University of North Carolina Athletics
Football
Geoff Collins
- Title:
- Defensive Coordinator
- Phone:
- 919-966-2575
Geoff Collins joined the Carolina football staff as defensive coordinator in January of 2024. A 27-year coaching veteran, Collins served as head coach at Georgia Tech for four seasons from 2019-22 before coming to Chapel Hill. In total, Collins has six years of head coaching experience and 11 years of experience as a defensive coordinator at the collegiate level, including six years in the SEC.
Collins has recruited and/or coached more than three dozen players that have gone on to play in the National Football League. In addition to the six Yellow Jackets drafted under Collins’ tutelage and running back Nathan Cottrell, who made the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of Tech in 2020, Collins’ NFL pupils include Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, a consensus All-American at Mississippi State and No. 12 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Keanu Neal, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who earned first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors at Temple and went on to be selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
While the head coach at Georgia Tech, Collins was faced with installing a pro-style spread offensive attack after 11 years of option football at Tech, all while battling the Covid-19 pandemic. An accomplished recruiter, Collins produced back-to-back nationally lauded recruiting classes. His first full recruiting class in 2020 was ranked No. 24 nationally by Rivals, then re-ranked No. 8 nationally by Bleacher Report during the ‘20 season based on the impressive play of Tech’s newcomers, which included three true-freshman starters on offense. It was only the second top-25 recruiting class in Georgia Tech history, and the first since 2007, a class that was compiled when Collins served as the Yellow Jackets’ director of player personnel. His second recruiting class at Tech in 2021 was also a top-20 class when including the rankings of eight highly ranked transfers. In all, Georgia Tech added 34 four- or five-star recruits and 18 of the 50 highest-ranked high-school recruits in program history.
Collins also led the development of six NFL Draft picks in four seasons – TE Tyler Davis (2020), WR Jalen Camp (2021), Ray Guy Award winner P Pressley Harvin III (2021), DB Tariq Carpenter (2022), DE Keion White (2023) and RB Jahmyr Gibbs (2023). Davis, who was recruited by Collins to come to The Flats as a graduate transfer in 2019, became Georgia Tech’s first NFL Draft pick at any position in three years and the first non-specialist to be drafted from Tech in four years. When Camp and Harvin were both selected in 2021, it marked the first time that Tech had multiple picks in the same NFL Draft since 2016. In 2022, Carpenter became the first defensive player drafted out of Tech since ’16, and he was followed by White, who was selected in the second round by the Patriots. Gibbs was a first-round selection by the Detroit Lions.
During his time on The Flats, Collins and his squad produced a number of memorable victories, including a victory over No. 20 North Carolina in 2021, a thrilling 16-13 come-from-behind triumph at Florida State to open the 2020 season (the Yellow Jackets’ first season-opening true road win since 2007), a 28-21 overtime win at Miami in 2019 (Tech’s first-ever win over the Hurricanes at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium) and a pair of nationally televised primetime victories – a 28-26 win over NC State in 2019 and a 46-27 victory over Louisville in 2020.
Prior to taking the reins at Georgia Tech, Collins put together the most successful first two seasons by a head coach in Temple’s 121-year football history in 2017 and ‘18. Collins compiled 15 wins and led Temple to two bowl games in his two seasons with the Owls, which are both school records for a coach in his first two campaigns at TU.
In his first season at Temple, Collins led the Owls a 28-3 win over Florida International in the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl, which was good for only the third bowl victory in school history and its first since 2011.
He coached the Owls to an 8-4 record and 7-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference in 2018, with Temple’s only conference defeat coming at No. 8-ranked and undefeated UCF. The 8-4 campaign earned Temple a berth in the Independence Bowl.
Prior to becoming head coach at Temple, Collins was one of the nation’s most respected defensive coordinators, serving in the role at Florida (2015-16), Mississippi State (2013-14, co-DC: 2011-12), FIU (2010) and his alma mater, Western Carolina (2002-05).
Highlights of his career as a coordinator included ranking among the nation’s top 10 in total defense in each of his two seasons at Florida (No. 8 in 2015 and No. 5 in 2016), ranking among the top 25 nationally in total defense (18th – 2013) and scoring defense (23rd – 2014) during his two seasons calling plays at Mississippi State and leading the Sun Belt Conference in total defense, scoring defense and turnover margin in his lone campaign at FIU (2010).
At the time, Collins was the only coach to ever be nominated for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach, at three different schools (FIU – 2010, Mississippi State – 2014 and Florida – 2015).
