they certainly didn’t live up to their ranking.
crackbaby
February 1st, 2011
12:51 pm
CPJ has three seasons under his belt. Two winning years and a conference championship. Need some bowl wins but the critics need to give it a rest.
St. Richt
February 1st, 2011
2:26 pm
Call me crazy, but I think Orwin Smith might be a 1st round pick by the time he leaves Tech. I think he has a tremendous upside. So I’m not really sure what point you’re making here.. Our class is fine. And we have a lot of quality redshirts from last year as well.. like Charles Perkins. Vad Lee or Synjyn Days will be taking snaps next year- I’m pretty sure we’ve seen the last of Tevin Washington.
kb
February 1st, 2011
3:56 pm
GTdave, Big differences in the offenses at UF and Oregon, 1 st is most all plays are run from shotgun, 2nd they are more evenly balanced run pass ratio, PJ doesn’t recruit the same caliber athletes at wide receiver. Both Oregon and UF use a Tight End and Fullback. PJ runs a service academy Army/navy offense.
damngooddawg!
February 1st, 2011
5:19 pm
I’m sorry but I do not believe the statement that more ACC teams ranked in the bottom half of recruiting have been ACC champions than those in the top half. Don’t pee on my boot and try to convince me it’s raining.
informer
February 1st, 2011
5:57 pm
I don’t know why CPJ says he’ll know in three years how this his 2011 recruiting class will turn out. HE
WON’T BE AROUND IN THREE YEARS. Long gone will he be because of a constantly losing record to UGA. I think he might FIT in as the new KICKING coach for Berry College.
I really do like all the techie players. We (UGA) don’t have to go very far to find fresh “dog meat”. 9 out of
10 and counting and no win in sight for the “techies” for the next 3 or 4 decades. What a disgrace to the
wonderful state of GA, not to have TWO outstanding teams to represent the state. 9 out of 10. WOW.
WOOF, WOOF, WOOF – ANOTHER UGA TOUCHDOWN AND ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER. WILL IT EVER STOP. Not in your lifetime. GO DAWGS. EAT ALL YOUR SUPPER AND ENJOY IT…WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.
Matt Winkeljohn
February 1st, 2011
10:23 pm
Somebody list the recruiting rankings for TCU and Boise State over the past 10 years. How about Wisconsin? Oregon?
Much ado much of the time.
macrotech
February 2nd, 2011
3:15 am
informer, “two outstanding teams” in the state? You LOST to UCF….what’s outstanding about that? How’s THIS for pathetic? uga has been fielding teams for over 100 years and ONLY has two national championships to show for it. I appreciate that they don’t come easily, but after ALL of those wasted 4 and 5 star recruits ya’ll get…you’d think that you’d have more to show for them OTHER than beating Tech! Put THAT in your woofer and try not to choke on all that success!
National Signing Day Round Up | Control ATL Delete | Atlanta Sports Blog – News- Discussion – Scores – Recaps
February 2nd, 2011
3:09 pm
[...] Tech coach Paul Johnson doesn’t seem to put much stock in NSD, which is good because he didn’t bring in many headliners in his 22-member class. While [...]