Georgia Tech running backs coach Mike Daniels resigned his position, effective immediately. The team made the announcement Friday afternoon.
The resignation is not believed to be performance-related, according to a person familiar with the situation. Donald Hill-Eley, who was promoted earlier this week from offensive analyst to offensive assistant and assistant special-teams coach to fill the vacancy created by Brent Key’s promotion from offensive line coach to interim head coach, will replace Daniels.
“I thank Mike for his contributions to our program and student-athletes and wish him the best in the future,” Key said in a statement.
Daniels was hired in December to replace Tashard Choice, who left Tech to become running backs coach first at USC and later Texas. Daniels came from Buffalo, where he had been the running backs coach for one season. While filling big shoes, Daniels made an impact in recruiting and seemed to be received well by the Yellow Jackets running backs. Among other successes, running back Hassan Hall was named ACC running back of the week for his performance in the team’s win over Pittsburgh on Oct. 1.
“He’s a good person, he’s a good coach, and he brings the energy as a coach that I haven’t seen,” running back Dontae Smith said of Daniels in August. “So having him come in after somebody that I looked up to is a good feeling. It’s not a drop-off.”
Daniels had traveled an unusual path to reach Tech, to this point the highest-profile position in his career. After finishing his playing career at the University of Cincinnati in 2007, Daniels climbed the coaching ladder to coach running backs at Buffalo before making the unusual move of taking a coaching job at the high-school ranks at Statesboro High for three years. After that, he moved back up to coaching at the college level (Kennesaw State) 2014-16 before returning again to high schools, this time as head coach at Princeton High in Cincinnati (his alma mater) 2017-20. After that, he returned to college and Buffalo for the 2021 season.
Daniels’ resignation leaves another opening for Key to fill on the 10-man assistant coaching staff. Tech is on its bye week and plays its next game Thursday at home against Virginia.
