PHILADELPHIA- As a seventh grader, Geoff Collins made the eighth grade basketball team at Edwards Middle School in Conyers, Georgia.
Collins felt pretty good about himself just like any kid would. But his father, William Collins, told him the deal.
“‘Here’s what you are, and here’s what this team needs, you are tough, you fight for everything you always have your entire life, and that’s what coach [John] Chaney preaches up at Temple’.” Collins said his father told him. “‘I need you to be that for this basketball team’.”
Geoff Collins Enters Press Conference
Now, 33 years and 12 coaching stints later, Temple needs him to be that guy and more as the head coach of its football program.
“That’s what this place is about,” Collins said. “Toughness, being physical, working hard, never quitting, and I am so proud to be the head football coach here.”
Collins coached as the defensive coordinator at the University of Florida for the two previous years, where his defenses have ranked top 10 in the FBS. He also coached at Mississippi State from 2011-14 as the defensive coordinator, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Temple Athletic Director, Patrick Kraft, Addresses Media
In 2014 with the Bulldogs, Collins led them to their first 10-win season since 1999 and a berth in the Orange Bowl, where they lost to Georgia Tech 49-34.
Collins also coined the nickname, “Minister of Mayhem” at Mississippi State from an assistant SSID at a press conference referring to the physical play of his defenses.
“I wanted someone who knows how to win,” Athletic Director Dr. Patrick Kraft said. “Someone who’s been through winning and seen the process. Someone that understands what it takes to win at the highest level. I wanted someone that wanted this job. Didn’t want a job. Wanted Temple’s job. And we found him in Geoff. So I’m very proud to have Geoff here with us.”
Geoff Collins Addresses Media
Q&A Session
Collins will take over a Temple program from former head coach Matt Rhule, who accepted the head coaching job at Baylor University last week.
Temple’s three previous head coaches have helped build the program, but Rhule took it to new heights compared to Al Golden and Steve Addazio.
Rhule made a promise with Temple four years ago that he would win a conference championship, and he did that and much more.
On top winning the American Athletic Conference Championship over Navy, he led the Owls to their most successful two-year stretch in program history. He also won the East Division in the AAC back-to-back years, and led them to two consecutive bowl games, even though he won’t be coaching in the game.
This all brings pressure for Collins. But Collins addressed that in just over a minute into his presser.
“I know one of the questions that I’m sure is going to be asked, so I’m going to go ahead and attack it right now is: ‘Do you feel any pressure? Back-to-back 10 win seasons. Back-to-back winning the East [Division]. Winning the conference. Do you feel pressure?’” Collins said.
“That’s what I live for. That’s what I thrive on,” he added.
For the past 16 years, Collins’ jobs have all been located in the South. However, he said he does have experience recruiting in the Northeast due to him being the defensive coordinator at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania and the linebackers coach at Fordham University in New York City.
Kraft even called Collins one of the best recruiters in the country, and said he’s stopped at Temple’s facilities while he was out on his recruiting trips.
Collins said he still has relationships with high school coaches in the Philadelphia area.
“I do,” Collins said. “A lot of those guys and part of me thinks they had such a good experience with me and Matt [Rhule] and Sean [Padden], they’ve become coaches. So there’s a lot of guys that are in this area that we coached at Albright that are now at St. Joe’s Prep.”
Collins also called Rhule one of his “best friends,” and that he had nothing but great things to say about Temple.
Interim head coach Ed Foley will coach Temple in the Military Bowl against Wake Forest. Collins said he will be in the facilities leading up to the bowl game but out of respect for Foley and the players he will let them finish out the year. He added he doesn’t know if he’ll coach for Florida in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2 against Iowa.
Collins isn’t set on his coaching staff yet. He said he entered the press conference with about 463 text messages from people he hasn’t talked to in about 10 to 12 years.
“All I’m worried about is this right now and whatever they have me doing after this and finally getting to be around the recruits or texting, tweeting, whatever the case may be,” Collins said. “And then finally getting a hold of this team and helping them achieve great things.”