Collins’ coaching career also includes a pair of prior stints at Georgia Tech. He first came to The Flats as a graduate assistant (1999-2000), then tight ends coach (2001) under head coach George O’Leary from 1999-2001, followed by a year as director of player personnel under head coach Chan Gailey in 2006.
During his initial three seasons at Georgia Tech under O’Leary, the Yellow Jackets were 25-12 with three-consecutive bowl appearances. As the Jackets’ director of player personnel in 2006, Collins led the efforts to land a recruiting class that included Derrick Morgan (All-American, first-round NFL Draft pick), Morgan Burnett (All-American, third-round NFL Draft pick), Joshua Nesbitt (quarterbacked GT to two ACC Championship Games) and Jonathan Dwyer (the sixth-leading rusher in GT history).
Collins has also served on the staffs at Western Carolina (student assistant – 1993-94), Franklin (N.C.) H.S. (assistant coach – 1995), Fordham (linebackers coach – 1996), Albright (defensive coordinator – 1997-98), Alabama (director of player personnel – 2007) and UCF (linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator – 2008- 09).
As a student-athlete, Collins totaled 194 career tackles as an outside linebacker and defensive back at Western Carolina (1989-92). He had 68 tackles and six tackles for loss as a junior and helped lead WCU to a 7-4 record with 62 stops, including five behind the line of scrimmage, as a senior.
Collins, 52, is married to the former Jennifer Haynes. They have a daughter, Astrid.
Birthdate: April 10, 1971
Hometown: Conyers, Ga.
Wife: Jennifer
Children: Daughter, Astrid
Education
College: Western Carolina '94
Collins has recruited and/or coached more than three dozen players that have gone on to play in the National Football League. In addition to the six Yellow Jackets drafted under Collins’ tutelage and running back Nathan Cottrell, who made the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of Tech in 2020, Collins’ NFL pupils include Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, a consensus All-American at Mississippi State and No. 12 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Keanu Neal, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, who earned first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors at Temple and went on to be selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
While the head coach at Georgia Tech, Collins was faced with installing a pro-style spread offensive attack after 11 years of option football at Tech, all while battling the Covid-19 pandemic. An accomplished recruiter, Collins produced back-to-back nationally lauded recruiting classes. His first full recruiting class in 2020 was ranked No. 24 nationally by Rivals, then re-ranked No. 8 nationally by Bleacher Report during the ‘20 season based on the impressive play of Tech’s newcomers, which included three true-freshman starters on offense. It was only the second top-25 recruiting class in Georgia Tech history, and the first since 2007, a class that was compiled when Collins served as the Yellow Jackets’ director of player personnel. His second recruiting class at Tech in 2021 was also a top-20 class when including the rankings of eight highly ranked transfers. In all, Georgia Tech added 34 four- or five-star recruits and 18 of the 50 highest-ranked high-school recruits in program history.
Collins also led the development of six NFL Draft picks in four seasons – TE Tyler Davis (2020), WR Jalen Camp (2021), Ray Guy Award winner P Pressley Harvin III (2021), DB Tariq Carpenter (2022), DE Keion White (2023) and RB Jahmyr Gibbs (2023). Davis, who was recruited by Collins to come to The Flats as a graduate transfer in 2019, became Georgia Tech’s first NFL Draft pick at any position in three years and the first non-specialist to be drafted from Tech in four years. When Camp and Harvin were both selected in 2021, it marked the first time that Tech had multiple picks in the same NFL Draft since 2016. In 2022, Carpenter became the first defensive player drafted out of Tech since ’16, and he was followed by White, who was selected in the second round by the Patriots. Gibbs was a first-round selection by the Detroit Lions.
During his time on The Flats, Collins and his squad produced a number of memorable victories, including a victory over No. 20 North Carolina in 2021, a thrilling 16-13 come-from-behind triumph at Florida State to open the 2020 season (the Yellow Jackets’ first season-opening true road win since 2007), a 28-21 overtime win at Miami in 2019 (Tech’s first-ever win over the Hurricanes at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium) and a pair of nationally televised primetime victories – a 28-26 win over NC State in 2019 and a 46-27 victory over Louisville in 2020.
Prior to taking the reins at Georgia Tech, Collins put together the most successful first two seasons by a head coach in Temple’s 121-year football history in 2017 and ‘18. Collins compiled 15 wins and led Temple to two bowl games in his two seasons with the Owls, which are both school records for a coach in his first two campaigns at TU.
In his first season at Temple, Collins led the Owls a 28-3 win over Florida International in the 2017 Gasparilla Bowl, which was good for only the third bowl victory in school history and its first since 2011.
