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Head coaches to watch
Deion Sanders, head coach, Jackson State
Let’s start with the biggest name in the mix by a mile. The 55-year old is 15-2 the past two seasons at FCS Jackson State and he was honored with the Eddie Robinson Award as the season’s top FCS head coach. He’s upgraded that roster dramatically and gobbled up big-name recruits who probably never would’ve thought of going to Jackson State. Last December, he pulled off the biggest recruiting win perhaps in the history of the sport when he get five-star athlete Travis Hunter to flip from Florida State.
Sanders’ name carries a ton of weight, especially in the Deep South. He would get recruits and their families to pay attention if the former Falcons and Braves star returned to Atlanta. He’s also proven he can get results on the field as well in the past couple of seasons. Folks who have worked with Sanders rave about his work ethic and his ability to connect with people. Four months ago, it seemed like there was a chance Sanders might be in play to take over down the road at his alma mater Florida State, but with how well Mike Norvell has things going in Tallahassee, Georgia Tech seems a likelier destination — although Auburn might also get in the running for his services before too long.
Jeff Monken, head coach, Army
Monken is probably as close to Paul Johnson as Tech could get if it wants to go back in that direction. Monken, 55, coached at Georgia Tech as an assistant before going 38-16 as a head coach at Georgia Southern. He’s done an amazing job at at Army, posting a top-20 season in 2018. Over the past five years, he’s beaten Air Force and Navy four times apiece. He’s also won four bowl games. The big question: Does Tech want to go back to that style of offense after Johnson’s exit?
Jamey Chadwell, head coach, Coastal Carolina
If Tech wants a version of the option but a much different style, Chadwell might be a more attractive option. The 45-year-old from Tennessee is one of the more creative coaches in Division I; he is 26-3 the past three seasons and his Chanticleers finished No. 14 in 2020. He might be an ideal fit for a program looking to counter-punch in this loaded region.
Charles Huff, head coach, Marshall
Huff is only in his second season as a head coach but he’s a name to keep an eye on. Huff, 9-8 at Marshall, has spent a lot of time in the area and coached at a high academic Power 5 program, Vanderbilt. He’ll likely get some consideration. The 39-year-old has coached in the NFL and also been a key assistant at top programs (Alabama and Penn State) and has impressed people inside and around those programs. Huff had a big win earlier this season, leading Marshall over Notre Dame in South Bend despite the Thundering Herd being without their best player, Rasheen Ali.
Sean Lewis, head coach, Kent State
The 36-year-old took over a terrible program and has built it into one of the MAC’s better teams. After a run of six losing seasons, Lewis sparked the school to its first-ever bowl win. Lewis has really impressed people around the sport who have gotten to know him and see what he’s about. I think he could be also in play at Arizona State. His team is 1-3 right now, but those losses all came on the road and against top 15 opponents: Washington, Oklahoma and Georgia. It probably didn’t hurt Lewis’ cause that Kent State gave the Bulldogs some problems in Athens before losing 39-22. If he gets his team rolling again this season heading into MAC play, expect his stock to rise pretty quickly.
Three offensive coordinators to watch
Bill O’Brien, Alabama
We hear O’Brien, a former Georgia Tech assistant, is definitely high on Nebraska’s list — but this is a school he knows very well. O’Brien is well-versed in massive overhauls, given his experience taking over a horrific situation at Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien did well stabilizing Penn State, going 15-9 in two seasons before returning to the NFL. Last year, he helped Bryce Young win the Heisman. Would O’Brien fire up Tech fans and recruits as much as some of the other candidates though? I’m not so sure.
Todd Monken, Georgia
The 56-year-old helped Georgia win the national title last year and has generated some buzz with his creative ways of getting star tight end Brock Bowers more touches in the run game. A former NFL OC, Monken did an outstanding job as a head coach at Southern Miss, taking the Golden Eagles from 1-11 his first year to 9-5 in his third season despite a lot of administrative challenges. He obviously knows this area well. Taking a top assistant from the arch-rival might be very attractive to Georgia Tech.
Alex Atkins, Florida State
Atkins has risen up the ranks pretty quickly and has played a huge role in Norvell getting FSU in the right direction. Atkins, who also has experience at a high academic program from his time as Tulane’s associate head coach, had to rebuild a dreadful Seminole offensive line room, and he did just that. He has helped Norvell run the offense as FSU’s OC. We expect him to get some head coaching looks this winter.
Other names to watch
Georgia run game coordinator Dell McGee could be in the mix. The 49-year-old has been in consideration for some Group of Five jobs recently. The Georgia native is a former local high school coach who would recruit very well locally and has a lot of ties in the state.
Eric Henderson, the LA Rams defensive line coach/run game coordinator, is an NFL option. The 39-year-old former Georgia Tech defensive end helped the Rams win a Super Bowl last year and has a bright future.
Bill Clark, UAB’s former head coach, is a wild card option. Clark recently stepped down due to back issues. He went 49-26 as a head coach and did stellar work at UAB in a really tough spot. If he’s feeling better and ready to jump in, Georgia Tech might give him some consideration.
