History of Paul Johnson during Coaching Search?

What is GA?

Johnson signed with Georgia Tech when we were after Greg Schiano.

I don't think there was a huge buzz, but there was enough for Brian to do a profile in heroism: paul johnson

I bet he is on the short list for the ND job when Charlie gets the axe.

I'll go on the record and say that I'm very happy with Rich Rodriguez and his staff. Enough said.

...that Schiano turned us down.

Watching his inept team get shellacked by Cincinnati was something to behold.

That "Chop Wood" stuff looks rather dated right about now.

Paul Johnson was easily my second choice behind Rich Rodriguez. I am a pretty sizable Navy football fan, and have been since I was a kid, so I've always enjoyed Paul Johnson for really bringing Navy back to respectability without compromising the impeccable integrity and discipline of Navy. In fact, I think that his trick offense was only run so successfully at Navy because his players were disciplined and practiced relentlessly.

Plus that triple option is really, really entertaining to watch.

Also, when Navy beat Notre Dame maybe ten minutes after our come from behind win in East Lansing in 2007 it was perhaps the greatest half hour of football in my life.

So yeah, I love Paul Johnson.

I personally think that Johnson would have led Michigan to a better record last year, not because he is a better coach, but because his triple-option offense was better suited to the players already on the team. That said, I remain unconvinced that the triple-option can be used at an elite level, particularly in the Big Ten, where running the ball 80% of the time (I mean this literally, Georgia Tech ran the ball 640 times last year and passed the ball only 165 times), would be very effective. I think that Rodriguez's offense will be much better in the future.

Also, a thought on Paul Johnson's success. His only really impressive win was against Georgia. The ACC wasn't that difficult a conference last year and GT got pummeled by LSU in their bowl game. Thanks to the weakness in the ACC this year, however, GT should compete for the conference title (although the top of the conference may have actually improved).

I suppose that I just think that Rodriguez is the better choice, FWIW.

EDIT: I just read my post over and I want to clarify something. I do not think Michigan had the players necessary to immediately and successfully implement Johnson's offense. I just think that the players on the team were somewhat better suited to Johnson's offense, rather than Rodriguez's because that way, the running backs would at least be moving downfield by the time the line died and the defense was in our backfield.

GT is choking the game away right now.

Any time the phrase "coaching search" is used in a threadline, I'm like a moth to a flame. How can such a dark, dark period in my life still grab my attention every time?

I DONT CARE HOW GASSED YOU ARE. DO NOT PASS THE BALL!

The triple Option is SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET

It's not about not supporting Rich Rodriguez...

I look at it like dis: A mediocre LSU team completely destroyed Georgia Tech in their bowl game.

If the spread was a hard sell at Michigan, imagine saying, "Well, we lookin' for the next Rick Leach, and THEN we'll be really good again!"

Thank you, NO.

I would have been extremely pissed off if UM had hired Johnson, because he obviously has listened to too many 1960's-70's interviews about how three things can happen if you pass and two are bad. UM sorely needed to be brought into the current millenium, and Johnson would have been a terrible step backward.

I really, really wanted Urban Meyer or Chris Peterson. RR was actually my "dark-horse" choice, but I thought there was no way he would ever leave his "dream job" at WVU. I guess you just never know.

At any rate, I am glad RR is at UM, and still think he will deliver an elusive NC or two in the next ten years.