CFB notebook: Georgia Tech hires Collins as coach

Georgia Tech found its replacement for Paul Johnson, naming Geoff Collins of Temple as its new head coach. The school confirmed the hiring of Collins on Friday, just over a week after Johnson announced his plans to retire after 11 years with the Yellow Jackets. Collins, a native of Atlanta, guided Temple to an 8-4 record and 7-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference this season. The 47-year-old Collins compiled a 15-10 mark in two seasons with Temple -- the most victories by any coach in his first two years at the school. Temple also earned bowl appearances in each of Collins' two seasons. The Owls defeated Florida International 28-3 in the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl -- the school's first bowl win since 2011. Temple will play Duke in the upcoming Independence Bowl. Before taking over at Temple, Collins spent his previous four seasons with two Southeastern Conference schools. He served as a defensive coordinator for two years at both Florida and Mississippi State. Collins' first coaching position was at Georgia Tech from 1999 to 2001 as a graduate assistant and tight ends coach. He returned to Georgia Tech and served as a recruiting coordinator in 2006. He is the only coach to be nominated for the Broyles Award -- given to the nation's top assistant -- with three different schools. Johnson was a three-time ACC Coach of the Year who guided the Yellow Jackets to an 82-59 record in 11 seasons. Georgia Tech won four division championships and the 2009 ACC conference title under Johnson. The Yellow Jackets were 7-4 in 2018, losing to rival Georgia in the regular-season finale. --Kansas freshman running back Pooka Williams was suspended by the school after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery. Williams was arrested by university police on Thursday. "We are aware of a reported incident involving Pooka Williams and we are taking these allegations very seriously," Jayhawks coach Les Miles said in a statement Friday, per the Kansas City Star. "We have suspended Pooka from all team-related activities pending further investigation." The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Williams rushed for 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns on 161 carries and had 33 receptions and two scores in 2018. He rushed for more than 100 yards in four of his 11 games, including a season-high 252 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries against powerhouse Oklahoma on Nov. 17. Named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, Williams ranked sixth in the FBS in all-purpose yards with an average of 150.9 yards per game. He led the Big 12 with 246 yards on 11 kick returns. --Former Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze is expected to be named the next head coach at Liberty, multiple media outlets reported. Freeze resigned from Ole Miss in July 2017 after off-field issues of his personal life surfaced. Liberty is seeking a replacement for Turner Gill, who on Monday announced his retirement from coaching. In a statement released through the school, Gill noted that wife was dealing with a heart condition. Liberty completed its first season as an FBS program at 6-6. Freeze parted ways with Ole Miss after the university found records of phone calls from Freeze to an escort service on his school-issued cell phone. He had previously received a one-year show-cause penalty and a two-game suspension from the NCAA for failure to monitor his staff. The NCAA accused Ole Miss of 15 Level I violations, including lack of institutional control, during Freeze's tenure. The school is banned from playing in a bowl again next season and the Rebels also received additional scholarship deductions in the ruling the university received from the NCAA committee on infractions. --Josh Heupel needed only one season to merit a contract extension at Central Florida. After guiding the Golden Knights to a 12-0 record and an American Athletic Conference championship, he was rewarded with a contract extension by the school on Friday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the new agreement will run through January 2024, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Heupel was hired last December to replace Scott Frost, who left Central Florida to return to his alma mater at Nebraska. Frost left Heupel with a hard act to follow after guiding the Golden Knights to a 13-0 mark and a conference championship. Frost also took many of his assistant coaches with him to Nebraska. Heupel spent two seasons as offensive coordinator at Missouri before he was tabbed as Frost's successor. Under Heupel's watch, Missouri improved from 124th nationally in offense to 13th in 2016.