Georgia Tech Fires Head Coach Collins Before Pitt Game Saturday

Georgia Tech fired their head coach Geoff Collins on Sunday, according to Bryce Koon of GoJackets.com.

Georgia Tech’s Athletic Association Board is calling a meeting for Monday, which will announce his firing. It will disclose the buyout numbers for his contract and decide on the future of athletic director Todd Stansbury, who hired Collins.

The firing of Collins comes less than a week before Pitt’s matchup with Georgia Tech this Saturday, Oct. 1 at Acrisure Stadium.

Paul Johnson established the triple option flexbone offense throughout his head coaching career, spanning two decades and three teams. This offense uses the quaterback, running back and full back as options for who can run the ball on an individual play.

This system, when it works well, stymies defenses and leads to great offensive production on the ground. Its weaknesses manifest themselves most obviously against the best defenses, but it is most obvious in late game situations. When you need to score points quickly, you rely on either a long run with some luck, or passing the ball, something your offense won’t do often.

Johnson coached the Yellow Jackets from 2008-18. His teams saw great success in that time, including nine bowl appearances, four ACC Coastal Division Championships and the 2009 ACC Championship.

His teams played well, but were never close to being the best of the best. His teams also saw less success later into his tenure, displeasing fans, alumni and the school.

He chose to step down from his role and retired after the 2018 season and Collins took over soon after.

Collins promised to give the fans what they wanted, a move away from the triple option for a more dynamic offense that would bring them back to relevance. His savvy social media presence also convinced people that he would recruit top players to the school to play this new brand of offensive attack.

His record from the start of the 2019 season to his firing was absolutely abysmal. The team won 10 games and lost 28, with no season over three wins. He also lost his last eight consecutive games against Power Five opponents.

The end to the 2021 season saw the Yellow Jackets lose by a combined 100 points to Notre Dame and Georgia, while also not scoring a single point themselves. The start to 2022 didn’t look any better for the offense as they scored only 34 points in three games against FBS opponents. This also includes a 42-0 shutout loss to then ranked No. 20 Ole Miss in Week 3.

Outside of the offense, the team made ridiculous mistakes on special teams and defense, leading to bad losses.

A great example of this disfunction is Georgia Tech’s last game against UCF. They amassed more yards on offense than UCF, 452-333, but also missed two field goals and failed to score on five red-zone opportunities. They also committed a numerous amount of defensive penalties and allowed a blocked punt for the fourth straight game.

GT also didn’t keep many of their best players, not allowing for a proper transition from different offenses and a different coaching staff. This past off season they lost  defensive lineman in Jordan Domineck and Chico Bennett to Virginia and Arkansas, respectively,  as well as star running back Jahmyr Gibbs to Alabama in the transfer portal.

Pitt enjoyed matchups with Georgia Tech during Collins’ reign as head coach. They won all three matches, which all were on the road in Atlanta, and outscored them 106-52.

The most notable thing to happen in those matchups occurred in the 2020 meeting. After the game, Collins refused to shake hands with Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi, pulling away from him and walking away quickly, infuriating Narduzzi for the lack of respect.

The Panthers go into this matchup against the Yellow Jackets looking to start ACC play with a victory in primetime. They’ll likely prepare the Yellow Jackets players looking to make their mark on a new coaching staff, while also trying to take advantage of the lack of harmony in the Yellow Jackets locker room.