As easy as it is to mock Georgia Tech, things are so forlorn on the Flats that I almost feel a little pity. Check this out:
When former Memphis defensive lineman Morris Joseph committed to Tech last week out of the transfer portal, he raised the team’s count of scholarship recipients (including incoming freshmen and transfers like him) to 75. That’s 10 shy of the 85-player limit, the largest number of open spots of any team in the ACC.
… For better or worse, Tech’s 10 open scholarships are anomalous in the ACC. Six of the conference’s 14 teams are at the 85-player limit or even over, counting on players to leave the team by transfer or other means. Another three are near the limit at either 83 or 84. The remaining four are between 78 and 82.
I said almost.
Collins is quite the innovator, bringing Richt-style roster management to the friendly confines of the ACC. It’s one thing for Mark Richt to manage a roster like that; I mean, at least Georgia was consistently bringing in top ten recruiting classes. It’s quite another to do that coming off back to back three-win seasons at a program that hasn’t recruited well in 15 years.
What that means for Tech can be interpreted in different ways. One could see it as an opportunity to add talent when competitors don’t have nearly the scholarship space to take on more players even if they wanted to do so. Another is that the Jackets are thin depth-wise and are trying to build their roster at a point when most of the better players have entered the portal and committed.
Good luck with that, Geoff. Georgia Tech has so much to offer right now.
It’s plausible that Tech could have some benefit with so many open spots, something akin to an NFL team with much more salary-cap space than its rivals. However, at the same time Collins will try to convince portal prospects to join a team whose prospects for success aren’t great. And even if competitors don’t have several open spots, the Jackets undoubtedly will have competition for the top available prospects as teams try to complete their own rosters.
“Plausible” is doing some heavy lifting there, amirite?
Get The Picture 
With their Spring Practice over anyone they get will basically be a “plugnplay”. It’s plausible that tech will suck this season.
LikeLiked by 3 people
You can do that at tech. FTMFs2.
LikeLiked by 2 people
‘Plausible’ will max out at a buck twenty five is my guess, but judging by the average size of a Tech player, that’ll do. If size and speed kills, whats the opposite of that?
LikeLike
GT has effectively abandoned football as a priority. It’s just another sport offered, and they will do the bare minimum to keep it going in exchange for the revenue they receive for it.
LikeLiked by 4 people
This is it right here. As long as they keep their current leadership, it’s all good.
LikeLike
GT abandoned football in December of 2007. The long demise of that program became evident a few years into Paul Johnson’s tenure with his recruiting. The short-lived boon from switching to CPJ’s offensive system with Chan Gailey’s players was also its cancer.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Tech really could go winless this fall. The only team they might beat is Western Carolina and even that’s iffy. They play Duke at home but – as anyone who dons red and black knows – there’s no homefield advantage for the nerds at Mark Richt Field.
LikeLike
The 3 wins per year streak could very well be in jeopardy
LikeLiked by 2 people
Mr. Joseph wasn’t able to go through another 6 win season, plus finding out coach atl is actually gonna’ coach ’em up at the north avenue fucking trade school this season, despite the lack of WH swag in the bag, he hopped a greyhound to the 404..starting d line or not, he gonna’ question this transport sooner than later…#WERUNTHISSTATE!
LikeLike
I’m reading this thinking… With NIL deals on the rise, how long before top schools leverage those NIL deals to carry more than the “official 85”? They’re preferred walk-ons but get enough “deal” to attend school for free.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Been happening for years – just didn’t call the money “NIL deals”.
LikeLiked by 3 people
to make COFH interesting this year, Kirby should only play preferred walk ons, true freshman and Redshirt FR. Nerds will probably still need to use a running clock.
LikeLiked by 1 person
F that. Kirby needs to blank those assholes AND score 70.
LikeLiked by 13 people
Why can’t we have both?
LikeLiked by 6 people
Yeah, fuck that. I find find that scoring every offensive possession and ripping and stripping on defense to give the Dawgs O a short field is very interesting. Put the walk-ons in when they do the same. Need to set some records before they abandon football completely.
