Is this the end of the Paul Johnson/triple option era at Georgia Tech?

[belcherboy]

This dude has ridden on key victories/occasional big seasons to keep his job at GT for a long time. With two rough losses already this season, and Clemson coming to town on Saturday, is this the beginning of the end of the Paul Johnson era?

I've lived down in Georgia now for 10 years, and it has been amazing to see this guy ride so many highs and lows in keeping his job. He's seen some decent success against Georgia (especially considering his recruiting rankings, and the past 5-7 years in the rivalry), he had owned Clemson up until about 4 years ago, and seems to win enough every few years to get an extension.

Is it time to let PJ go? It's going to be rough getting a good coach to come to GT with their academic requirements, but how much longer do they put up with the highs and lows of this triple threat offense?

 

[cmc_rebar]

It's GT...not a destination for good to great coaches anyway, so get rid of Johnson, then what?

Derick Dooley? Skip Holtz? Lane Kiffin?

Maybe they could get Calvin Johnson to coach?


Harbaugh may be available in a year if he doesn't start beating a few teams

 

[Across The Field]

Yeah, I think so. While GT isn't a brand name in college football, they're located in SEC country and right in downtown Atlanta. I think the right coach could come in and eventually turn it into a pretty good program.

 

[belcherboy]

It's GT...not a destination for good to great coaches anyway, so get rid of Johnson, then what?

Derick Dooley? Skip Holtz? Lane Kiffin?

Maybe they could get Calvin Johnson to coach?


Harbaugh may be available in a year if he doesn't start beating a few teams

The problem seems to be the academic requirements of GT from what I have heard (I've only lived here 10 years, and never watched UGA or GT till then). Being in Atlanta would seem to be a big bonus in recruiting, and it's not like GT has been terrible for it's entire existence (they split a national title in 1990 IIRC). I would think it is arguable that GT has a better history than UGA...although the past two decades have proven UGA is leaps and bounds a better program.

It may not be a destination for good to great coaches right now, but couldn't the right guy change that? I think PJ has proven he isn't going to take them to that next level...although they definitely could get worse, and likely would get worse for a while if they fired PJ.

 

[JohnShadows]

GT is mainly an engineering school, right? It's up there academically, for sure.

I'm sure that if they decide to get rid of Johnson, someone with a new approach would be brought in. Think the triple option has hit its ceiling.

 

[belcherboy]

Yeah, I think so. While GT isn't a brand name in college football, they're located in SEC country and right in downtown Atlanta. I think the right coach could come in and eventually turn it into a pretty good program.

It just seems like a GREAT location to possibly grow a program (state of Georgia, and located in downtown Atlanta). Again, the academic requirements may make it VERY difficult to resurrect the program though.

 

[JohnShadows]

BTW, historically, GT has 3 national championships (two in the 20's, shared with CO in the 90's).

 

[4down20]

Yeah, I think so. While GT isn't a brand name in college football, they're located in SEC country and right in downtown Atlanta. I think the right coach could come in and eventually turn it into a pretty good program.

GT established themselves as pussies who think they are too good for competitive football years ago.

 

[belcherboy]

GT is mainly an engineering school, right? It's up there academically, for sure.

I'm sure that if they decide to get rid of Johnson, someone with a new approach would be brought in. Think the triple option has hit its ceiling.

It is literally a Jekyll and Hyde team to watch. They look like "world beaters" some weeks, racking up 500 yards of offense, and then look like a JV football team another week with 200 yards of offense and 5 turnovers. It's weird too, because they could put up HUGE numbers on a team like UGA, and in the same season, lose to a terrible team like UVA. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

I try and watch both UGA and GT each week, because I work with fans from both teams.

 

[belcherboy]

GT established themselves as pussies who think they are too good for competitive football years ago.

I wonder how often they regret leaving the SEC. They lost A TON of money with that move (although that wasn't realized for many decades) Wasn't it because their coach got mad and pulled them out of the conference sometime in the 1900's?

