AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2007 > December > 05
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Johnson or Tenuta for Tech?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If Navy’s Paul Johnson is offered the Georgia Tech head coaching job following his interview today, it’s not a slam dunk that he’ll take it.
This is just one man’s opinion but it’s an informed one. The next 48 hours will determine if the next head football coach at Georgia Tech will be Paul Johnson or Jon Tenuta, the Yellow Jackets’ defensive coordinator.
Johnson, who has had unprecedented success at Navy, interviewed at SMU yesterday and the school rolled out the red carpet. SMU has made it clear that after the death penalty of the 1980s sentenced the school to two decades in the college football wilderness, they are ready to get back in the football business. Some of the big money guys in Dallas have stepped up to the plate. The next coach at SMU will be very well paid and will have the money to hire the staff he wants.
So all this puts the ball squarely in the court of Dan Radakovich, the Georgia Tech athletics director. He made the business decision to pay Chan Gailey $4 million not to be his coach. He needs a coach, in his words, to excite the fan base and rally them and others to support the Tech program.
And based on my contacts around the coaching grapevine, Radakovich is down to Johnson and Tenuta.
— Charlie Strong, Florida’s co-defensive coordinator, interviewed for the job but was told Tuesday that Tech wanted to hire someone with head coaching experience. Give Georgia Tech credit for at least interviewing a minority candidate.
— Will Muschamp, the Auburn defensive coordinator, fit the bill of an energetic young coach. But Muschamp was told that the fact that he is a Georgia graduate was something that could not be overcome.
— Georgia Southern coach Chris Hatcher interviewed last week and has not heard a word from Georgia Tech since. Later today Hatcher may tell his athletics director, Sam Baker, that he is no longer a candidate.
— Rick Neuheisel, the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, is probably not going to be an option because he has some baggage. He was fired at Washington for betting in a neighborhood pool for the NCAA basketball tournament. He later sued and won a $4.5 million judgment that essentially cleared him of wrongdoing. But the fact is that he initially lied about his involvement in the pool before admitting it to investigators. He is known for being “aggressive” and “creative” when dealing with NCAA rules on recruiting. If Tech hired Neuheisel, his first 48 hours as Georgia Tech’s coach would not have been pretty.
So Georgia Tech is down to Johnson and Tenuta, both good football coaches who would do a good job leading the program. Johnson has options and will enter today’s discussions with Georgia Tech knowing that.
Stay tuned.
