Three Collins assistants fired
One day after Georgia Tech finished with three wins for the third straight year of Geoff Collins’ coaching tenure, Collins announced that three assistant coaches would not be renewed.
Offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude, co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Nathan Burton and cornerbacks coach Jeff Popovich are the three departing assistants.
Patenaude and Burton, a former Georgia Tech player, followed Collins from his previous post as the head coach at Temple, while Popovich, who was also the Yellow Jackets’ defensive special teams coordinator, came from Boise State.
Georgia Tech finished the 2021 season with a 3-9 record and ended their schedule with consecutive lopsided shutouts — 55-0 against Notre Dame and 45-0 against archrival Georgia on Saturday. In addition to the end of their game against Boston College, the Yellow Jackets ended the season being outscored 110-0.
Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury had previously given his support to Collins, who is 9-25 overall, returning as head coach for the 2022 season.
“As I have begun evaluating our program and identifying the things we need to do to be more successful, I have determined that a change in leadership on both sides of the ball is necessary,” Collins said in a release. “I believe that new voices in these key positions on our staff will allow us to do a better job of consistently putting our players in the best position to meet the high standards we all have for our program.
“I thank Dave, Nate and Jeff for everything that they and their families have put into this program. They have put everything they have into building the foundation for the future of Georgia Tech football, and I will be eternally grateful for their hard work, sacrifice, leadership and friendship. I wish all three of them nothing but the best of luck and success in the future.”