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Georgia Tech adds RB Jahmyr Gibbs for first top-10 Georgia recruit since 2007

By Kevin McGuireFeb 5, 2020, 4:45 PM EST
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Georgia Tech bolstered its running back position on National Signing Day with the addition of four-star running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs submitted his signed National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, the second national signing day on the recruiting calendar, and it is quite the addition to the program for head coach Geoff Collins.

Gibbs committed to Georgia Tech over offers from Alabama and Florida, with the Gators being considered the strongest threat to Georgia Tech. Gibbs took an official visit to Florida on Jan. 24, and one week later wrapped up his recruiting search with an official visit with Georgia Tech. The 5′-9″ four-star running back is the eighth-ranked running back in the Class of 2020 according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Gibbs is ranked 10th among all recruits from the state of Georgia, and he is now the highest-rated player form the state heading to Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech has not signed a top 10 recruit from its home state since wide receiver Morgan Burnett and running back Jonathan Dwyer both signed with the Yellow Jackets in the Class of 2007. This hardly breaks into the stranglehold on the state’s top talent that rival Georgia currently holds, but it is a major recruiting win for Collins as he continues to try making more inroads with the talent overload in the peach state.

“We take pride in our evaluation piece. Jahmyr was undervalued early on by the college football world but he was the No. 1 running back on our board from day one,” Collins said in a released statement. “He wants to be a part of our culture and the great young men in our locker room, and he wants to be developed at a high level. I think Jahmyr is going to be a household name in the city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia for a long, long time.”

Georiga Tech also welcomed the additions of graduate transfer offensive lineman Devin Cochran (previously of Vanderbilt) and Class of 2020 three-star offensive lineman Cade Kootsouradis.

Georgia Tech held to fewest points since 1997 by Temple

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By Kevin McGuireSep 28, 2019, 9:00 PM EDT
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The struggles of Georgia Tech continued Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia. Geoff Collins returned to Philly as the head coach of Georgia Tech to face his previous employer, the Temple Owls. The reunion was anything but a happy one for Collins, who came up on the wrong end of a 24-2 final score.

Georgia Tech’s two points scored is the lowest point total for Georgia Tech since being shutout by Florida State in 1997. The No. 3 Seminoles dominated the No. 21 Yellow Jackets, 38-0, in Tallahassee. The last time Georgia Tech was held to three points or fewer in a game was in the 2008 Chick-fil-A Bowl, a 38-3 loss to LSU.

“Obviously, the loss hurts really, really bad, multiplied by how personal it was,” Collins said after the game, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I thought we played really, really hard against, I think, one of the best front sevens in all of college football.”

It was painfully clear, once again, that Collins is taking on a bit of a rebuilding project. Georgia Tech had been built with the option of Paul Johnson in mind, and Collins is working hard to transform the offensive identity of the program through recruiting. Saturday was another brutal reminder that transition can be tough for any program, especially when changing the offensive approach so drastically. As if they needed another reminder, The Citadel was there to remind them.

This was the second victory by Temple against a power conference opponent this season, marking the first time since the formation of the football side of the Big East Conference was formed where the Owls had two wins against power conference opponents in the same season. If there was any positive to take out of the game for a Georgia Tech fan, it may be that Collins helped get Temple to this level of play. Of course, aspiring to be a team on the same level as a team that may not even play for the American Athletic Conference championship may be a hard sell for the Yellow Jackets fans.

Temple getting $6.5 million in head coaching buyouts of Geoff Collins and Manny Diaz

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By Kevin McGuireDec 31, 2018, 11:33 AM EST
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It’s been a rough few weeks for Temple football as they have suffered the misfortune of losing not just one, but two head coaches to power conference programs. But at least the Owls are going to be paid well for their misfortune.

As reported by Brett McMurphy of Stadium, via Twitter, Temple will be receiving $6.5 million in buyout money from Georgia Tech and Miami. Georgia Tech owes Temple $2.5 million to buy out the contract of former Temple head coach Geoff Collins. And yesterday’s decision by recently hired Temple head coach Manny Diaz to stay with the Miami Hurricanes means Miami will have to pay Temple $4 million to buy out the contract of Diaz, which was just having the ink dry on the paper.

While coaching instability is never easy for a non-power conference program like Temple, at least the financial windfall helps soften the blow and potentially helps the program and university moving forward. Surely Temple would prefer not to have to accept the buyout money from either university, let alone two universities, but Temple will now move forward searching for a new head coach once again and know they have $6.5 million in additional revenue coming their way to put toward the football program in some way.

Geoff Collins wiping slate clean on Georgia Tech staff

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By Kevin McGuireDec 17, 2018, 4:49 PM EST
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As Paul Johnson coaches his final game with Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl next week, so will every member on his coaching staff. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports new Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins will not keep any of Johnson’s assistants on the staff moving forward as a new era is ushered in.

This is hardly unexpected, of course, as most new head coaches will often wipe the slate clean on the coaching staff to bring in their trusted assistants. It is also common for at least a couple of assistants to be held over from the previous coaching staff, but that will apparently not be the case with the Yellow Jackets. The slight concern may be Collins bringing together a staff that seemingly abandons all previous relationships that have been established by the former staff, but Collins and his staff shouldn’t take long establishing new pipelines in Georgia and around the surrounding region.

Two assistants reportedly coming to Georgia Tech with Collins will be defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker, a Georgia native, and defensive backs coach Nathan Burton, a Georgia Tech alum. Collins is also a native from the state of Georgia and he has his own connections to the region having previously been an assistant coach at Georgia Tech and at other programs such as Alabama, UCF, Mississippi State, and Florida. Collins will have a feel for recruiting the south as he looks to change the way Georgia Tech operates.

Johnson announced his retirement from Georgia Tech at the end of the regular season and his retirement will be effective at the completion of Georgia Tech’s bowl matchup with Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Temple football players and Geoff Collins flying to Japan

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By Kevin McGuireMay 7, 2018, 12:25 PM EDT
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The Michigan Wolverines are not the only college football program tkaing their brand across an ocean. Although on a much smaller scale, Temple football will be sending a handful of representatives to Japan for a nine-day trip to help promote the sport of football abroad.

Temple head coach Geoff Collins will be joined by eight Temple football players making the trip; Michael Dogbe, Frank Nutile, Jaelin Robinson, Shaun Bradley, Linwood Crump, Isaiah Wright, Dan Archibong and Matt Hennessey. This will be no true vacatrion for these Temple football players, however, because they will be earning three college credits for their efforts in helping to teach and promote the sport while in Japan.

The trip initially started as an opportunity for Collins to travel to Japan for some football coaching clinics, but the opportunity to involve a small number of football players was too great to pass up. The trip will make visits in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.

“I’m looking forward to experiencing a new culture and sharing our knowledge of football to those in Japan eager to learn,” Collins said in a statement (per Philly.com). “I know our players will have a great time and serve as tremendous ambassadors for Temple and our football program.”