ESPN releases Georgia Tech coaching hot board after Geoff Collins firing

Geoff Collins, the coach brought in to transition Georgia Tech from the triple option era under Paul Johnson, failed. He was fired just four games into his fourth season. During that time, he never won more than three games in a season and had an overall record of just 10-28. He had a buyout of more than $11 million.

Now, the question changes. Georgia Tech isn’t wondering if they’re going to fire Geoff Collins. Now, they’re wondering who his replacement should be going forward.

What makes this question even harder to answer is that Georgia Tech also fired Athletic Director Todd Stansbury. So, the school will likely need to hire a new athletic director before it hires a new head coach. Who that athletic director is and what their philosophy is are going to be important to the head coaching hire.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg came up with a list of potential coaching candidates at Georgia Tech, anyway. This group all makes some level of sense, either because of their scheme, experience, or both.

ESPN’s coaching candidates for Georgia Tech

Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina head coach

The Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell has had tons of success with the Chanticleers. He’s relatively young and runs a modern-day variation on the triple option. He makes sense in every way, except for Power 5 experience.

Bill O’Brien, Alabama offensive coordinator

With experience as both an NFL and college head coach, and now time as Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator, Bill O’Brien is going to be in the conversation for a lot of jobs. Georgia Tech is one of them.

Todd Monken, Georgia offensive coordinator

The Georgia offensive coordinator has worked in both college and the NFL. He also turned Stetson Bennett into a Heisman-contending quarterback. Add experience recruiting in Georgia and he makes a lot of sense.

Dell McGee, Georgia running backs coach

You would hire Dell McGee if you’re looking for a coach who knows the state of Georgia incredibly well. It would be a big jump from position coach to head coach, though.

Deion Sanders, Jackson State head coach

Deion Sanders has earned the right to be considered for Power 5 coaching opportunities. Putting him in Atlanta sounds incredibly exciting.

Jeff Monken, Army head coach

The triple option coach at Army, Jeff Monken has turned Army into a consistently good program. That’s an incredibly tall task that Georgia Tech would hope he can replicate.

Bill Clark, former UAB head coach

Bill Clark, quite literally, built UAB from the ground up, staying on to rebuild the program once it was shut down. He stepped away from UAB due to chronic back problems but could return to coaching.

Troy Calhoun, Air Force head coach

Another military school coach who would make sense if Georgia Tech wanted to go back to the triple option, Calhoun has been excellent at building up Air Force.

Thomas Brown, Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach

He’s young, he’s an offensive assistant under Sean McVay, and he has experience as a college coordinator. As an under-the-radar candidate, he makes sense.

Josh Gattis, Miami offensive coordinator

Josh Gattis is an up and coming coach, who won the Broyles Award in 2021. He has experience throughout the Southeastern United States and is currently working in the ACC.