UNC hires ex-Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins as D-coordinator

North Carolina has hired Geoff Collins, the former coach at Georgia Tech and Temple, to be its next defensive coordinator, replacing Gene Chizik, the school announced Friday.

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown on Thursday had announced that he and Chizik had agreed to part ways after a two-season stint.

In a statement, Brown called Collins a "brilliant defensive mind," whose "experience shows that he knows what it takes to lead the men in our program."

"We were blown away when we interviewed Geoff," the statement continued. "He was unbelievably prepared. He had watched all of our games, knew our personnel, and pinpointed the items he'd implement to improve our players and the defensive unit as a whole."

Collins has not coached since being fired following a 1-3 start to the 2022 season at Georgia Tech, where he went 10-28 overall after a 15-10 run at Temple. He last served as a defensive coordinator at Florida, and previously oversaw defenses as Mississippi State and Florida International.

Football Scoopfirst reported Collins as North Carolina's target for the defensive coordinator role.

The 52-year-old Collins played college football in the state at Western Carolina, and also served as that school's defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2005 before holding personnel jobs at Georgia Tech and Alabama.

After a 6-0 start, North Carolina dropped five of its final seven games and allowed an average of 33.4 points in the losses. The Tar Heels finished 99th nationally in yards allowed (404.4 YPG).