Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson to retire after 11 seasons
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson is expected to announce his retirement after 11 seasons with the school, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
An official announcement could come later Wednesday. Georgia Tech assistant coaches have been told to return from the recruiting trail for meetings, sources said. A team meeting is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to a source.
Johnson, 61, is 82-59 at Georgia Tech and 189-98 overall as a head coach. He guided the Yellow Jackets to the ACC championship in 2009, and he finished first or second in the Coastal Division in seven of his 11 seasons.
The Yellow Jackets lost to rival Georgia 45-21 last Saturday to finish 7-5. They await a bowl assignment, which would be Johnson's ninth at Georgia Tech.
His 189 career wins currently rank fourth among active coaches behind Brian Kelly (231), Nick Saban (230) and Bill Snyder (215). Johnson also served as head coach at Navy and Georgia Southern, where he won two FCS national championships.
Johnson is one of the few coaches in college football who still runs an option-centered offense with his flexbone spread. He ran the same system at Navy before taking the Georgia Tech job.
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).
The Yellow Jackets ran for 5,222 more yards than any other major conference team during Johnson's tenure. They also averaged only 13.0 passes per game -- only Army (9.5), Navy (10.0) and Air Force (12.9) attempted fewer passes during that same period.
Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who played at Georgia Tech, is expected to be a top candidate to succeed Johnson, according to sources. Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and Army coach Jeff Monken, who also runs the triple option, could be in the mix as well.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Mark Schlabach contributed to this report.
