Georgia Tech promoted linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer to defensive coordinator and demoted Andrew Thacker to safeties coach on Sunday. During his Monday press conference, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson spoke about how the coaching changes for Georgia Tech will affect the Miami football team.
Sherrer previously has experience as the defensive coordinator (and defensive backs coach) at South Alabama in 2013 and Tennessee in 2018. Sherrer also has experience at Alabama from 2010–2012 as the director of player development and in 2020 and 2021 coaching linebackers for the New York Giants.
South Alabama was 53rd nationally allowing 25.2 points per game in 2013, 51st giving up 384.3 total yards per game, 56th with 159.67 rushing yards allowed and 56th allowing 224.6 passing yards per game. South Alabama finished 33rd with 7.25 tackles per loss per game and 12th in sacks averaging 3.17 per game.
Tennessee finished with the 77th scoring defense in 2018 allowing 27.9 points per game, 49th allowing 377.4 total yards per game, 60th allowing 222.9 passing yards per game and 52nd allowing 154.50 rushing yards per game. Tennessee was 87th with 5.67 TFLs per game in 2018 and tied for 76th with 2.08 sacks per game.
"“I don’t know much about the guy they just hired other than just researching him over the last couple of days…I’m sure they’re not doing that to keep everything exactly the same. I’m sure there are going to be some changes. How much they can change in a week? I don’t know. I would doubt it would be wholesale change.It’ll probably be little things here and there…But it definitely changes our approach, because there are elements of unknown. We gotta go into the game and gotta have a plan, but you have to know how to plan to change if things are just completely different.’"
Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald quoted Dawson from the above press conference discussing what the change in defensive coordinators could mean for the Miami football team. Georgia Tech has been abysmal this year. The Yellow Jackets are 105th nationally allowing 30.6 PPG.
Georgia Tech is 116th allowing 427.8 yards per game, 128th allowing 224.20 rushing yards per game and 40th in pass defense allowing 203.6 yards per game. The Yellow Jackets are 87th allowing 7.7 passing yards per attempt, 67th with a 129.02 pass rating against and 30th allowing opponents to complete 56.8 percent of their passes.
Georgia Tech is 90th averaging 5.0 TFLs per game and 59th averaging 2.2 sacks. The Miami offensive line has a good matchup versus Georgia Tech. The Miami football team is fifth nationally allowing only 3.50 TFLs per game and 13th allowing 1.0 sacks per game. Miami’s prolific offense should continue versus Georgia Tech.