Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt reportedly has begun interviewing head-coaching candidates, specifically interim coach Brent Key and Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell. Football Scoop reported Wednesday night that Batt had formal interviews with both this week.
According to the report, Tulane coach Willie Fritz “is viewed as a serious candidate” for the job.
That Batt would be moving forward with interviews at this point would be expected with the regular season ending for Tech on Saturday, although Key said Tuesday that he had not had an interview with Batt because he was focused on the Yellow Jackets playing No. 1 Georgia on Saturday in Athens.
Chadwell could have met with Batt over the weekend as Coastal Carolina’s game against Virginia on Saturday was canceled after the tragic killing of three Cavaliers football players.
Key and Chadwell have been seen as the two most logical candidates for the job. Key has led the Jackets to a 4-3 record since taking over for Geoff Collins, including a win over then-No. 13 North Carolina on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C. In the three previous seasons with Collins, Tech had three consecutive three-win seasons.
Under Chadwell’s leadership, Coastal Carolina has a 31-4 record over the past three seasons as the Chanticleers have developed into a highly respected program among Group of 5 schools.
Fritz also makes sense as a candidate. At Tulane, whose high academic standards have been a challenge to fielding winning teams not unlike Tech, Fritz has built a successful program. In his seven seasons, Tulane has had three winning seasons and gone to three bowls (with a fourth clinched). Under the previous three coaches, over a span of 17 seasons, the Green Wave achieved a total of three winning seasons with two bowl trips. This year, Tulane has a 9-2 record and is ranked for the first time (No. 19 this week) since 1998.
Fritz would bring local knowledge to Tech, having coached at Georgia Southern for two seasons before taking the Tulane job.
The report also cited Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, the former Houston Texans and Penn State head coach who was on the Tech staff 1995-2002, saying that he had the endorsement of Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, but not indicating that he was being considered.
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