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Why was Geoff Collins fired as Georgia Tech football coach?

Posted on by Kennedy
Why was Geoff Collins fired as Georgia Tech football coach?

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When North Carolina football defensive coordinator Geoff Collins looks on the opposing sideline during Saturday's game, he'll see some familiar faces.

Collins served as the Yellow Jackets' coach from 2019 to 2022 when he was fired four games into the season. He was hired to replace Paul Johnson, who won 82 games in 11 seasons with the Yellow Jackets after an impressive two seasons at Temple.

On Saturday, Collins will face his old team, including his former assistant coach Brent Key, who is now head coach of the Yellow Jackets. Mack Brown hired Collins as UNC defensive coordinator the day after the school parted ways with Gene Chizik.

Required reading: UNC football midseason: Omarion Hampton, poor defense and Mack Brown's future

While Saturday's game will undoubtedly be important for Collins, he downplays the importance of the game to the media and his players.

“I made a big deal about the defense on Sunday night, this isn't about me,” Collins said Monday during his weekly press conference. “I have deep, personal relationships with many of the players on the team. Very proud of her. When I see them playing really well, I'm happy for them because I care about them and their families.

“But this week is about creating the best defense we can be and coaching our guys to play at a high level. They (the technicians) have a lot of really good weapons, they do a really good job on offense. Complete focus on what we need to do to play really well on Saturday, schematically, motivationally and all those things. But this week is not about me at all.”

Here's what you need to know about why Collins was fired after 38 games as Georgia Tech coach:

Why did Georgia Tech fire Geoff Collins?

The Yellow Jackets fired Collins in his fourth season as coach after a 1-3 start. He was fired on September 26, 2022 following Georgia Tech's 27-10 loss to UCF, dropping his record to 10-28 at Georgia Tech. Collins' .263 winning percentage was the lowest of 13 full-time coaches in program history. His record of 7-19 in ACC play and 7-15 at home didn't inspire much confidence either.

The Yellow Jackets ended the 2021 regular season with 55-0 and 45-0 losses to Georgia. While Georgia Tech defeated Western Carolina 35-17 in Week 2 of the 2022 season, there were significant losses to Clemson (41-10), Ole Miss (42-0) and UCF (27-10). Collins never won back-to-back victories as Georgia Tech's coach.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Georgia Tech had to pay at least $11.37 million in a buyout. He was due out on the final three years of a seven-year contract he signed with the Yellow Jackets after being poached by Temple prior to the 2019 season.

Before taking the coaching position at Georgia Tech, which the Atlanta native described as his “dream job,” Collins compiled a 15-10 record in two years at Temple. He also served as defensive coordinator for Mississippi State and Florida.

Geoff Collins hired Brent Key

Yellow Jacket fans likely won't remember Collins' time fondly, as the team won just 10 games in four seasons following the retirement of legendary coach Paul Johnson. However, Collins hired former Georgia Tech (1997-2000) right guard Brent Key as his assistant head coach and offensive line coach from Nick Saban's staff at Alabama.

Key was named interim coach after Collins was fired and led the Yellow Jackets to a 4-4 record the remainder of the season, including wins over No. 24 Pitt and No. 13 UNC. Key was promoted to permanent coach this offseason and has compiled an 11-8 record in two full seasons, including a 4-2 mark this season.

“I wish (Collins) nothing but the best, except for this Saturday,” Key said Monday. “Good football coach; He belongs to a team with good football coaches. This isn’t the first time we’ve competed against someone we’ve worked with before.”

Geoff Collins record at Georgia Tech

Before Collins was hired as Georgia Tech coach and replaced Johnson, he served as coach at Temple, compiling a 15-10 record in two years.

Here's a look at Collins' record with the Yellow Jackets:

  • 2019: 3-9, 2-6
  • 2020: 3-7, 3-6
  • 2021: 3-9, 2-6
  • 2022: 1-3, 0-1
  • Four Seasons: 10-28

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