Deion Sanders, head coach, Jackson State
Let’s start with the biggest name in the mix by a mile. The 55-year old is 15-2 the past two seasons at FCS Jackson State and he was honored with the Eddie Robinson Award as the season’s top FCS head coach. He’s upgraded that roster dramatically and gobbled up big-name recruits who probably never would’ve thought of going to Jackson State. Last December, he pulled off the biggest recruiting win perhaps in the history of the sport when he get five-star athlete Travis Hunter to flip from Florida State.
Sanders’ name carries a ton of weight, especially in the Deep South. He would get recruits and their families to pay attention if the former Falcons and Braves star returned to Atlanta. He’s also proven he can get results on the field as well in the past couple of seasons. Folks who have worked with Sanders rave about his work ethic and his ability to connect with people. Four months ago, it seemed like there was a chance Sanders might be in play to take over down the road at his alma mater Florida State, but with how well Mike Norvell has things going in Tallahassee, Georgia Tech seems a likelier destination — although Auburn might also get in the running for his services before too long.
Jeff Monken, head coach, Army
Monken is probably as close to Paul Johnson as Tech could get if it wants to go back in that direction. Monken, 55, coached at Georgia Tech as an assistant before going 38-16 as a head coach at Georgia Southern. He’s done an amazing job at at Army, posting a top-20 season in 2018. Over the past five years, he’s beaten Air Force and Navy four times apiece. He’s also won four bowl games. The big question: Does Tech want to go back to that style of offense after Johnson’s exit?
Jamey Chadwell, head coach, Coastal Carolina
If Tech wants a version of the option but a much different style, Chadwell might be a more attractive option. The 45-year-old from Tennessee is one of the more creative coaches in Division I; he is 26-3 the past three seasons and his Chanticleers finished No. 14 in 2020. He might be an ideal fit for a program looking to counter-punch in this loaded region.
Charles Huff, head coach, Marshall
Huff is only in his second season as a head coach but he’s a name to keep an eye on. Huff, 9-8 at Marshall, has spent a lot of time in the area and coached at a high academic Power 5 program, Vanderbilt. He’ll likely get some consideration. The 39-year-old has coached in the NFL and also been a key assistant at top programs (Alabama and Penn State) and has impressed people inside and around those programs. Huff had a big win earlier this season, leading Marshall over Notre Dame in South Bend despite the Thundering Herd being without their best player, Rasheen Ali.
Sean Lewis, head coach, Kent State
The 36-year-old took over a terrible program and has built it into one of the MAC’s better teams. After a run of six losing seasons, Lewis sparked the school to its first-ever bowl win. Lewis has really impressed people around the sport who have gotten to know him and see what he’s about. I think he could be also in play at Arizona State. His team is 1-3 right now, but those losses all came on the road and against top 15 opponents: Washington, Oklahoma and Georgia. It probably didn’t hurt Lewis’ cause that Kent State gave the Bulldogs some problems in Athens before losing 39-22. If he gets his team rolling again this season heading into MAC play, expect his stock to rise pretty quickly.
Three offensive coordinators to watch
Bill O’Brien, Alabama
We hear O’Brien, a former Georgia Tech assistant, is definitely high on Nebraska’s list — but this is a school he knows very well. O’Brien is well-versed in massive overhauls, given his experience taking over a horrific situation at Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien did well stabilizing Penn State, going 15-9 in two seasons before returning to the NFL. Last year, he helped Bryce Young win the Heisman. Would O’Brien fire up Tech fans and recruits as much as some of the other candidates though? I’m not so sure.
Todd Monken, Georgia
The 56-year-old helped Georgia win the national title last year and has generated some buzz with his creative ways of getting star tight end Brock Bowers more touches in the run game. A former NFL OC, Monken did an outstanding job as a head coach at Southern Miss, taking the Golden Eagles from 1-11 his first year to 9-5 in his third season despite a lot of administrative challenges. He obviously knows this area well. Taking a top assistant from the arch-rival might be very attractive to Georgia Tech.
Alex Atkins, Florida State
Atkins has risen up the ranks pretty quickly and has played a huge role in Norvell getting FSU in the right direction. Atkins, who also has experience at a high academic program from his time as Tulane’s associate head coach, had to rebuild a dreadful Seminole offensive line room, and he did just that. He has helped Norvell run the offense as FSU’s OC. We expect him to get some head coaching looks this winter.
Other names to watch
Georgia run game coordinator Dell McGee could be in the mix. The 49-year-old has been in consideration for some Group of Five jobs recently. The Georgia native is a former local high school coach who would recruit very well locally and has a lot of ties in the state.
Eric Henderson, the LA Rams defensive line coach/run game coordinator, is an NFL option. The 39-year-old former Georgia Tech defensive end helped the Rams win a Super Bowl last year and has a bright future.
Bill Clark, UAB’s former head coach, is a wild card option. Clark recently stepped down due to back issues. He went 49-26 as a head coach and did stellar work at UAB in a really tough spot. If he’s feeling better and ready to jump in, Georgia Tech might give him some consideration.
