Matt Zenitz reports that North Carolina has appointed former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins to the position of defensive coordinator. Before beginning his head coaching tenure at Temple (2017–18) and Georgia Tech (2019–22), Collins oversaw several top-10 defenses at Florida (2015–16) and Mississippi State (2011–14). During his tenure with the Bulldogs, he was dubbed the “Minster of Mayhem.”.
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Former Western Carolina linebacker Collins began his coaching career in Cullowhee as a student assistant in 1993–1994 and worked his way up the ranks. In 2011, he secured his first significant position at Mississippi State as a co-DC. In 2013, he received a promotion to full-time defensive end from Mississippi State, where he helped the Bulldogs place among the top five in the SEC for total defense, rushing defense, and passing defense. In addition to being the best Red Zone defense in the conference and leading the SEC in sacks in 2014, Collins’ Mississippi State defense finished 10-3 overall.
After the 2014 season, Collins was hired by Florida. In his first season in charge in 2015, the Gators’ defense finished as the country’s No. 11 scoring defense. In 2015, Florida was the only team in the nation to prevent four FBS opponents from converting three downs at a rate lower than 17%. After surrendering only 310.2 yards per game and finishing as the eighth-ranked team in the nation (third in the SEC) in total defense, the Gators became only one of seven FBS teams since 1996 to not allow a touchdown against three different Power Five opponents in road or neutral-site games. LSU (2011) and Tennessee (1998) are the only other SEC teams that have achieved that.
In 2016, Florida’s defense improved even further. With a scoring defense rating of 16.8 points allowed, the Gators were sixth in the country, keeping LSU (10), Georgia (10), and Iowa (three) to two points or fewer.
Earlier this week, defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was let go by the Tar Heels. Chizik’s teams were considered an albatross that kept UNC from reaching its full potential with star quarterback Drake Maye in the lineup. They were statistically among the lowest in the ACC, with total defensive rankings of 95th this season and 116th in 2022.
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