Georgia Tech’s previous football coach has found a new gig.
North Carolina football announced Friday that Geoff Collins has been hired as the program’s defensive coordinator. Collins was fired by Tech in September 2022 after going 10-28 with the Yellow Jackets. Collins’ final five losses at Tech were by a combined score of 210-20.
Tech travels to North Carolina during the 2024 season.
“Throughout the course of my career, I’ve been tabbed by others as one of the elite defensive coaches in college football,” Collins said in December 2021 after his final full season at Tech. “And for me to be able to use that expertise to help (former defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker) help the defensive staff, I’m going to use it to the fullest of my abilities to help.”
A Rockdale County High School graduate, Collins had been a defensive coordinator at Western Carolina (his alma mater), Florida International, Mississippi State and Florida, respectively, before becoming coach at Temple for the 2017-18 seasons.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Geoff Collins, his wife Jennifer, and their daughter Astrid to the Carolina football family,” UNC coach Mack Brown said in a release. “Geoff is a brilliant defensive mind, who has been successful at a number of different locations as both a head coach and a coordinator. His experience shows that he knows what it takes to lead the men in our program, and he’ll utilize that experience for the benefit of our defense.
“We were blown away when we interviewed Geoff. He was unbelievably prepared. He had watched all of our games, knew our personnel, and pinpointed the items he’d implement to improve our players and the defensive unit as a whole. I can’t wait to get Geoff and his family to Chapel Hill and get to work.”
Added Collins via a release: “My family and I want to thank Coach Brown and the staff at UNC for presenting us with this opportunity. I’ve long admired Carolina and know what a truly special place it is. I feel honored and am very excited to get to work with the high-quality student-athletes in Chapel Hill. This past year has been a very valuable experience personally, studying the game from a unique perspective, following the trends, and preparing for my next coaching position. I’m ready for this challenge. I’m excited for this challenge, and I can’t wait to get to Chapel Hill and get started.”
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