ESPN Article on our Program Direction

BuckNasty

Damn Good Rat
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
1,167
Finished 9th in the AP in 98 under GOL. We did have 5 straight top 25 finishes in at least one poll under him. CGC is using a little hyperbole on that point.
Ok, if one wants to talk about some ranking consistency, I can see that under O'Leary. Gailey never did much but had some years where games could have flipped on a dime or so. Pat Nix.

CPJ had some great highs but the later years of inconsistency had seemed to take a toll on fanbase interest. I wish we could get away from this narrative that seems like we have been in the wilderness for that last 11 years; in no way is that accurate.
 

GTRules

You’re Mamma
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Messages
46,040
Ok, if one wants to talk about some ranking consistency, I can see that under O'Leary. Gailey never did much but had some years where games could have flipped on a dime or so. Pat Nix.

CPJ had some great highs but the later years of inconsistency had seemed to take a toll on fanbase interest. I wish we could get away from this narrative that seems like we have been in the wilderness for that last 11 years; in no way is that accurate.
Didn't we also get into some academic trouble under O'Leary?
 

GEETEELEE

We suck this much.
Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
37,129
The hype is fun. CGC has certainly changed the culture here and in a good way. People are sitting up and taking notice.

Recruiting has improved as well, but it’s an uptick not a revolution. That’s ok at this point. He’s got people’s attention and doing a great job promoting GT.

However, he’s got to have a demonstratively upgrade to this season and next to make this hype turn into an elite program. That doesn’t necessarily mean a big W/L improvement, but being competitive in big games...moral victories, if you prefer. And it can’t be a one-off. Losing to Clemson, then getting blown out by UGag won’t help, but being in a position to win against 3 or 4 perceptively “superior” programs could put GT into a position to make yet another uptick in recruiting. Note, I’m talking only this year and next only.

Since Dodd (and including Dodd to some extent) we’ve made strides under Ross, O’Leary, Gailey (sorta) and Johnson only to prove unsustainable. If Collins can string together 2 or (omg)3 seasons of ACC championships (I’m talking about winning the championship game) with one or two playoff appearances, he may actually be able to make this into an actual elite program.

I’m excited and optimistic, but also trying to remain realistic... GT has a habit of chewing up and spitting out coaches.
 

savbandjacket

Dr. SBJ
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
29,100
The hype is fun. CGC has certainly changed the culture here and in a good way. People are sitting up and taking notice.

Recruiting has improved as well, but it’s an uptick not a revolution. That’s ok at this point. He’s got people’s attention and doing a great job promoting GT.

However, he’s got to have a demonstratively upgrade to this season and next to make this hype turn into an elite program. That doesn’t necessarily mean a big W/L improvement, but being competitive in big games...moral victories, if you prefer. And it can’t be a one-off. Losing to Clemson, then getting blown out by UGag won’t help, but being in a position to win against 3 or 4 perceptively “superior” programs could put GT into a position to make yet another uptick in recruiting. Note, I’m talking only this year and next only.

Since Dodd (and including Dodd to some extent) we’ve made strides under Ross, O’Leary, Gailey (sorta) and Johnson only to prove unsustainable. If Collins can string together 2 or (omg)3 seasons of ACC championships (I’m talking about winning the championship game) with one or two playoff appearances, he may actually be able to make this into an actual elite program.

I’m excited and optimistic, but also trying to remain realistic... GT has a habit of chewing up and spitting out coaches.
I don’t expect him to change the direction of the team like flipping a switch. It’s more like turning a barge. If he’s getting the barge turned to the right direction, I’ll be happy. So far he seems to be doing that by getting us in the conversation with better caliber recruits.
 

