There's New Math at Georgia Tech in 2019: E=GC (Energy=Geoff Collins)
Late last fall , Geoff Collins accepted the job as Georgia Tech’s Head Football Coach. Since that December day, Collins has been moving in many directions, at high speed, over long hours, aiming to oversee a successful transition of football system and style at the Institute. Collins’ predecessor, Paul Johnson, was an devout practitioner of his own option-based offense, a system for which he understandably used different types of players . The most obvious example is the complete absence of a traditional tight end in Johnson’s offense.
So any coach following Johnson would necessarily bring more than just new terminology and leadership style. He also would need the insight to reposition many of his current players and begin the process of retooling his roster to align his incoming players with his system to produce optimal results.
When asked if the past 9 months have been the quickest or the slowest months of his life, Collins laughed and said “Both”. The transition he and his staff have taken on is a mountain of a task. Collins has tackled it with unyielding energy, including his oft-expressed gratitude for the seniors who have “bought in”.
Thursday night the curtain goes up on Georgia Tech’s 2019 season, and on Geoff Collins’ tenure as head coach of the Yellow Jackets. He could not have picked a more imposing scenario. Road game, packed house, nationally televised, against the defending NCAA national champions who last lost a game some 20 months ago, and whose quarterback is the favorite to win Heisman trophy this year. More bluntly, Georgia Tech is a 36 point underdog.
All of that is of middling concern to Collins. As he has said many times, “We are working on us”. The Georgia Tech sports information department folks remind us that Tech is 6-1 against Clemson as a season opener. But the last such occasion was 1962. And none of that history holds any sway with Thursday’s game. Tech’s hopes lie with playing sound football, making few mistakes and perhaps forcing a few by the Tigers.
Even then, it’s an uphill climb for the Yellow Jackets. As Tech Defensive Coordinator Andrew Thacker pointed out last week,”They (Clemson) have elite talent at every position”. Still, there are occasional episodes in college football when David does take down Goliath (see Michigan vs Appalachian State, 2007)
Collins’ recent predecessors at Georgia Tech have had gentler opening assignments. Paul Johnson’s first group won over Jacksonville State in 2008. Chan Gailey’s Yellow Jackets beat Vanderbilt in 2002. George O’Leary’s first game at the helm came in November 1994, coincidentally against Clemson (then unranked)
Again, none of that matters to Geoff Collins. His big picture plan is to bring Tech football to new and consistent heights by bringing in top-tier recruits who are sold on the many advantages the Georgia Tech experience has to offer. Once in, he wants these players to expect to maximize the opportunities before them by adding consistent effort and focus to the high-energy zeal supplied by Collins and his like-minded staff. It’s a boldly positive plan that holds great appeal to Yellow Jacket faithful.
Thursday night is Chapter One of a brand new book in Tech sports annals. Collins hopes–and really, he expects–that it will be a book long in the making, rich in the writing and will include a happy ending. Time to turn the page.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports