After a record-setting career at Georgia Tech, quarterback George Godsey played a season in the Arena Football League before landing at Central Florida in 2004, coaching for former Tech coach George O'Leary. Last fall was Godsey's sixth in Orlando, his first as running backs coach after four as quarterbacks coach. Godsey recently spoke with the AJC about life after Tech. Answers were edited for length.
Q: How has recruiting changed the most from when you were in high school to now?
A: The time frame of kids' decisions and the Internet. It's easy to gain access on a kid now with the Internet. You know when a kid's taking an unofficial visit to another school by reading, whereas there might have been some mention in the local papers [previously], and it was difficult to get those. Now we have search engines that search for a kid's name. Anytime it's in the paper, it flashes and sends us an e-mail. ... You follow those and get an idea if you're in the ballgame or not.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: Ideally, I'd like to be in a position to make that move to head coach. I don't think that, at least from my perspective, I don't think that you get into coaching unless that's one of your goals, whether it's at this level or the NFL level or the UFL level. You want to be in a position where you can be looked on as someone that's succeeded as a coordinator. You want to be looked at as someone who can lead. I want to put myself in that position.
Q: What's the hardest part about your job?
A: I think it's not just getting out there and watching film. It's also making sure that the young men not only at your position but other positions are doing what you want them to do and acting how you want. You're acting as a parent because their parents aren't here. It's so easy to just say ['Go to class'], but the hard part is following up. If you want a kid to do well in school, you have to make sure he's going to class and doing his assignments. You have to ask, ‘Have you gone to extra study hall? Have you gone to the professors? What did the professors say? Is there extra credit?'
Not just academics, but off the field, are they doing what you'd want them to do as a parent?
Q: How did you decide you wanted to coach?
A: I had done some of the real-estate stuff and did some things with radio and I played my last football with Arena football. You miss that competitive aspect and, as a player, you never looked at that. I didn't grow up wanting to be a coach. I figured, [heck], if I could teach some kids to play that have a little bit more athletic ability than I did at that level and with the capacity for learning that I had, you've got yourself a pretty good football player.
Q: How much do you keep tabs on Georgia Tech?
A: I always keep up to date. I love watching their offense now. It's not what I ran, but that's kind of how the game has evolved. ... I went to the ACC championship game in Tampa, and it was exciting to see that. That's one of the reasons why they brought in Coach [Paul] Johnson, and I think that it's good as an alum to see that success.
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