He coached the Owls to an 8-4 record and 7-1 mark in the American Athletic Conference in 2018, with Temple’s only conference defeat coming at No. 8-ranked and undefeated UCF. The 8-4 campaign earned Temple a berth in the Independence Bowl.
Prior to becoming head coach at Temple, Collins was one of the nation’s most respected defensive coordinators, serving in the role at Florida (2015-16), Mississippi State (2013-14, co-DC: 2011-12), FIU (2010) and his alma mater, Western Carolina (2002-05).
Highlights of his career as a coordinator included ranking among the nation’s top 10 in total defense in each of his two seasons at Florida (No. 8 in 2015 and No. 5 in 2016), ranking among the top 25 nationally in total defense (18th – 2013) and scoring defense (23rd – 2014) during his two seasons calling plays at Mississippi State and leading the Sun Belt Conference in total defense, scoring defense and turnover margin in his lone campaign at FIU (2010).
At the time, Collins was the only coach to ever be nominated for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach, at three different schools (FIU – 2010, Mississippi State – 2014 and Florida – 2015).
Collins’ coaching career also includes a pair of prior stints at Georgia Tech. He first came to The Flats as a graduate assistant (1999-2000), then tight ends coach (2001) under head coach George O’Leary from 1999-2001, followed by a year as director of player personnel under head coach Chan Gailey in 2006.
During his initial three seasons at Georgia Tech under O’Leary, the Yellow Jackets were 25-12 with three-consecutive bowl appearances. As the Jackets’ director of player personnel in 2006, Collins led the efforts to land a recruiting class that included Derrick Morgan (All-American, first-round NFL Draft pick), Morgan Burnett (All-American, third-round NFL Draft pick), Joshua Nesbitt (quarterbacked GT to two ACC Championship Games) and Jonathan Dwyer (the sixth-leading rusher in GT history).
Collins has also served on the staffs at Western Carolina (student assistant – 1993-94), Franklin (N.C.) H.S. (assistant coach – 1995), Fordham (linebackers coach – 1996), Albright (defensive coordinator – 1997-98), Alabama (director of player personnel – 2007) and UCF (linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator – 2008- 09).
As a student-athlete, Collins totaled 194 career tackles as an outside linebacker and defensive back at Western Carolina (1989-92). He had 68 tackles and six tackles for loss as a junior and helped lead WCU to a 7-4 record with 62 stops, including five behind the line of scrimmage, as a senior.
Collins, 52, is married to the former Jennifer Haynes. They have a daughter, Astrid.
The Collins File
PersonalBirthdate: April 10, 1971
Hometown: Conyers, Ga.
Wife: Jennifer
Children: Daughter, Astrid
Education
College: Western Carolina '94
Collins Coaching History
| Years | School | Title |
| 2024 | North Carolina | Defensive Coordinator |
| 2019-22 | Georgia Tech | Head Coach |
| 2017-18 | Temple | Head Coach |
| 2015-16 | Florida | Defensive Coordinator |
| 2013-14 | Mississippi St. | Defensive Coordinator |
| 2011-12 | Mississippi St. | Co-Defensive Coordinator |
| 2010 | FIU | Defensive Coordinator |
| 2008-09 | UCF | Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator |
| 2007 | Alabama | Director of Player Personnel |
| 2006 | Georgia Tech | Recruiting Coordinator |
| 2002-05 | Western Carolina | Defensive Coordinator |
| 2001 | Georgia Tech | Tight Ends |
| 1999-2000 | Georgia Tech | Graduate Assistant |
| 1997-98 | Albright | Defensive Coordinator |
| 1996 | Fordham | Linebackers |
| 1995 | Franklin (N.C.) HS | Assistant Coach |
| 1993-94 | Western Carolina | Student Assistant |
Postseason Experience As a Coach
| Years | School | Bowl |
| 2018 | Temple | Independence Bowl |
| 2017 | Temple | Gasparilla Bowl |
| 2016 | Florida | Outback Bowl |
| 2015 | Florida | Citrus Bowl |
| 2014 | Mississippi St. | Orange Bowl |
| 2013 | Mississippi St. | Liberty Bowl |
| 2012 | Mississippi St. | Gator Bowl |
| 2011 | Mississippi St. | Gator Bowl |
| 2010 | FIU | Little Caesars Pizza Bowl |
| 2009 | UCF | St. Petersburg Bowl |
| 2007 | Alabama | Independence Bowl |
| 2006 | Georgia Tech | Gator Bowl |
| 2001 | Georgia Tech | Seattle Bowl |
| 2000 | Georgia Tech | Peach Bowl |
| 1999 | Georgia Tech | Gator Bowl |
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