Georgia Tech: a football coaching history

National Program II#57 of 138–
See Georgia Tech’s full 91-year Zeitgeist History →
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Stature and coaches, 1936–2026

The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.

DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program

Run↔pass identity, by season

No play-by-play coverage before 2004more passmore run200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242026
Program GOAT
Bobby Dodd
Peaked at Power Program I
Right now
Brent Key
the 9th-best of Georgia Tech's 11 ranked coaches so far

Every coach

Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.

2022–now
Brent Key Steady
Brent Key held Georgia Tech at National Program II for 5 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
+2.6 pts over 5 seasons · top 22% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Larry Fedora’s Southern Miss run (2008–2011)

9th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Geoff Collins (2019–2022).

System Shift, on arrival
Season20222023202420252026Trend
Record & result
Record4-47-67-69-42-6
Postseason—W bowlL bowlL bowl—
Recruiting rank#54#62#33#21#41
Style — pass rate
Pass rate47.243.545.546.052.6
Coordinators
OCChip LongBuster Faulkner / Chris WeinkeBuster Faulkner / Chris WeinkeBuster Faulkner / Chris WeinkeChris Weinke / George Godsey
DCAndrew ThackerAndrew Thacker / Kevin SherrerTyler SantucciBlake GideonJason Semore
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense1072698745
Defense7223531911
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%48.232.134.637.643.1
Red-zone pass%43.033.134.031.648.4
4th-down go%opp. territory21.930.040.030.030.0
Recruiter or developer?

Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.

Offense vs. talent
+2.8 pts
#98 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
-14.0 pts
#163 of 208 · bottom quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era

A typical amount of portal roster-building.

Portal arrivals
88
3.0★ avg rating
Portal departures
123
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-35
#53 of 187 FBS stints
Notable portal arrivals with a modeled NIL value
Justice Haynes On3 modeled · $1,000,000
On3’s modeled estimate (social reach / exposure), not money actually paid — shown per player, never totaled.
Who they bring in

Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.

A typical class-year mix of incoming transfers.

Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 240 lbs
across 74 of 88 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+5.5 lbs
#88 of 255 · middle half
Avg. class year
Jr
#114 of 255 · middle half
Top states: GA (27), FL (13), TX (5), PA (4), AL (4)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
58.0
position-weighted
Talent lost
62.1
position-weighted
Net
-4.0
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Zach Gibson (QB) from Akron
Biggest loss: Jeff Sims (QB) to Nebraska
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Buster Faulkner / Chris Weinke (co) → Chris Weinke (co) / George Godsey · 2026
87th pct45th pct0th100th
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 37.6% → 43.1% (+5.4 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 13% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Andrew Thacker (co) / Kevin Sherrer → Tyler Santucci · 2024
23rd pct53rd pct0th100th
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
DC: Tyler Santucci → Blake Gideon · 2025
53rd pct19th pct0th100th
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
DC: Blake Gideon → Jason Semore · 2026
19th pct11th pct0th100th
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
217 lbs
6′3″ avg · #253 of 767 · middle half
Running back
198 lbs
5′10″ avg · #672 of 791 · bottom quarter
Wide receiver
192 lbs
6′0″ avg · #435 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
242 lbs
6′4″ avg · #508 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
308 lbs
6′5″ avg · #410 of 779 · middle half
D-line
291 lbs
6′4″ avg · #237 of 753 · middle half
Linebacker
227 lbs
6′2″ avg · #437 of 772 · middle half
Cornerback
193 lbs
6′1″ avg · #230 of 771 · middle half
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Tight end via the portal
71%
#21 of 188 stints
Grows Kicker from high school
100%
#52 of 56 stints
Grows Interior line from high school
76%
#172 of 224 stints
Postseason detail2023: Beat UCF 30-17 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl2024: Lost to Vanderbilt 27-35 Birmingham Bowl2025: Lost to BYU 21-25 Pop-Tarts Bowl

5 NFL Draft picks: Keion White (2023), Jackson Hawes (2025), Zeek Biggers (2025), Keylan Rutledge (2026), Jordan Van den Berg (2026)

AI Narratives — “Georgia Tech's Ups and Downs in 2025” and 2 more on the team page.

