Update >> Temple has now announced that Collins is leaving to become the head coach at Georgia Tech, and the Yellow Jackets have followed that up, formally announcing Collins as the new leader of the program.
Temple head coach Geoff Collins will be named the new head coach at GT today, per a report from The Athletic (see tweet at bottom).
Yesterday we wrote that Collins had emerged as a strong candidate at Georgia Tech.
Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, a Yellow Jackets teammate of Georgia Tech AD Todd Stansbury and the early front-runner for the job, is no longer a candidate for the position.
Collins interviewed for position Wednesday source told FootballScoop. We were told another candidate remained involved in the search as of Thursday morning.
Collins was mentioned as a strong candidate in FootballScoop's Monday update. A native of Conyers, Ga., located just a half hour drive east of downtown Atlanta, Collins played and began his coaching career at Western Carolina but deposited two separate tints at his "hometown" school. He was a Yellow Jackets graduate assistant on George O'Leary's staff from 1999-01 and then spent the 2006 season as the director of player personnel for Chan Gailey's staff.
From there, Collins joined Nick Saban's original Alabama staff in a similar post before moving on to serve as the linebackers coach at UCF in 2008-09 and then as defensive coordinator at FIU, Mississippi State and Florida.
That success led him to Temple, where he has gone 15-10 as head coach over the past two campaigns. His Owls went 7-6 in his debut season, and his 2018 stands at 8-4, losing only to No. 8 UCF in conference play, heading into an Independence Bowl appearance against Duke on Dec. 27.
Georgia Tech will conclude its season the proceeding day, as the program says farewell to the outgoing Paul Johnson against Minnesota in the Quick Lane Bowl.
With one game still to play, Johnson stands at 82-59 in 11 seasons at Georgia Tech, leading the Ramblin' Wreck to the 2009 ACC championship, four ACC Coastal crowns, nine bowl appearances, one AP top-10 finish and three AP top-25 finishes.
While Johnson brought a consistent level of success to Atlanta, the next Georgia Tech head coach will be expected to modernize the offense in order to make the program more attractive to recruits amid the most competitive recruiting territory in the country.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.