Before told he was fired, Geoff Collins came to work Monday morning

While his firing had been reported Sunday, former Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins showed up to work Monday morning to lead preparations for the Yellow Jackets’ upcoming game against Pittsburgh because he had yet to be informed by anyone from the school, according to a person familiar with the situation.

While the decision was expected, Collins being informed Monday led to confusion, uncertainty and perhaps aggravation among staff and players. Many or all players and staff had first learned of Collins’ fate Sunday through news reports, but Collins was not able to offer them more information, such as confirmation from school officials, even as players showed up to the team facilities for meetings and weightlifting and coaches met to game-plan for Pittsburgh. Before he was called to Tech President Ángel Cabrera’s office in the 9 o’clock hour to inform him of his dismissal, Collins was at work at the Georgia Tech football offices.

Ideally (though not always), midseason firings best take place on Sundays in order to give coaches and players as much time as possible within the confines of a regimented schedule to mentally and emotionally process the drastic change and then begin preparing for the next week’s opponent with their new leader in place.