+2.6
29-26
2019–2022
Geoff Collins Steady
Geoff Collins slid the Yellow Jackets from National Program I to National Program II in 4 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
−8.8 pts over 4 seasons · bottom 17% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Todd Berry’s Army run (2000–2003)

10th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Paul Johnson (2008–2018) · succeeded by Brent Key (2022–now).

System Shift, on arrival
Season2019202020212022Trend
Record & result
Record3-93-73-91-3
Postseason————
Recruiting rank#51#26#47#54
Style — pass rate
Pass rate37.541.043.547.2
Coordinators
OCDave PatenaudeDave PatenaudeDave PatenaudeChip Long
DCAndrew Thacker / Nathan BurtonAndrew Thacker / Nathan BurtonAndrew Thacker / Nathan BurtonAndrew Thacker
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense13451210
Defense2846772
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%35.841.443.948.2
Red-zone pass%26.536.442.943.0
4th-down go%opp. territory37.957.137.121.9
Recruiter or developer?

Underperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.

Offense vs. talent
-37.2 pts
#207 of 208 · bottom quarter
Defense vs. talent
-18.2 pts
#174 of 208 · bottom quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era

A typical amount of portal roster-building.

Portal arrivals
28
3.0★ avg rating
Portal departures
36
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-8
#83 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in

Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.

Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.

Avg. size (raw)
6′3″, 237 lbs
across 19 of 28 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+3.4 lbs
#152 of 255 · middle half
Avg. class year
Jr
#18 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: GA (6), PA (2), AL (2), SC (1), TN (1)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
53.4
position-weighted
Talent lost
52.5
position-weighted
Net
+0.9
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Zach Gibson (QB) from Akron
Biggest loss: Chayden Peery (QB) to the portal
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
215 lbs
6′3″ avg · #319 of 767 · middle half
Running back
205 lbs
5′11″ avg · #474 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
196 lbs
6′1″ avg · #267 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
241 lbs
6′5″ avg · #515 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
305 lbs
6′4″ avg · #540 of 779 · middle half
D-line
293 lbs
6′3″ avg · #196 of 753 · middle half
Linebacker
225 lbs
6′2″ avg · #562 of 772 · middle half
Cornerback
202 lbs
6′2″ avg · #14 of 771 · top quarter
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Athlete via the portal
25%
#17 of 146 stints
Grows Wide receiver from high school
89%
#228 of 243 stints

5 NFL Draft picks: Tyler Davis (2020), Jalen Camp (2021), Pressley Harvin III (2021), Tariq Carpenter (2022), Keion White (2023)

1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Pressley Harvin III (2020)

−8.8
10-28
2008–2018
Paul Johnson Steady
Paul Johnson moved Georgia Tech from National Program I to Power Program III in 11 seasons.
Averaged a 19% pass rate — among the most run-heavy stretches in FBS since 2004
+3.7 pts over 11 seasons · bottom 18% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Dave Doeren’s NC State run (2013–now)

4th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Chan Gailey (2002–2007) · succeeded by Geoff Collins (2019–2022).

System Shift, on departure
System Shift, on arrival
Season20082009201020112012201320142015201620172018Trend
Record & result
Record9-411-36-78-57-77-611-33-99-45-67-6
PostseasonL bowlL bowlL bowlL bowlW bowlL bowlW bowl—W bowl—L bowl
Recruiting rank#51#41#43#43#53#70#54#44#60#48#44
Style — pass rate
Pass rate20.517.518.218.919.422.220.424.820.815.814.5
Coordinators
OC———————————
DC——————Ted RoofTed RoofTed RoofTed RoofNate Woody
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense3988679592889850814167
Defense5427543556203653205012
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%16.917.316.519.121.920.819.122.418.310.712.7
Red-zone pass%9.24.59.25.610.410.714.217.57.39.23.8
4th-down go%opp. territory39.043.252.642.948.037.934.443.834.344.050.0
Recruiter or developer?

Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.

