Former Auburn defensive line coach Mike Pelton has been hired at Georgia Tech to fill the same role, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Pelton coached with new Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof during the 2011 season at Auburn when Roof was the Tigers' coordinator. Pelton coached at Auburn for the 2012 season and was let go with the staff with the firing of coach Gene Chizik and the hiring of Gus Malzahn. Pelton’s hire completes Tech’s staff after the midseason firing of defensive coordinator Al Groh and the loss to interim coordinator and secondary coach Charles Kelly to Florida State.
Perhaps the most notable names on Pelton’s resume are NFL stars DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora. Pelton worked with both while coaching at Troy. Pelton was also an All-SEC selection while playing at Auburn. In 2011, Pelton’s one season with Roof at Auburn, Tigers defensive end Corey Lemonier was named second-team All-SEC.
It is expected that Andy McCollum will coach the linebackers and Joe Speed will take over the secondary. McCollum, previously the defensive line coach, took over the inside linebackers after Groh’s dismissal. McCollum has considerable history coaching linebackers, including for three seasons in his most recent position at N.C. State 2007-09. Speed coached the secondary in his last four seasons at Navy before coming to Tech in 2010.
