Geoff Collins: Program Building, Culture & Leadership

The Coach

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Prior to taking the reins at Georgia Tech, Collins put together the most successful first two seasons by a head coach in Temple’s 121-year football history. Collins compiled 15 wins and led Temple to two bowl games in his two seasons with the Owls, which are both school records for a coach in his first two campaigns at TU.

In his first season at Temple, Collins led the Owls a 28-3 win over Florida International in the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl, which was good for only the third bowl victory in school history and its first since 2011.

He coached the Owls to an 8-4 record and 7-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference in 2018, with Temple’s only conference defeat coming at No. 8-ranked and undefeated UCF. The 8-4 campaign earned Temple a berth in the Independence Bowl.

Prior to becoming head coach at Temple, Collins was one of the nation’s most respected defensive coordinators, serving in the role at Florida (2015-16), Mississippi State (2013-14, co-DC: 2011-12), FIU (2010) and his alma mater, Western Carolina (2002-05).

Highlights of his career as a coordinator included ranking among the nation’s top 10 in total defense in each of his two seasons at Florida (No. 8 in 2015 and No. 5 in 2016), ranking among the top 25 nationally in total defense (18th – 2013) and scoring defense (23rd – 2014) during his two seasons calling plays at Mississippi State and leading the Sun Belt Conference in total defense, scoring defense and turnover margin in his lone campaign at FIU (2010).

He is the only coach to ever be nominated for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach, at three different schools (FIU – 2010, Mississippi State – 2014 and Florida – 2015).

Collins’ 27-year career also includes a pair of prior stints at Georgia Tech. He first came to The Flats as a graduate assistant (1999-2000), then tight ends coach (2001) under head coach George O’Leary from 1999-2001, followed by a year as director of player personnel under head coach Chan Gailey in 2006.

During his initial three seasons at Georgia Tech under O’Leary, the Yellow Jackets were 25-12 with three-consecutive bowl appearances. As the Jackets’ director of player personnel in 2006, Collins led the efforts to land a recruiting class that included Derrick Morgan (all-American, first-round NFL Draft pick), Morgan Burnett (all-American, third-round NFL Draft pick), Joshua Nesbitt (quarterbacked GT to two ACC Championship Games) and Jonathan Dwyer (the sixth-leading rusher in GT history).

Collins’ coaching career also includes stops at Western Carolina (student assistant – 1993-94), Franklin (N.C.) H.S. (assistant coach – 1995), Fordham (linebackers coach – 1996), Albright (defensive coordinator – 1997-98), Alabama (director of player personnel – 2007) and UCF (linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator – 2008-09).