Coach With Impressive Track Record Heads Up Tech Football

Coach With Impressive Track Record Heads Up Tech Football

An Atlanta-area native and former Georgia Tech football staff member, who also led Temple University to two bowl games in two seasons as the Owls’ head coach, is Tech’s 20th football head coach.

Geoff Collins compiled a 15–10 record in his two seasons at Temple, including an 8–4 record and 7–1 mark in the American Athletic Conference in 2018. His 15 victories at Temple were the most ever by a head coach in the first two seasons at the school.

Prior to becoming head coach at Temple, Collins was one of the nation’s most respected defensive coordinators, serving in the role at Florida (2015–16), Mississippi State (2013–14, co-defensive coordinator: 2011–12), FIU (2010), and his alma mater, Western Carolina (2002–05).

Collins’ 26-year career also includes stints at Georgia Tech, first as a graduate assistant and tight ends coach under head coach George O’Leary from 1999–2001, then as director of player personnel under head coach Chan Gailey in 2006. During his first assignment at Tech, the Yellow Jackets were 25–12 with three-consecutive bowl appearances during those three seasons, which were capped with a 24–14 victory over Stanford in the 2001 Seattle Bowl. As a recruiter, he helped Georgia Tech land the highest-rated recruiting class in program history in 2006 and, in 2007, helped Alabama sign the No. 1 class in the nation, which included running back Mark Ingram, who went on to become the first Heisman Trophy winner in Crimson Tide history in 2009.

As a student-athlete, Collins totaled 194 career tackles as an outside linebacker and defensive back at Western Carolina (1989–92).

Yellow Jackets to Play Home Games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Yellow Jackets to Play Home Games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Georgia Tech Athletics, AMB Sports & Entertainment, and Peach Bowl Inc. have entered into an agreement that will allow for Georgia Tech football to play one home game per year at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, from 2020 to 2024, as follows:

• 2020 – Nov. 14 vs. Notre Dame
• 2021 – Date/opponent TBA
• 2022 – Sept. 5 (Labor Day) vs. Clemson – Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
• 2023 – Date/opponent TBA
• 2024 – Oct. 19 vs. Notre Dame

Located less than one mile from the Tech campus, Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017 and is one of the world’s premier sports venues. In addition to being home of the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and the 2018 Major League Soccer champion Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium also hosted Super Bowl LIII and the 2018 College Football Playoff championship game. In addition, it will be the site of the 2020 NCAA Final Four, with Georgia Tech serving as the host institution.

“The city of Atlanta goes hand in hand with the brand of Georgia Tech football, so taking advantage of the opportunity to play in Atlanta’s premier sports venue on an annual basis is a great development for our program. Being able to play the majority of our home games in the greatest setting in all of college football, Bobby Dodd Stadium, while also having the opportunity to showcase our program in one of the finest facilities in the entire world — located nine-tenths of a mile from our campus — each season is a win-win and will be a unique feature of Georgia Tech football. It will be great motivation for our team, exciting for our fans, and a great selling point for recruits to play on a stage as big as Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” said head football coach Geoff Collins.

All Teams Above National Average on NCAA Academic Progress Rate

All Teams Above National Average on NCAA Academic Progress Rate

Each of Georgia Tech’s 15 athletics programs boasts a multiyear NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) higher than the national average in their respective sports, according to data released by the NCAA. Georgia Tech is the only institution from a Power Five conference (Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, Southeastern Conference) that has a multiyear APR higher than the national average in each of its sports.

APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams. It measures eligibility, graduation, and retention each academic term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport. The most recent multiyear scores are based on the 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, and 2017–18 academic years.

APR scores are measured on a scale of 1,000 with the threshold for penalties set at 930. In the latest APR data, two Georgia Tech teams (golf and men’s tennis) posted perfect multiyear scores of 1,000. In addition, 14 out of 15 programs had scores of 980 or higher, and all 15 of the Yellow Jackets’ squads came in at 971 or higher.

Six teams (women’s basketball, men’s cross country, football, golf, men’s tennis, and women’s track and field) have multiyear APR scores that are 10 or more points higher than the national average for their sports.

Additionally, six of Tech’s 15 programs recorded a perfect single-year APR for 2017–18: baseball, men’s basketball, golf, softball, women’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis.

“Each of our sports having an APR that is higher than the national average is a great point of pride for our athletics department and our Institute,” Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said. “I congratulate and thank our student-athletes and coaches for their continued dedication to academics, and also thank our academic support staff, as well as the Institute’s administration and professors, for all that they do to help develop our student-athletes — the young people who will change the world.”

Stansbury also singled out two Georgia Tech programs (golf and men’s tennis) for receiving NCAA Public Recognition Awards for ranking among the top 10 nationally in their respective sports.

Junior and Sophomore Named to All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team

Junior and Sophomore Named to All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team

Georgia Tech women’s basketball junior Francesca Pan and sophomore Kierra Fletcher were named to the 2018–19 All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team.

This is the third consecutive year Pan has been honored on the All-ACC Academic Team; she becomes the first Yellow Jacket in women’s basketball history to earn the recognition three times. The accolade is the first for Fletcher.

Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative grade point average for the entire academic career. Athletic achievements for the 2018–19 season were also considered.