Georgia Tech hires Collins away from Temple

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 longtime coach 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 a pair of 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 1999-2001, when he was a graduate assistant and tight ends coach at the school. 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 crown under Johnson. The Yellow Jackets were 7-4 in 2018, losing to rival Georgia in the regular-season finale.