FOOTBALL
Overall the team is still very confident that they will go on a run, the spirit of the players seems to be very positive, not like last year during the backslide, but they could use some breaks and a win this week to get things into a higher gear. The feeling is if they can steal a win on the road against a good Pitt team this week, the schedule sets up well until they go to UNC and VaTech in November.
The overall sense is the younger talent is better in some ways than the guys playing as starters right now especially on the defensive side of the ball and at the skill positions on offense. The overall talent is up from where it was in 2014, but they are just young. Those 2012 and 13 classes and losing so many kids hurt the program the last two years.
CPJ is catching some serious heat from people at GT from the "commitment to win" comments and he regrets saying them publicly, but I doubt he will say that if he is asked about it again. There are some serious questions going on and there is fatigue from the fan base with CPJ and CPJ has fatigue from being in the GT grinder for so many years. There is a reason no one has lasted as long as PJ has at GT post-Dodd and this season will either set PJ up for several more years at GT or he will retire or coach one or two more years. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. The only P5 coaches with longer tenures are Bob Stoops, Kirk Ferentz, Gary Patterson, Mike Gundy, Kyle Whittingham, Pat Fitzgerald, Mark Dantonio and Nick Saban.
During PJ's tenure there have been a lot of changes in the ACC at the head coaching position
Tommy Bowden FIRED 2008
Jeff Jagodzinski FIRED 2008
Al Groh FIRED 2009
Bobby Bowden FORCED OUT 2009
Butch Davis FIRED 2010
Ralph Driedgen FIRED 2010
Randy Shannon FIRED 2010
Everett Withers FIRED 2011
Tom O'Brien FIRED 2012
Jim Grobe FIRED 2013
Frank Beamer RETIRED 2015
David Cutcliffe (two weeks)
Dabo Swinney 2008
Jimbo Fisher 2009
Mike London 2009 FIRED 2015
Frank Spaziani 2009 FIRED 2013
Al Golden Miami 2010 FIRED 2015
Randy Edsall 2011 FIRED 2015
Larry Fedora 2011
Dave Doeren 2012
Steve Addazio 2012
Paul Chryst 2012 LEFT FOR WISCONSIN 2014
Scott Shafer 2013 FIRED 2015
Dave Clawson 2013
Bobby Petrino 2014
Pat Narduzzi 2014
Dino Babers 2016
Justin Fuente 2016
Bronco Mendenhall 2016
Mark Richt 2016
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
There has been some blow back on the "commitment to football" comments. Pat Swilling was particularly not pleased by it. There has been some significant damage control done and the crisis appears to be diverted for now. Tre Swilling text me after the Miami game and said that he and the 2017 class are going to get this thing "turned around quickly" and that GT will be strong again soon. I thought that was interesting and it was an unsolicited from him while watching the game.
Malik Willis came down for the Miami game and just hung out with the coaches and whatnot. GT is still in the mix, but he has a lot of people in his ear telling him to be a DB at VaTech so it will come down to if he wants to play QB or not. GT is looking into other QB targets now, but no one they are ready to offer yet. They won't take one to just take one in this class.
The focus for recruiting has been DT and DE going forward. Those are the biggest need positions in this class. Ben Hutch is still hinging on his academic progress, otherwise he may not qualify for anyone. GT will roll the dice on him though if he can get in.
Not much news on the Hawaiian targets, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Aliki Vimahi, I still think Aliki ends up at a West Coast school. Won't really know much on either until OVs.
Cortez Alston still floating around at DE though.
Lots of LBs contacting GT about coming for visits and whatnot, but none that are pure inside guys which is what they are looking for with the final spot in the class. Still keep an eye out on 4-star LB Kendric Haynes, he is just shorter than they would like and they are trying to get the defense bigger across the board whenever possible. That has been a mandate from CPJ to the defensive staff and his overall staff for recruiting. The sole exception has been Jaytlin Askew because he is such a good cover corner.
Offensively, Brady Scott has been sniffing around for an offer. He has decided to play football instead of baseball. FSU is going hard after him, which is kind of surprising, Miss State is the other school showing interest.
HOOPS RECRUITING
GT will be hosting 4-star SF Jordan Nwora this weekend, he is a slight GT lean right now, but the trick will be convincing him to announce in the early signing period. His plan has been to wait until the second signing period to make a decision. This is a guy CJP hopes to steal and build around along with the guy mentioned below.
GT is pushing hard for 4-star PF Rayshaun Hammonds along with many other schools. His relationship with CJP goes back to his time at Memphis so that helps.
SG/PG Jay Jay Chandler could be a harder pull that first thought, apparently he may be leaning toward to WKU and the sudden lure to play for Rick Stansbury.
SG and the 5 position are the two hardest to predict right now. Wendell Carter isn't coming baring a miracle, Ikey Obiagu is probably not coming either so that leaves Zach Kent of offered guys unless CJP wants to take a transfer.
CJP is also pushing hard for 2018, he thinks that is when they could snatch a 5-star level guy.
