Geoff Collins (American football)

Last updated

Geoff Collins
Current position
Title Defensive coordinator
Team North Carolina
Conference ACC
Biographical details
Born (1971-04-10) April 10, 1971 (age 53)
Conyers, Georgia, U.S.
Playing career
1989–1992 Western Carolina
Position(s) Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1993–1994 Western Carolina (assistant)
1995 Franklin HS (NC) (assistant)
1996 Fordham (LB)
1997–1998 Albright (DC)
1999–2001 Georgia Tech (GA)
2002–2005Western Carolina (DC)
2006Georgia Tech (RC)
2007 Alabama (DPP)
2008–2009 UCF (LB/RC)
2010 FIU (DC)
2011–2012 Mississippi State (co-DC)
2013–2014Mississippi State (DC)
2015–2016 Florida (DC)
2017–2018 Temple
2019–2022Georgia Tech
2024–present North Carolina (DC)
Head coaching record
Overall25–38
Bowls1–0

William Geoffrey Collins (born April 10, 1971) [1] is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to the Tar Heels, he was head coach at Georgia Tech from December 7, 2018, to September 25, 2022. He was previously the head coach at Temple University, [2] and had served in the past as defensive coordinator for the University of Florida and Mississippi State University. [3]

Contents

Coaching career

Early career

Collins graduated from Rockdale County High School in Conyers, Georgia, where he played for coach and mentor Bob Smith. He went on to play football at Western Carolina University. [4] Following his graduation, Collins served as a student assistant at Western Carolina, his alma mater, during the 1993 and 1994 seasons. Following a year coaching high school, Collins became the linebacker coach for Fordham in 1996 before becoming the defensive coordinator at Albright College from 1997 through 1998. Collins left Albright to become a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech under George O'Leary for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. Following two years in the GA position, Georgia Tech promoted Collins to tight ends coach at for the 2001 season. Collins returned to his alma mater to become Western Carolina's defensive coordinator from 2002 through 2005 before returning to Georgia Tech in 2006 as the Director of Player Personnel. After a year at Alabama as the Director of Player Personnel, Collins was terminated and reunited with O'Leary at UCF as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2008 through 2009.

FIU (2010)

Collins served as the defensive coordinator for Florida International during the 2010 season. Collins' defense led the Sun Belt Conference in total defense, scoring defense and turnover margin. [1]

Mississippi State (2011–2014)

Collins coached at Mississippi State from 2011 through 2014. During that time, Collins coached All-American Fletcher Cox, who was drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. Upon being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2013, Collins helped lead a Bulldogs team that finished in the Top 5 in the SEC in total defense, rushing defense and passing defense. In 2014, Collins' Mississippi State defense led the SEC in sacks and had the conference's No. 1 Red Zone defense en route to a 10-3 record.

Florida (2015–2016)

Collins spent two years as the defensive coordinator at Florida underneath Jim McElwain. While with the Gators, Collins oversaw a defense that ranked No. 6 in scoring defense in 2016 and No. 11 in 2015. [5] During the 2015 season, Collins' defense became just the seventh team in the last 20 years to not allow a touchdown against three FBS Power 5 schools on the road in the same season. [1] During his time at Florida, Collins coached five defensive players that were drafted in the 2016 NFL draft and produced a consensus All-American in Vernon Hargreaves. Hargreaves and safety Keanu Neal were drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Following the 2015 season, Collins was a candidate to replace O'Leary as the head coach at UCF. [6] Collins interviewed for the position that ultimately went to Scott Frost. [7]

Temple (2017–2018)

Collins secured his first head coaching job in December 2016 when he was named Matt Rhule's successor at Temple. Collins had previously worked alongside Rhule at Albright College and Western Carolina. [8]

In Collins' first season, Temple went 7–6 and won the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl, the program's first bowl win since 2011 and just its third bowl win overall. [9]

In his second season, the Owls started off 0-2 but finished the regular season 8–4 overall and 7–1 in conference play. The Owls qualified for the 2018 Independence Bowl as a result. Along the way, Collins surpassed Steve Addazio as the winningest Temple coach over the first two seasons of their tenure at the school.

