While not a surprise, Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury confirmed that coach Geoff Collins will return for a fourth season Wednesday night. Stansbury made the declaration on Collins’ radio show on The Fan.
“I have my man,” Stansbury told Tech broadcaster Andy Demetra.
Stansbury spoke with Demetra for the second half of the hour-long show, offering his perspective on the state of the team and his support of Collins. While calling the season painful, frustrating, disappointing and not acceptable for “anybody associated with this program,” Stansbury said that the team is close to winning.
“But now it’s time where, how do we get over the hump?” Stansbury said.
Stansbury, who hired Collins in December 2018 following the retirement of Paul Johnson, addressed the need to add more talent and develop more depth. He spoke optimistically about the next recruiting class and the need for players on the roster to develop strength and heal in the offseason.
He also made mention of the number of close losses that the Jackets have suffered this season. The Jackets, who go into the final game of the season Saturday against No. 1 Georgia with a record of 3-8, have had six losses in which they had a possession to either tie the score or take the lead in the fourth quarter.
“Between the offense and defense and special teams, we’ve got to shrink that differential,” Stansbury said. “And if we can do that by 10 points, you’re looking at a totally different season. Where Coach is dialing in on what do, we need to do to close that differential, and it’s my job as the athletic director to give him and our players the resources they need to be successful to do that.”
Through three seasons, Collins has a record of 9-24, a winning percentage (.273) that is the lowest in school history for any full-time coach. With a loss to the Bulldogs, Collins would have three three-win seasons to start his Tech tenure.
As the Jackets’ season has turned south – they are on a five-game losing streak, including a 55-point loss at Notre Dame on Saturday – heat on Collins and fan disapproval has increased, although it was believed that the chance of Stansbury dismissing him was small. The possibility of replacing assistant coaches, including coordinators, seems a given, however.
Stansbury’s decision will not be received well by a portion, perhaps a large one, of the Tech fan base. And Stansbury’s aligning himself with Collins more closely links his job security with his coach’s success.
He seemed well aware of fans’ displeasure with Collins. He spoke of the importance of stability to have long-term success. Collins will now go into his fourth season with much higher expectations with his athletic director tethered to him.
“I know he’s going to review kind of what it is that we need to do, where we are falling short, where there are holes in what we’re doing and we’re going to work together to get those things fixed,” Stansbury said.
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