ATLANTA — Georgia Tech has announced the firing of Geoff Collins, bringing to an end the short-lived tenure of the embattled coach.
Collins struggled mightily with the Yellowjackets, compiling a 10-28 record since he overtook legendary Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson in 2019 after he stepped down following the 2018 season. Collins never finished a season with more than three wins.
Assistant coach Brent Key has been named the interim head coach, while Tech's chief of staff and senior vice president of strategic initiatives Frank Neville has been named the interim AD.
Key is himself a Tech alum and has been an assistant for four seasons. He was Alabama's offensive line coach before returning to Tech, and spent roughly a decade at UCF working his way up in his first coaching stint.
His program bio credits him, as run game coordinator and offensive line coach, with the Tech running game producing an all-American, two all-ACC honorees and top-half finishes in ACC rushing offense twice.
"A national search will get underway this week to recruit a new director of athletics and football head coach. Parker Executive Search has been contracted to lead the search," the school said.
In addition to the broader program struggles, Collins' teams underperformed in games that mattered most. He ended his run at Georgia Tech losing his last eight games to Power Five opponents.
In 2019, the Jackets finished 3-9, in 2020 3-7, followed by another abysmal 3-9 record to finish Collins' last full season in 2021. It was another rocky start to 2022, as Georgia Tech has began the season with a 1-3 record while being outscored 127-55 in those games.
“I am grateful to Coach Collins for his hard work and commitment to our student athletes,” Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the results of our football program have fallen short of what our loyal community, fans and athletes expect and deserve. We are committed to rebuilding the program and a coaching change is a necessary first step in that process.”
Of Stansbury, Cabrera said: "Todd is and will always be an admired and respected member of our community. His dedication to the success of our student athletes and his love for Georgia Tech are admirable,” said Cabrera. “The challenges the athletic program has faced in recent years have grown to a point where we need to try a new approach, and that requires new leadership.”
Georgia Tech will now look to turn the page quickly before their next game on Saturday on the road at No. 24 Pittsburgh.