 

[4down20]

I wonder how often they regret leaving the SEC. They lost A TON of money with that move (although that wasn't realized for many decades) Wasn't it because their coach got mad and pulled them out of the conference sometime in the 1900's?

It was back in the 60's. Their coach was fit for the Big10.

 

[belcherboy]

It was back in the 60's. Their coach was fit for the Big10.

It was that late in the century, huh? IMO, leaving the SEC had to have literally cost the program hundreds of millions of dollars. CRAZY!

 

[Across The Field]

It just seems like a GREAT location to possibly grow a program (state of Georgia, and located in downtown Atlanta). Again, the academic requirements may make it VERY difficult to resurrect the program though.

That's not holding back any other schools right now. Stanford is ranked, Northwestern has won 10 games several times in recent years, Duke is ranked. Notre Dame, michigan, and USC have no issues recruiting. All these schools are ranked higher academically.

 

[Across The Field]

GT established themselves as pussies who think they are too good for competitive football years ago.

I'm sure the folks in charge that did that are dead.

 

[4down20]

It was that late in the century, huh? IMO, leaving the SEC had to have literally cost the program hundreds of millions of dollars. CRAZY!

They basically left because of over-signing. The SEC voted down a rule he wanted to limit it, so they left.

 

[belcherboy]

That's not holding back any other schools right now. Stanford is ranked, Northwestern has won 10 games several times in recent years, Duke is ranked. Notre Dame, michigan, and USC have no issues recruiting. All these schools are ranked higher academically.

No doubt, but Michigan and USC definitely don't have the academic requirements that GT has, from what I've been told. I believe EVERY freshman at GT has to take TRIG...not exceptions.

Stanford, Duke, ND have tough requirements from what I've heard (I would think that USC and Michigan will have no problems getting just about any high end recruit onto their team, as long as they are eligible according to NCAA rules), but it's not like any of those teams have been head and shoulders better than GT over the past 15 years or so. They may have more wins, but GT has won and played in the ACC title game a few times over the past decade. They haven't been awful under PJ, but they don't seem to be going anywhere either.

 

[hatcher3333]

The academics excuse is lame. Getting into Georgia or Clemson is no cake walk. But for football players it is different. I have a friend that played on the ‘90 team. He got a “degree” but it is basically worthless. Btw GT in the old days would let the grass grow long and flood the field before UGA came to town. GT got mad when Sanford stadium was built.

 

[Across The Field]

No doubt, but Michigan and USC definitely don't have the academic requirements that GT has, from what I've been told. I believe EVERY freshman at GT has to take TRIG...not exceptions.

Stanford, Duke, ND have tough requirements from what I've heard (I would think that USC and Michigan will have no problems getting just about any high end recruit onto their team, as long as they are eligible according to NCAA rules), but it's not like any of those teams have been head and shoulders better than GT over the past 15 years or so. They may have more wins, but GT has won and played in the ACC title game a few times over the past decade. They haven't been awful under PJ, but they don't seem to be going anywhere either.

I am more than certain that there would be ways to pass trig for a lot of these kids if it meant making football relevant.

 

[Hitman Hart]

It was that late in the century, huh? IMO, leaving the SEC had to have literally cost the program hundreds of millions of dollars. CRAZY!

everything I have read seems to indicate that GT was ready to move down to DII until the ACC invited them in the late 70s.

 

[belcherboy]

I am more than certain that there would be ways to pass trig for a lot of these kids if it meant making football relevant.

From what I've heard, PJ has had to fight hard to get the restrictions a lifted a little for student athletes at GT. The school leadership does not like to make exceptions for sports. They gave PJ a little more room to bring in a few more questionable academic athletes just a few years ago. (this is what a GT insider told me) They basically said, "if these kids screw up, we will go back to the previous restrictions...so recruit wisely". That would be a tough position for a coach to recruit under IMO...if it is true.