Eye on Atlanta: Root for Georgia Tech

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Hopefully, Temple’s stadium will be closer to this than the crude drawing released recently

Hard to believe, Harry (Donahue), that one of the websites that list such things has placed Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson on the hot seat.

A few years ago, Johnson was one of the hottest coaches in the country at The Naval Academy, now he’s sitting on a hot seat. That’s life in the Power 5.

If you are a Temple football fan, you’ve got to root for him and his Georgia Tech team this season because when Owls’ head coach Geoff Collins called Temple “a developmental program” a month ago tomorrow, he probably meant it with his coaching staff, too. Three of four of Collins recent hires are from the state of Georgia and his current defensive coordinator, Andrew Thacker, was a position coach at Kennesaw State (also known as the Owls). Kennesaw is in Cobb County, which is in the Greater Atlanta metropolitan area.

Collins himself as a history at Georgia Tech, being the recruiting coordinator there for the Yellowjackets. If you don’t think this staff is being developed for a place like Georgia Tech, you probably don’t believe that General Billy Sherman burned the town to the ground 168 or so years ago. If Collins does well here this fall, he certainly would move to the top of the Georgia Tech wish list.

So that’s probably what Collins means by a developmental program. Ask him if he considers Georgia Tech a developmental program.

Still, rooting for a solid year from our friend Paul Johnson is almost as good as rooting for the Owls themselves.

That’s the lay of the land, though, in the “developmental” AAC.

In January, Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo interviewed for the Arizona opening. While he  decided to remain in Annapolis, had he left the Midshipmen it would have left Tulsa’s Philip Montgomery as the longest-tenured head coach in the American Athletic Conference, after only three seasons with the Golden Hurricane.

Coaching turnover has become a fact of life in the American with six head coaches leaving the AAC for jobs at “power five” schools. Next year, Memphis’ Mike Norvell and USF’s Charlie Strong are sure to attract suitors.

A good year for Paul Johnson probably won’t mean Collins will be here for life, but it would certainly close at least one very attractive door and limit the damage to Temple’s program for at least another year.

How’s that Georgia Tech fight song go again?

Friday: Thoughts on The Mitten Hall Fiasco

Monday: Spring (Practice) is in the Air

Wednesday: Our New Scheduling Buddies

 

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8 thoughts on “Eye on Atlanta: Root for Georgia Tech

  1. No need for any further discussion or plans for Temple Football stadium .
    The conduct of the ‘ locals’ at the meeting for the neighbors re-says what is know for years about people in N Philly.
    They are, simply stated , controlled by an organized mob of haters , a parallel to the ‘ joys’ of the BLM movement in a way.
    We always knew about this tone of the Temple community since we were kids.
    I hoped it would have mellowed by now, no way.
    This un-named elephant in the room, that general locale image of Temple continues to hurt this institution & that’s the way it is.
    My proof ? When we invite friends and family to TU FB games, the general response is just what you can imagine, never changes..
    Temple SHOULD HAVE MOVED TO AMBLER 30 YEARS AGO.
    Dumb dumb dumb decision. TU could have had a near Villanova image today.
    I am mad still after reading about conduct at the meeting.

  2. Yeah, according to the newspaper article “the neighborhood” shouted TUs president down so they couldn’t even finish having their open meeting. If this is all it takes for downtown to not approve the stadium, I guess it’s doomed. The shouters are probably a minority however.

    Anyway, I thought you wanted to see Collins leave. This article today however you’re rooting for the Georgia Tech coach to hang around so Collins won’t get lured away. I’m confused….. It is what it is. I’m anxious to see what Collins comes up with this coming season, good, bad or otherwise, we’ll see if we want him to stick around or not. He deserves a shot after a winning season and a bowl win (even if the win total should have been better!).

    • It is not good for the continuity of the program that a coach leaves every couple of years; although I agree at this point Al golden would be a significant upgrade from Collins and he would take the job

      • If everything goes smoothly, Collins should be out after this season, and i think Golden’s Miami payout also runs out.

        The 1st and only phone call should be to Al.

      • Agreed. It’s a no-brainer. Guy did the job at the same school before and did a fantastic job. Not a good job, not a great job, a fantastic job. If he’s available (and a position NFL coach should be), go get him. No more rolling the dice on coordinators would COULD be great (Rhule) or could more easily flop (Diaco).

  3. Interesting thread drift early in regarding the neighbors. Didn’t see or hear anything, so can’t comment on that.

    As for the Ga Tech thought, if Johnson is canned at the end of the season, maybe there could be a swap and bring Johnson to town. Be lots of FB dives and lead blocking with that man coaching. Give Navy some of their own medicine as well.

    • He would be great but I still like the man who brought the Chaney style of football Temple TUFF here. AG’s Achilles Heel was he not a great game day coach but he had no trouble with the Randy Edsall’s of the world, something we cannot say for Collins.

  4. Pingback: TFF: Banned by Collins – Temple Football Forever

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