Former Georgia Tech Head Coach Geoff Collins Discusses Being Fired at GT, Taking the North Carolina Job

Collins was fired from Georgia Tech after a 1-3 start during the 2022 season

Nov 13, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Geoff Collins on the field before a game against the Boston College Eagles at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

After being fired from Georgia Tech, Geoff Collins took a year off from coaching, but he is now back on the sidelines as the defensive coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who the Yellow Jackets play on Oct. 12th. After practice this week, Collins was asked about being fired from Georgia Tech, and here is what he had to say:

"That’s always a thing,” Collins said. “Because in my entire career, it has been consistent success, success, success, success. And then you go through that and you become very reflective, self-reflective. What a lot of people can do, is they can just point fingers and blame and just deflect everything instead of going inside and going through the process, what you could’ve done different, what you could’ve done better. Obviously, everybody knows the circumstances that happen. But that doesn’t matter. What could I have done better for the next time?

“Here’s the benefit, for me: I got to take the year to regroup, be very reflective, and then I get to come work for a Hall of Famer and watch how he does it on a daily basis and it has been wonderful for my career, wonderful for my soul and just getting to come out here every day and pour into these young men and a culture and a program that is set up for success,” Collins said.

Collins finished with a record of 10-28 as the head coach of the Yellow Jackets and 0-2 against Georgia, losing by a combined score of 97-7 in two meetings.

After Collins was let go, Brent Key took over as the interim head coach and then was named the permanent head coach at the season's end. Key led the Yellow Jackets to a 7-6 record this season, including their first bowl win since 2016.