Piss on those maggots.
LikeLike
Perhaps the best argument they have is “come play a year for us and your degree is gonna say Georgia Tech instead of Louisiana-Monroe” to kids that are serviceable players but know their chances in the league are fairly slim. Would you rather compete for a Sun Belt title or go 3-9 in a P5 league?
LikeLike
Though that calculus requirement may actually create a burden for them to bringing in late transfers…
LikeLike
Meh. Just dual enroll them at Atlanta Metro. Done.
LikeLiked by 3 people
That’s really what they do. And it’s actually Survey of Calculus for the non-STEM majors.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What kinds of questions do they ask Calculus in these surveys?
LikeLike
Depends on who is paying for the survey and what result they’re paying to receive.
LikeLike
That “calculus” requirement is pretty generous in the definition of calculus. Sure, they take 2 math classes but “survey of calculus” isn’t really digging into calculus like the engineering majors.
LikeLike
Truth. My junior in HS is taking AP Calculus BC (which is college calculus I and II) and next year will take Georgia Tech math as a senior (which is basically linear algebra in the fall and depending on acceptance calculus III in the spring). I guarantee that most of the scholarship athletes at Tech, regardless of major, will get a degree with less math rigor than a whole helluva lot of HS graduates.
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure tech has a minimum earned hours requirement to get a degree and one year of classes isn’t enough. At Georgia, a student cannot transfer in as a senior and leave a year later with a University of Georgia degree.
Personally, I think I’d rather be a player on a winning Sun Belt team than on a crappy bottom dwelling ACC team with a campus in the middle of a high crime Atlanta ghetto if I knew college football was going to be my last organized football.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ga State is fielding some good Sun Belt teams just down the connector. 3 of the past 4 Sun Belt Championships in Basketball. Football has bowl trips, a win on Rocky Top, and took Auburn to the wire with some questionable calls going against them. Location isn’t the problem. Again many of the recruits may like being in the center of Atlanta hip hop culture.
Campus culture and Coaching are Tech’s biggest obstacles keeping them so down. A functioning coach could have GT regularly bowl bound. GT blew this hire.
LikeLike
Here’s the thing – and it’s glorious from the Dawg’s point of view – tech doesn’t care about football and doesn’t have to. They’re basically Vanderbilt. Students are going to flock there from all over the country because it has a tremendous reputation and they aren’t going to get booted from the ACC so they still get the TV money. On top of that, they’d likely be near the top of the B1G’s list if they ever decide to expand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
from all over Asia. FIFY
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree about GT being near the top of the list to include in potential B1G expansion. I feel like I read somewhere that the B1G said in any future expansion only AAU members would be considered. I don’t see Duke, UNC, or Virginia leaving the ACC and I don’t see aTm leaving the SEC. Among ACC and SEC schools that leaves only Missouri, Vandy, and GT. Personally, I don’t see Missouri moving the needle much with the B1G crowd. Vandy and GT would both be attractive, but GT is located right in the college football capital of America.
LikeLike
Mizzou should have gone B10 when they left the Big XII in the first place. I’d be fine if we rectified that situation. They’re a terrible fit in the SEC. Let’s replace them with Virginia Tech.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree 100% except that I would say that they are a natural rival of Arkansas. I would still rather have multiple ACC teams in the SEC East over Missouri (or in the SEC period).
LikeLike
Eh, Arkansas is a SWC team that is a marginally better fit than Mizzou. But, hey, if they end up moving Alabama and Auburn East, the SEC West essentially becomes a higher rent version of the SWC anyway.
LikeLike
I’m going to go with Collins is the first coach in the ACC to be fired this coming season.
LikeLike
As always, “Almost” is doing a shit-ton of heavy lifting!!