Offense vs. talent
+6.5 pts
#76 of 208 · middle half
Defense vs. talent
-19.3 pts
#174 of 208 · bottom quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
DC: Ted Roof → Nate Woody · 2018
50th pct12th pct0th100th
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Kicker from high school
100%
#52 of 56 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2008: Lost to LSU 3-38 Bowl2009: Lost to Iowa 14-24 FedEx ORANGE BOWL2010: Lost to Air Force 7-14 AdvoCare V100 INDEPENDENCE BOWL2011: Lost to Utah 27-30 Hyundai Sun Bowl2012: Beat USC 21-7 Hyundai Sun Bowl2013: Lost to Ole Miss 17-25 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl2014: Beat Mississippi State 49-34 Bowl2016: Beat Kentucky 33-18 Bowl2018: Lost to Minnesota 10-34 Quick Lane Bowl

19 NFL Draft picks: Michael Johnson (2009), Andrew Gardner (2009), Vance Walker (2009), Darryl Richard (2009), Derrick Morgan (2010), Demaryius Thomas (2010), Morgan Burnett (2010), Jonathan Dwyer (2010) + 11 more

+3.7
83-60
2007
Jon Tenuta Short tenure
No outlier style signal this stint
0-1
2002–2007
Chan Gailey Steady
Chan Gailey held Georgia Tech at National Program I for 6 seasons.
2004 offense ranked in the 5th percentile nationally — historically bad
−0.8 pts over 6 seasons · bottom 40% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Jim McElwain’s Central Michigan run (2019–2024)

7th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed George O'Leary (1994–2001) · succeeded by Paul Johnson (2008–2018).

System Shift, on departure
Season200220032004200520062007Trend
Record & result
Record7-67-67-57-59-57-5
PostseasonL bowlW bowlW bowlL bowlL bowl—
Recruiting rank——#48#70#62#15
Style — pass rate
Pass rate——41.647.541.239.8
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense——5463553
Defense——92685727
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%——37.339.743.135.7
Red-zone pass%——50.036.329.634.4
4th-down go%opp. territory——33.319.125.016.7
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Postseason detail2002: Lost to Fresno State 21-30 Bowl2003: Beat Tulsa 52-10 Humanitarian Bowl2004: Beat Syracuse 51-14 Bowl2005: Lost to Utah 10-38 Bowl2006: Lost to West Virginia 35-38 Gator Bowl At Jacksonville Fl

13 NFL Draft picks: Daryl Smith (2004), Tony Hargrove (2004), Keyaron Fox (2004), Nat Dorsey (2004), Jonathan Smith (2004), Gerris Wilkinson (2006), P.J. Daniels (2006), Dawan Landry (2006) + 5 more

−0.8
44-32
1994–2001
George O'Leary Steady
George O'Leary held Georgia Tech at National Program I for 8 seasons.
−5.4 pts over 8 seasons · bottom 20% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Scot Loeffler’s Bowling Green run (2019–2024)

6th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Lewis (1992–1993) · succeeded by Chan Gailey (2002–2007).

Season19941995199619971998199920002001Trend
Record & result
Record0-36-55-67-510-28-49-37-5
Postseason———W bowlW bowlL bowlL bowl—
Recruiting rank————————
Style — pass rate
Pass rate————————
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense————————
Defense————————
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%————————
Red-zone pass%————————
4th-down go%opp. territory————————
Postseason detail1997: Beat West Virginia 35-30 Bowl1998: Beat Notre Dame 35-28 Bowl1999: Lost to Miami 13-28 Bowl2000: Lost to LSU 14-28 Bowl

13 NFL Draft picks: Lethon Flowers (1995), Charlie Simmons (1995), Jamal Cox (1995), Keith Brooking (1998), Ron Rogers (1998), Nate Stimson (1999), Charlie Rogers (1999), Rodney Williams (1999) + 5 more

−5.4
52-33
1992–1993
Bill Lewis Short tenure
10-12
1987–1991
Bobby Ross Steady
Bobby Ross moved the Yellow Jackets from National Program II to National Program I in 5 seasons.
+4.3 pts over 5 seasons · top 15% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Keith Gilbertson’s California run (1992–1995)

5th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Curry (1980–1986) · succeeded by Bill Lewis (1992–1993).

