Report: Georgia Tech Offensive Coordinator Buster Faulkner A "Serious Candidate" For Georgia State Head Coaching Job

Faulkner turned Georgia Tech's offense into one of the ACC's best in 2023

The college football coaching carousel never seems to end and last week. 

Last week, Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott left to take the tight ends job at South Carolina, opening up another FBS head coaching job. Things had been quiet on that search since Elliott left for Columbia, but two names emerged today in a report and one of them is Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. 

Faulkner's name has come up for other jobs this offseason, but he has remained at Georgia Tech. However, according to The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and Seth Emerson, Faulkner is a strong candidate for the job, along with Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee. 

SOURCES: Georgia’s Dell McGee, Georgia Tech’s Buster Faulkner have emerged as strong candidates for the Georgia State head coaching vacancy, sources tell @SethWEmerson and me. https://t.co/zP2UiOZ0oZhttps://t.co/zP2UiOZ0oZ

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 21, 2024

Here is what Emerson and Feldman had to say about Faulkner being a candidate: 

"Faulkner, 42, just completed his first season as Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator. The Yellow Jackets improved from 11th to third in the ACC in offensive yards-per-play and from 13th to fourth in scoring offense. Before that, Faulkner was at Georgia for three years as an offensive analyst, working with Todd Monken.

A native of Lilburn, Ga., Faulkner played quarterback at Valdosta State, where he began his coaching career as a student assistant, then also served as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. He eventually rose through the coaching ranks to be the offensive coordinator at Arkansas State (2017-18) and Southern Miss (2019), before joining Georgia’s staff."

You can read the full report here. 

Emerson and Feldman also mentioned that a decision is expected in the next few days. 

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Faulkner was one of the best assistants in the country last season. 

Georgia Tech had one of the biggest offensive turnarounds of any team in the country this season. After averaging less than 20 PPG a year before and having one of the worst passing attacks in the country, the Yellow Jackets completely turned that around. They finished third in the ACC in total yards per game, 1st in rushing yards per game, and 6th in passing yards per game. The offensive line saw a huge improvement this year, finishing in the top 20 in the country in sacks allowed. 

Stay tuned for more on this story. 

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