Georgia Tech (2019–2022)

On December 7, 2018, Collins was named the 20th head coach of Georgia Tech football. [10] Collins won three games in each of his first three seasons with the Yellow Jackets, including losing to The Citadel, which ran the triple option that Collins has criticized. In 2021, Collins ended his losing streak to FCS opponents when Georgia Tech defeated Kennesaw State. Collins never won back to back games at Georgia Tech. Following a 1-3 start to the 2022 season, and being out scored 210-20 over the final 5 games of his tenure against FBS opponents, Collins was fired by the Yellow Jackets. Collins finished with the worst winning percentage of any permanent head coach in the program's history. [11] Assistant head coach Brent Key took over as interim head coach. [12]

North Carolina (2024–present)

After the dismissal of previous defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, Collins was hired by Mack Brown to fill the vacant defensive coordinator position in Chapel Hill. [13]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Temple Owls (American Athletic Conference)(2017–2018)
2017 Temple 7–64–43rd (East)W Gasparilla
2018 Temple 8–47–12nd (East) Independence [a]
Temple:15–1011–5
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (Atlantic Coast Conference)(2019–2022)
2019 Georgia Tech 3–92–67th (Coastal)
2020 Georgia Tech 3–73–612th
2021 Georgia Tech 3–92–66th (Coastal)
2022 Georgia Tech 1–3 [b] 0–1(Coastal)
Georgia Tech:10–287–19
Total:25–38
  1. ↑ Collins resigned prior to the bowl game
  2. ↑ Georgia Tech fired Collins after four games

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Roof</span> American football player and coach (born 1963)

Terrence Edwin Roof Jr. is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the UCF Knights. He previously served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Oklahoma. Roof served as the head football coach at Duke University from 2003 to 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Shannon</span> American football player and coach (born 1966)

Randy Leonard Shannon is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for Florida State University, positions he has held since 2022. Shannon was the head coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010 and has served as an assistant coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Miami Dolphins and several college teams, including stints as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes, the Florida Gators, and the UCF Knights. He won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top collegiate assistant coach while at Miami in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCF Knights football</span> Football team representing the University of Central Florida

The UCF Knights football team represents the University of Central Florida in the sport of American football. The Knights compete in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The Knights play their home games at the 45,301-seat FBC Mortgage Stadium, which is located on UCF's main campus in Orlando, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Owls football</span> Football team of Temple University

The Temple Owls football team represents Temple University in the sport of college football. The Temple Owls compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They play their home games at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Phillip Snow is an American football coach who was the senior defensive analyst for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers from 2020 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus Malzahn</span> American football player and coach (born 1965)

Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator at Florida State. He was the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF) from 2021 to 2024, Auburn University from 2013 to 2020, and Arkansas State in 2012. He also served as offensive coordinator at Auburn from 2009 to 2011; in that role, he helped lead the 2010 Auburn Tigers to a national championship victory. As head coach at Auburn, he led the team to a SEC Championship win and an appearance in the 2014 National Championship. Malzahn has coached Heisman winner Cam Newton and two Heisman candidates: Nick Marshall and Tre Mason, including coaching 14 All-Americans. During Malzahn's tenure at Auburn, he was the second-longest tenured head coach at one school in the SEC, behind Nick Saban.

Edward Charles Foley Jr. is an American football coach and former player. He was the assistant special teams coach for the Carolina Panthers from 2020 until mid-2022, working under head coach Matt Rhule, who he had previously worked with at Temple University. Prior to coaching the Panthers, Foley primarily coached college football, including head coach positions at Fordham University and Temple University.

Manuel Alberto Diaz II is an American football coach who is the head football coach at Duke University. He served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Pennsylvania State University from 2022 to 2023 and as the head football coach at the University of Miami from 2019 to 2021. Diaz previously worked as the head coach for Temple University and as an assistant football coach at Mississippi State University, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Texas at Austin, Middle Tennessee State University, North Carolina State University, and Florida State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George O'Leary</span> American football coach and college athletics administrator

George Joseph O'Leary is a former American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1994 to 2001 and the UCF Knights from 2004 to 2015. He was famously hired in 2001 to be the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish but resigned after five days for lying on his resume. O'Leary was an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 2002 to 2004, and an assistant coach for the Syracuse Orange and San Diego Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Rhule</span> American football player and coach (born 1975)