Season19871988198919901991Trend
Record & result
Record2-93-87-411-0-18-5
Postseason———W bowlW bowl
Recruiting rank—————
Style — pass rate
Pass rate—————
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense—————
Defense—————
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%—————
Red-zone pass%—————
4th-down go%opp. territory—————
Postseason detail1990: Beat Nebraska 45-21 Bowl1991: Beat Stanford 18-17 Bowl

5 NFL Draft picks: Willis Crockett (1989), Calvin Tiggle (1991), Marco Coleman (1992), Mike Mooney (1992), Ken Swilling (1992)

+4.3
31-26-1
1980–1986
Bill Curry Steady
Bill Curry held Georgia Tech at National Program II for 7 seasons.
−9.0 pts over 7 seasons · bottom 8% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Mike London’s Virginia run (2010–2015)

11th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Pepper Rodgers (1974–1979) · succeeded by Bobby Ross (1987–1991).

Season1980198119821983198419851986Trend
Record & result
Record1-9-11-106-53-86-4-19-2-15-5-1
Postseason—————W bowl—
Recruiting rank———————
Style — pass rate
Pass rate———————
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense———————
Defense———————
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%———————
Red-zone pass%———————
4th-down go%opp. territory———————
Postseason detail1985: Beat Michigan State 17-14 Bowl

7 NFL Draft picks: Mike Kelley (1982), Dave Lutz (1983), Ellis Gardner (1983), Robert Lavette (1985), Pat Swilling (1986), Mark Pike (1986), Reggie Rutland (1987)

−9.0
31-43-4
1974–1979
Pepper Rodgers Steady
Pepper Rodgers slid Georgia Tech from National Program I to National Program II in 6 seasons.
+0.4 pts over 6 seasons · bottom 42% of 6-9-season tenures (368 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Charlie Weatherbie’s UL Monroe run (2003–2009)

8th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Fulcher (1972–1973) · succeeded by Bill Curry (1980–1986).

Season197419751976197719781979Trend
Record & result
Record6-57-44-6-16-57-54-6-1
Postseason————L bowl—
Recruiting rank——————
Style — pass rate
Pass rate——————
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense——————
Defense——————
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%——————
Red-zone pass%——————
4th-down go%opp. territory——————
Postseason detail1978: Lost to Purdue 21-41 Bowl

10 NFL Draft picks: Billy Shields (1975), Steve Raible (1976), David Sims (1977), Reggie Wilkes (1978), Lucius Sanford (1978), Randy Pass (1978), Eddie Lee Ivery (1979), Kent Hill (1979) + 2 more

+0.4
34-31-2
1972–1973
Bill Fulcher Short tenure
12-10-1
1967–1971
Bud Carson Steady≈
Bud Carson slid the Yellow Jackets from Power Program II to National Program I in 5 seasons.
−14.4 pts over 5 seasons · bottom 3% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Fred Vonappen’s Hawai'i run (1996–1998)

3rd-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Bobby Dodd (1945–1966) · succeeded by Bill Fulcher (1972–1973).

Season19671968196919701971Trend
Record & result
Record4-64-64-69-36-6
Postseason———W bowlL bowl
Recruiting rank—————
Style — pass rate
Pass rate—————
Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile
Offense—————
Defense—————
Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script
1st-down pass%—————
Red-zone pass%—————
4th-down go%opp. territory—————
Postseason detail1970: Beat Texas Tech 17-9 Bowl1971: Lost to Ole Miss 18-41 Bowl

1 NFL Draft pick: Lenny Snow (1968)

−14.4
27-27
1945–1966
Bobby Dodd Builder≈
Bobby Dodd raised the Yellow Jackets from Power Program II to Power Program I.
+12.9 pts over 22 seasons · top 46% of 10+-season tenures (202 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame run (2010–2021)

1st-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed William Alexander (1936–1944) · succeeded by Bud Carson (1967–1971).

+12.9
165-64-8
1936–1944
William Alexander Steady
William Alexander held Georgia Tech at Power Program II for 9 seasons.

2nd-best Georgia Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Bobby Dodd (1945–1966).