Tech ties an advantage for FSU coordinator?

The following year, Fisher hired Kelly away. Explaining how the Seminoles did it, Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson said, “They offered him a lot more money and a long-term contract.”

After one season as FSU’s special teams and linebackers coach, Kelly was promoted to defensive coordinator after Jeremy Pruitt left that position for Georgia.

Whether or not Kelly’s up-close experience with the triple option is a sizable advantage is up for debate.

“We don’t play against ourselves very much, other than a little bit in the spring or whatever. And Charles was really never the coordinator here when we played against each other (in the spring),” Johnson said.

“I’m sure he’ll have good plan and do a good job,” Johnson said. “But we’re not going to change what we do because of Charles. If he can teach his guys more about it in three days than we can in 12 weeks, they are going to beat us anyway. We’ll go play. He can adjust. I can adjust. We’ll see how it works.”

Said FSU’s Fisher, “Knowledge is one thing, stopping it is another. They can really execute at a high level, but you at least have a feel for different things they can possibly do. But (Johnson) is such a great coach. They’ll have wrinkles, and wrinkles for their wrinkles.”

If nothing else, the FSU defenders might take a little comfort in the perception that Kelly is some kind of ace in the hole.

“I see (Kelly) as an advantage,” FSU safety Tyler Hunter said. “I feel like he knows what they like to do in certain situations, so that’s going to alert us to know what’s coming at certain times.”