re: Paul Johnson

Johnson works at Tech because he doesn't have to pull in a top recruiting class to make it work. frick him but he gets the most out of his players compared to any coach in football.

For one, A&M wouldn't be able to handle the lack of competition in recruiting. They need their ego stroked in the offseason same as any other SEC school.

For two, Johnson can only really work at a P5 school like Tech where they would have a pretty difficult time consistently keeping top flight recruits eligible given their academic entrance and retention standards. Johnson works at Tech because even in his bad years and even when he is losing to UGA, he can sell the administration on recruiting primarily the high caliber academic kids that maybe aren't the most athletically gifted but can do enough to play well in his offense. For that reason, he also appeals to fans and donors smug sense of academic and moral superiority in the state.

Beyond that, there's enough defensive talent in Georgia and the surrounding states to pass muster in the ACC without having to recruit like UGA.

Johnson is the perfect coach for a place like Tech which has all but accepted it's place in the college football pecking order. They're not going to win a national title but they can occasionally frick up FSU or Clemson or UGA's seasons and maybe even make a run at the ACC and the Orange Bowl. And that's enough for the majority of their relatively small fanbase