By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

After 11 seasons in Atlanta Paul Johnson has retired suddenly from coaching at Georgia Tech. As a fan I think this is great news. I do think the timing is very odd though.

“It’s been a great run for the last 11 years here on The Flats. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and am looking forward to having the chance to coach this team one last time at our bowl game next month.”

It seemingly came out of nowhere but CPJ said he contemplated retirement in 2016. After athletic director Mike Bobinski departed for Purdue in 2016, he was replaced by Todd Stansbury.

“To be honest with you, truthfully, had Todd not shown up, I was ready to do this before he came,” Johnson said. “Because it wasn’t much fun. It was drudgery. I think that Todd came in, he understands what needs to happen.”

That is an interesting quote because on the outside he appeared to be content coaching. This is interesting insight into the mind of a coach because we often see them say one thing then doing something totally different.

For example, how many times have we seen a coach claim they love their current job then bolt for the next open position?

Johnson, 61, is fourth all-time at Georgia Tech with an 82-59 mark, and has a career coaching record of 189-98 over 22 seasons. He guided the Yellow Jackets to the ACC championship in 2009, and he finished first or second in the Coastal Division in 7 of his 11 seasons.

He’s known for running the triple option, which is extremely old school since the turn of the century. The Yellow Jackets lead the country in rushing this season and have been a fixture in the top 10 nationally in rushing each of the past 10 years.

Since 2008, Georgia Tech has averaged 301.9 rushing yards per game – second in FBS behind Navy (308.0).

He has struggled recently, having losing seasons in 2015 and 2017. The team got off to a slow start this season going 1-3. They rallied to win six of the next seven. I believe the criticism from fans has worn Johnson out on coaching at Tech.

The Yellow Jackets lost to rival Georgia 45-21. That score is closer than the game actually was.

They were also trounced by UGA in 2017 38-7. He has struggled to beat them and Clemson in his tenure. The talent gap between the programs has only gotten worse because he is not a good recruiter.

More than likely he will take a little time off and return to coaching. I think that’s a good move for him. He is not cut out for a Power 5 school, but I think he would excel at a smaller school or back at the FCS level.

“I think I’m still young enough that I’ll take a break and see if it fits and see if it’s what I want,” he said. “And if not, hopefully the body of work that I’ve had over the last 40 years, if I decide to do it again, I’ll get back in it somewhere else.”

I think Johnson will be remembered fondly by Tech fans in the next few years.