The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fired head coach Geoff Collins over the weekend following his ninth straight loss to an FBS opponent. The change in leadership was clearly necessary, as evidenced by his final record of 10-28 (.283 winning percentage), which is the worst in program history among its 13 full-time coaches.
After the move became official on Monday morning, names of potential successors swarmed social media, headlined by Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders.
Just on name value alone, this would be an aggressive move that would certainly bring intrigue to the Georgia Tech program -- something that it has been lacking for years. At least on the surface, this sort of hire has the potential to be a bonafide home run, but could this sort of marriage work out for both parties?
First of all, Deion Sanders is clearly interested in making the leap to the Power Five. Just last fall he reportedly interviewed for three different Power Five jobs, and he will be in the mix again this cycle after compiling a 15-2 record and bringing in his second straight head-turning recruiting class headlined by consensus number one recruit (and Atlanta native) Travis Hunter.
Additionally, Georgia Tech has the inherent attraction of a Power Five program in a winnable conference while simultaneously being centered in the heart of one of the biggest recruiting hotbeds in the country. Just ask the Yellow Jackets' neighbors to the east about how nice it is to be able to dip their cup into that well every offseason.
Regardless of the logo on his chest, Deion Sanders walking into the home of any recruit would immediately move the needle, but the added value of playing in a major market like Atlanta could be a driving force in potential NIL deals that make the school that much more attractive to recruits.
For as downtrodden as they have been in recent years, there is still a rich football history at the institution. Some of the best coaches in the sport have called The Flats home, highlighted by the stadium's namesake (Bobby Dodd) and the nation's award for the best college football player (John Heisman). As someone who cares a great deal about his legacy, adding his name alongside those two would be a very attractive prospect.
Clearly, this could prove to be an advantageous situation for both Georgia Tech and Deion Sanders.
Sounds great, right?
Well, it won't be that easy, because the biggest thing holding this back is Georgia Tech itself.
Simply pitching the city of Atlanta and a winning culture from before he was born is not going to be enough to lure him over. With programs like Clemson, NC State, Miami, and Pittsburgh taking leaps forward within the ACC, there must be a commitment to being a top-flight college football program -- both on and off the field.
This means upgraded facilities, a legitimate recruiting department, elevated staff salaries for assistants, and perhaps some leniency on the academic side of things.
If this is a program that is content with seven to nine wins and a bowl appearance, then Sanders isn't going to be interested. Commit to these changes, and maybe there's a chance.
Perhaps there is a sleeping giant on North Avenue and nabbing a guy like Sanders is the shot of adrenalin the program needs to finally make that ascension. Now it's up to the power brokers to decide what the future of Georgia Tech football will look like.