Winter is coming.
For Georgia Tech football under new coach Geoff Collins, that phrase signifies the period of change and growth that the Yellow Jackets are in, and also how rapidly things will change. For Collins and his new staff, winter will be a time of open evaluation for a roster that was built around the triple-option offense under Paul Johnson.
Chris Wiesehan is at the heart of all the flux. Last season at Temple, Wiesehan earned nomination for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in college football. Now, he has the unenviable task of being the tight ends coach for a team that hasn’t featured a tight end in 11 years.
“Winter is coming,” Wiesehan asserted at the first media session with Collins’ assistant coaches. “There’s open discussions about positions. Some guys will get rewarded, some may not.”
Wiesehan said that anybody, even defensive players, could be considered for the new tight end position. Tech also picked up Tyler Davis, a graduate transfer from Connecticut, who played tight end in the American Athletic Conference against Temple. In 2018, Davis tallied 22 catches for 236 yards and 6 touchdowns.
“He’s a talented player that plays with a lot of energy. His productivity in our conference was excellent,” Wiesehan said of Davis.
It will take time for Tech to rebuild its offense, but Wiesehan is OK with that. Before his five seasons at Temple, he had worked for six teams in nine years. Now firmly entrenched in Geoff Collins’ system, he sees himself staying in Atlanta for a long time.
“We’re going to make this our home. This is our new home,” Wiesehan said.
Family has been an anchor for the coach as well. He mentioned that one of his favorite aspects of Temple was his son living a mile away from work. One time, the Temple players helped put up a basketball hoop for Wiesehan’s son while he was in a meeting. Collins even kept his family involved.
“When your 6-year-old kid can be in a recruiting meeting with a top prospect and the head coach is engaging him, it’s pretty exciting,” Wiesehan said.
The new Jackets football family is still growing, but once winter comes and goes, the vision will be clearer. For the first time in a long time, that vision includes tight ends, and Chris Wiesehan will be there to lead the way.