Matthew Kenneth Rhule is an American college football coach and former linebacker. He is the head football coach for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, a position he has held since 2023. He was also the head football coach for Temple University from 2013 to 2016, Baylor University from 2017 to 2019, and the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Rhule played linebacker at Penn State from 1994 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 American Athletic Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2014 American Athletic Conference football season was the 24th NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football season of the American Athletic Conference. The season was the second since the breakup of the former Big East Conference, which lasted in its original form from its creation in 1979 until 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Key</span> American football player and coach (born 1978)

Donald Brent Key is an American college football coach and former player. Key is the head football coach at his alma mater, Georgia Tech as of November 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Satterfield</span> American football player and coach (born 1976)

Marcus David Satterfield is an American football coach and former player. He is the tight ends coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln; he was previously the offensive coordinator for the 2023 season, and the first nine games of the 2024 season. Satterfield served as the head football coach at Tennessee Tech University from 2016 to 2017. He was the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Martin (2006–2008), the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (2009–2012), and Temple University (2013–2014). He was an assistant coach at Richmond during the 2004 season and Western Carolina in 2005. Satterfield played college football at East Tennessee State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 American Athletic Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2016 American Athletic Conference football season was the 25th NCAA Division I FBS football season of the American Athletic Conference. The season was the third since the breakup of the former Big East Conference, and the third season with the College Football Playoff in place. The American was considered a member of the "Group of Five" (G5) with Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference. Whereas under the previous system the champion of the conference was guaranteed an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game, the highest-ranked champion member of the G5 received a bid to one of the six major bowls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Temple Owls football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Temple Owls football team represented Temple University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls were led by fourth-year head coach Matt Rhule and played their home games at Lincoln Financial Field. They were members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Patenaude</span> American football coach (born 1968)

Dave Patenaude is an American football coach. Patenaude spent the 2023 season as an Analyst at the University of Virginia. He was previously the offensive coordinator at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to coming to Georgia Tech, Patenaude was the offensive coordinator at Columbia University, Georgetown University, Coastal Carolina University, and Temple University, where he produced multiple All-Americans. Patenaude also served as the head football coach at University of New Haven for two seasons, from 2002 to 2003, before the program was temporarily discontinued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Temple Owls football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Temple Owls football team represented Temple University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Owls were led by second-year head coach Geoff Collins during the regular season and played their home games at Lincoln Financial Field. They are members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 7–1 in AAC play to finish in 2nd place in the East Division. They were invited to play in the Independence Bowl, where they lost to Duke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 American Athletic Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2019 American Athletic Conference football season is the 28th NCAA Division I FBS Football season of the American Athletic Conference. The season is the seventh since the former Big East Conference dissolved and became the American Athletic Conference and the sixth season of the College Football Playoff in place. The American is considered a member of the Group of Five (G5) together with Conference USA (C–USA), the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Mountain West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.

The 2021 Gasparilla Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 23, 2021, with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. EST, televised on ESPN. It was the 13th edition of the Gasparilla Bowl, and was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by mortgage loan company Union Home Mortgage, the game was officially known as the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Geoff Collins". Temple Owls . Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ Narducci, Marc (December 7, 2018). "Temple's Geoff Collins leaving for Georgia Tech; he won't coach Owls' bowl game". The Philadelphia Inquirer . The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC . Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  3. ↑ "2016 Football Coaching Staff - Florida Gators". Florida Gators . Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Rockdale County graduate Collins ready to lead Georgia Tech football". December 14, 2018.
  5. ↑ "2015 Florida Gators Stats". Sports Reference . Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ Hutchins, Andy (October 27, 2015). "CAB: Collins could get interest from UCF". SB Nation . Vox Media . Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ Goldkamp, Thomas (November 24, 2015). "Report: UCF to interview two UF assistants for head job". 247Sports.com . CBS Interactive . Retrieved April 6, 2019.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ Narducci, Marc (December 13, 2016). "Temple hires Florida's Geoff Collins as football coach". The Philadelphia Inquirer . The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC . Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Football Grinds Past FIU in Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, 28-3". Temple Owls . December 21, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Collins Named Georgia Tech Football Head Coach". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets . December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Georgia Tech fires football coach Geoff Collins and athletic director Todd Stansbury". USA Today . September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ Sugiura, Ken. "Update: Collins, Stansbury dismissed at Georgia Tech, Brent Key interim coach". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN   1539-7459 . Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Geoff Collins Hired As Defensive Coordinator". University of North Carolina Athletics. January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.