Paul Johnson Opts Out at Georgia Tech
Paul Johnson announced Wednesday that he will end his 11-year tenure as Georgia Tech’s head coach following the upcoming bowl game. Johnson’s Yellow Jackets just completed their 2018 regular season with a 7-5 record, earning a 2nd place finish in the Coastal division of the ACC. Their bowl destination is yet unknown, but Johnson specified that he is looking forward to coaching this team one more time.
Johnson’s head coaching career included stops at Navy and Georgia Southern prior to coming to the Flats in 2008. His arrival at Tech marked a new level of competition for his signature spread option offense. That same offense had brought him great success at GSU (2 national championships, 62-10 overall ) and at Navy where the Midshipmen built a record of 45-29 during his 6-year tenure there, finishing with 5 consecutive winning seasons. At Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Power 5 conference, Johnson’s success continued. He generated an overall record of 82-59 (51-37 in the ACC) over his 11 years, although his more recent seasons had been less consistent. Over the past 4 seasons, Tech was 24-24 with an aggregate conference record of 14-18, missing out on bowl invitations twice in that span.
The variation in performance had begun to wear on some Tech fans who wondered if Johnson’s offense had been “figured out” by the same teams who seemed ill-equipped to defend it in his earlier years in the ACC. The 2018 season has been a microcosm of the recent half-decade of extreme variability of results that had some supporters doubting the long-term promise of Johnson’s system. This year’s team won the opener, then dropped 3 straight. They then won 6 of 7, including 4 in a row, before getting routed by their arch-rival last week.
In the school’s official announcement, Johnson cited his desire to take a break in his 40-year career, in part to spend more family time. He met with his players Wednesday. A press conference was held Thursday morning at Georgia Tech. Johnson took care to avoid saying that this was his full-out, forevermore retirement, instead repeating that it was a break.
Speculation on a potential replacement has already begun. There will be no shortage of interested parties, but it may be a tricky hire for AD Todd Stansbury. Georgia Tech is a high-profile school in a big media center. There is a football tradition that is long and deep and based in part on that history, expectations remain high. But, as with Johnson’s era, the perception among some fans is one of slipping overall standing, with big accomplishments becoming less frequent, especially compared with the traditional football stalwarts in the ACC, including Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech and Florida State. Tech’s academic demands are more demanding than some, and the curriculum is relatively narrow. The stadium is smallish in capacity, though often not completely full. In that setting, Johnson’s offensive system has been seen by some as salvation, while others see a millstone.
What’s apparent to all is that Paul Johnson has been good for the program and the school, and he’s leaving on his own terms. What’s next for Tech will be in the hands of the still-newish AD Stansbury, a Tech alum and former football player who seems to grasp the unique aspects that the Tech coaching job both offers and requires.
Patrick Conarro