LikeLike
The otherday i was driving downtown & swore I saw Collins out on Techwood Drive with a sling bag over his shoulder, wearing knickers overalls & and a turd yellow cap chriping…”Playin time, playing time here, come get yer playin time…, 2 spots for 50 cents…”
LikeLike
I got a scholly offer from Geoff after my fat DB comment the other day. The NIL deal from Waffle House was enticing but the market analysis of having an engineering degree from tech reduced the overall valuation of my business so I said no.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our terms for tech’s surrender must be they relegate themselves to the Ivy League (to be met with smugness and scorn by founding members) and appeal to us annually to put them in our cupcake game slot for the payday…in Sanford only. Plus, they officially rename their place to Mark Richt Field.
Then we add Clemson in the Thanksgiving slot to renew that rivalry.
LikeLike
I see this as an opportunity here for a few Stingtalk old codgers who have eligibility left and who want to live out a fantasy camp of college football to cash in. Think of the NIL sponsorships from AARP and Geritol for some of these dudes who would replace Thornton Melon as the oldest incoming freshman. Plus the Fech admin could charge the “long in the tooth” fellas a hefty fee for the fantasy camp/regular GT season…kind of a win/win
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ahem … that’s back-to-back-to-back three win seasons, Senator. Let’s not shortchange Coach 404… er… make that, Coach 333.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Coach 404 can use the Charlie Weis recruiting pitch for playing time, “have you looked at that pile of crap out there?” Players in the portal for playing time have a legit shot at PT at tech.
LikeLike
I mean this with all sincerity….Tech is an excellent school….. Many kids would love to go there. Seems like Collins needs to focus on the really smart big uglies and develop them over time.
LikeLike
Collins needs to focus on developing anyone.
LikeLike
I think Collins knows that. The problem is that Georgia Tech isn’t the only excellent school out there that plays power conference football. There are indeed some very smart kids among the super athletically gifted – but those kids can go play at Stanford, they can play in the SEC at Vandy, and even schools like Florida are elite public institutions. Obviously, so is UGA but the Tech nerds don’t want to hear that.
LikeLike
I agree with your point and as far as Collins goes he should be recruiting those kids especially from the Southeast. Depending on which engineering field you want to enter, GT among engineering/technology schools overall probably has no peers in the P5 beyond Stanford and Cal Berkley. You can look at civil, structural, chemical, etc. and GT isn’t top 5 in some, but from an overall standpoint it is the best this side of the Mississippi and Collins should be recruiting to that.
LikeLike
I mean… theoretically they could offer a ton of of post spring transfers a ton of playing time. Never quite shakes out that way though.
I’d just hire a true Mike Leach Air Raid disciple if I was Tech. It isn’t so far out there like the option that you can’t recruit at all (especially these days). But if your recruiting is going to be kind of shitty anyhow, you at least should benefit from a system that neutralizes the other team’s talent a little bit, as long as you execute properly.
Maybe win a few games you shouldn’t. Be a landing spot for WR castoffs who aren’t getting the playing time they want at schools with more competitive rosters and fewer starting spots. Build from there.
LikeLike
I thought Gary Patterson was the hire and he is available. I don’t think GT has the money to pay Collins off and get another coach.
It would be interesting to hear from some OCs on how they would have transitioned away from Fish Fry’s option. My thought was pistol sets with a heavy dose of diamond formation RPO and option plays. Collins went full pro style and cratered.
http://offensivebreakdown.blogspot.com/2011/01/diamond-formation.html
LikeLike
I think you are dead on. with the money comment. I would add “Or maybe they do but the AD doesn’t want to spend it on football.” Fish Fry opened the bomb bay doors with the wing-t that no one wanted to play in, Geoff is finishing it off Slim Pickens/ “Dr. Strangelove” style.
You just hate to see it. Really.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All sizzle, no steak (and eggs).
LikeLike
” “Plausible” is doing some heavy lifting there, amirite? ”
It is kind of hard to for a seller convince a buyer to come invest in a program when the buyer knows the salesman won’t be there next year.
LikeLike
There’s gotta be ten dudes in the portal good enough to start at Tech.
LikeLike