OptionJacket

Damn Good Rat
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
1,160
I agree with all above stated. I think the recruiting will definitely take off come 2021. I say that because our staff is all about recruiting. It is basically Collins and Key’s identity in college football and they both know their future is tied to it. I also think kids are always looking for the next cool thing and there is zero doubt that GT is becoming that. No, we probably won’t get the 5 stars that Bama or UGA get but with FSU being down, Auburn being stagnant, and 3 teams dominating the southeast right now, I can see GT becoming a great alternative for kids that in the past looked at UT, Auburn, SC, FSU, etc. And if Kirby doesn’t get it done soon that monkey will get heavier and heavier. That is why I have the utmost respect for Dabo. He played to his strength and destroyed their monkey. So far, Collins is playing to his strength. To me the only question I have is can Patenaude do the job cause I think our defense will be way better and I think special teams will be a strength.
 

thegtstunner08

Earl of Cheap Seats and Cold Pizza
Joined
Aug 21, 2014
Messages
2,747
Lol. Choose to believe what you wish. Truth is, the previous regime was lazy on the recruiting trails compared to the current
I don't think they were lazy, I think it was more of the "pro style" kids didn't want to play in PJ's system. Coach McCollum recruited his tail off for this team.
 

OptionJacket

Damn Good Rat
Joined
Dec 31, 2017
Messages
1,160
I agree about McCollum. And I wish he would have been retained. But, the problem was we only had one with that mindset. We now have entire staff on a mission with a mandate. I’m sure McCollum respects these guys because he knows how tough it is in the trenches of high school recruiting.
 

User 10337

Guest
Joined
Oct 9, 2012
Messages
0
For all of you guys that like watching "football" where 7 guys get spread out and we end up handing it to the running back on a draw play every down, I hope you are ready for GT football 2019 and beyond. It could work, and the recruits have been solid, but I seem to remember a brand of football pre 2008 where the offense was ööööing boring and couldn't move the ball.

We are going to bash the öööö out of people with our run game. Guarantee it
 

User 10337

Guest
Joined
Oct 9, 2012
Messages
0
Maybe if he had told his staff to visit some of the high school within driving distance of campus, things would have been different. It is appalling that there are schools with D1 talent that haven’t heard from a GT coach in 10 years.
I TRIED TO TELL YOU GUISE
 

User 10337

Guest
Joined
Oct 9, 2012
Messages
0
I don't believe that happened. I think what those HS coaches mean is something like, "Great to finally get our due from GT coaches." It's a combination of mutual suspicion + limited resources, or something like that.
You’re wrong, lawyer dude.
 

interchange

Jolly Good Fellow
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
1,563
The hype is fun. CGC has certainly changed the culture here and in a good way. People are sitting up and taking notice.

Recruiting has improved as well, but it’s an uptick not a revolution. That’s ok at this point. He’s got people’s attention and doing a great job promoting GT.

However, he’s got to have a demonstratively upgrade to this season and next to make this hype turn into an elite program. That doesn’t necessarily mean a big W/L improvement, but being competitive in big games...moral victories, if you prefer. And it can’t be a one-off. Losing to Clemson, then getting blown out by UGag won’t help, but being in a position to win against 3 or 4 perceptively “superior” programs could put GT into a position to make yet another uptick in recruiting. Note, I’m talking only this year and next only.

Since Dodd (and including Dodd to some extent) we’ve made strides under Ross, O’Leary, Gailey (sorta) and Johnson only to prove unsustainable. If Collins can string together 2 or (omg)3 seasons of ACC championships (I’m talking about winning the championship game) with one or two playoff appearances, he may actually be able to make this into an actual elite program.

I’m excited and optimistic, but also trying to remain realistic... GT has a habit of chewing up and spitting out coaches.
The thing about Dodd was his emphasis on character. He didn't have many rules, but he did enforce them regardless of who it was. He put character ahead of results, and results followed.

CGC seems of a similar mold although trying to do well on so many aspects of his job. Who knows how it will all shake out. It is clear that he has been wanting this opportunity, specifically at Tech, for a long time and has clearly shown he's following very extensive plans with what he is doing. Much of that is culture oriented, and he's definitely invested in his players at a level much deeper than football. That's huge. Also focused on building guys up and not dwelling on deficiencies. We don't really know what we got until we start playing games, but it's reasonable to think there will need to be several years of roster turnover before we have a chance to get where Collins sees us. Hopefully the momentum can be sustained and the culture reinforces itself over time even if there are tough losses.

On the upside, I think the roster can be competitive at the level we have been over the last several years.
 
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