Overall the team is still very confident that they will go on a run, the spirit of the players seems to be very positive, not like last year during the backslide, but they could use some breaks and a win this week to get things into a higher gear. The feeling is if they can steal a win on the road against a good Pitt team this week, the schedule sets up well until they go to UNC and VaTech in November.
The overall sense is the younger talent is better in some ways than the guys playing as starters right now especially on the defensive side of the ball and at the skill positions on offense. The overall talent is up from where it was in 2014, but they are just young. Those 2012 and 13 classes and losing so many kids hurt the program the last two years.
CPJ is catching some serious heat from people at GT from the "commitment to win" comments and he regrets saying them publicly, but I doubt he will say that if he is asked about it again. There are some serious questions going on and there is fatigue from the fan base with CPJ and CPJ has fatigue from being in the GT grinder for so many years. There is a reason no one has lasted as long as PJ has at GT post-Dodd and this season will either set PJ up for several more years at GT or he will retire or coach one or two more years. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. The only P5 coaches with longer tenures are Bob Stoops, Kirk Ferentz, Gary Patterson, Mike Gundy, Kyle Whittingham, Pat Fitzgerald, Mark Dantonio and Nick Saban.
During PJ's tenure there have been a lot of changes in the ACC at the head coaching position
Tommy Bowden FIRED 2008
Jeff Jagodzinski FIRED 2008
Al Groh FIRED 2009
Bobby Bowden FORCED OUT 2009
Butch Davis FIRED 2010
Ralph Driedgen FIRED 2010
Randy Shannon FIRED 2010
Everett Withers FIRED 2011
Tom O'Brien FIRED 2012
Jim Grobe FIRED 2013
Frank Beamer RETIRED 2015
David Cutcliffe (two weeks)
Dabo Swinney 2008
Jimbo Fisher 2009
Mike London 2009 FIRED 2015
Frank Spaziani 2009 FIRED 2013
Al Golden Miami 2010 FIRED 2015
Randy Edsall 2011 FIRED 2015
Larry Fedora 2011
Dave Doeren 2012
Steve Addazio 2012
Paul Chryst 2012 LEFT FOR WISCONSIN 2014
Scott Shafer 2013 FIRED 2015
Dave Clawson 2013
Bobby Petrino 2014
Pat Narduzzi 2014
Dino Babers 2016
Justin Fuente 2016
Bronco Mendenhall 2016
Mark Richt 2016
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
There has been some blow back on the "commitment to football" comments. Pat Swilling was particularly not pleased by it. There has been some significant damage control done and the crisis appears to be diverted for now. Tre Swilling text me after the Miami game and said that he and the 2017 class are going to get this thing "turned around quickly" and that GT will be strong again soon. I thought that was interesting and it was an unsolicited from him while watching the game.
Malik Willis came down for the Miami game and just hung out with the coaches and whatnot. GT is still in the mix, but he has a lot of people in his ear telling him to be a DB at VaTech so it will come down to if he wants to play QB or not. GT is looking into other QB targets now, but no one they are ready to offer yet. They won't take one to just take one in this class.
The focus for recruiting has been DT and DE going forward. Those are the biggest need positions in this class. Ben Hutch is still hinging on his academic progress, otherwise he may not qualify for anyone. GT will roll the dice on him though if he can get in.
Not much news on the Hawaiian targets, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Aliki Vimahi, I still think Aliki ends up at a West Coast school. Won't really know much on either until OVs.
Cortez Alston still floating around at DE though.
Lots of LBs contacting GT about coming for visits and whatnot, but none that are pure inside guys which is what they are looking for with the final spot in the class. Still keep an eye out on 4-star LB Kendric Haynes, he is just shorter than they would like and they are trying to get the defense bigger across the board whenever possible. That has been a mandate from CPJ to the defensive staff and his overall staff for recruiting. The sole exception has been Jaytlin Askew because he is such a good cover corner.
Offensively, Brady Scott has been sniffing around for an offer. He has decided to play football instead of baseball. FSU is going hard after him, which is kind of surprising, Miss State is the other school showing interest.
HOOPS RECRUITING
GT will be hosting 4-star SF Jordan Nwora this weekend, he is a slight GT lean right now, but the trick will be convincing him to announce in the early signing period. His plan has been to wait until the second signing period to make a decision. This is a guy CJP hopes to steal and build around along with the guy mentioned below.
GT is pushing hard for 4-star PF Rayshaun Hammonds along with many other schools. His relationship with CJP goes back to his time at Memphis so that helps.
SG/PG Jay Jay Chandler could be a harder pull that first thought, apparently he may be leaning toward to WKU and the sudden lure to play for Rick Stansbury.
SG and the 5 position are the two hardest to predict right now. Wendell Carter isn't coming baring a miracle, Ikey Obiagu is probably not coming either so that leaves Zach Kent of offered guys unless CJP wants to take a transfer.
CJP is also pushing hard for 2018, he thinks that is when they could snatch a 5-star level guy.
