FootballScoop is proud to announce that Buster Faulkner (Georgia Tech) is the 2025 FootballScoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year presented by Teamworks, as selected by prior winners.
In 2025, no team did a better job of crafting an offensive identity out of its talent and getting the most out of said talent than the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
For starters, consider that seven FBS teams finished among the top 20 nationally in rushing offense and passing efficiency.
On the ground, the Yellow Jackets were confusing to prepare for and bruising to play against. Led by quarterback Haynes King, the Ramblin' Wreck averaged an even 203 yards per game on 5.6 yards per carry, a number that ranked 11th nationally. The Jackets popped 22 rushes of 20-plus yards and 10 of 30-plus, both of which ranked among the top 30 nationally but were not so astronomical to imply that Georgia Tech did its damage on the grounds by hitting a few home runs and then striking out otherwise. No, the Jackets simply pounded out consistent gains over and over and over again, grinding its opponents into dust in the process. Georgia Tech ran for multiple touchdowns in 11 of 12 games, exceeded 300 rushing yards twice, and averaged at least six yards per carry in half of their games.
In addition to King's 922 yards and 15 touchdowns, junior running back Malachi Hosley rushed 87 times for 634 yards and seven touchdowns, and senior Jamal Haynes added 116 carries for 504 yards and five scores.
With all that was required to stop the Georgia Tech run game, Faulkner then did an outstanding job of layering the passing game on top of the omnipresent run threat. King connected on 230-of-321 passes for 2,697 yards with 12 touchdowns against five interceptions. He averaged near or above 10 yards per attempt in a string of four consecutive games from mid-October to mid-November, including a 304-yard, 3-touchdown effort in a win over Syracuse, a 408-yard outing against NC State, and a 371-yard game in a shootout win over Boston College. Senior Eric Rivers led the club with 42 receptions, and six Jackets caught between 19 and 42 balls, while seven players tallied between 556 and 212 yards. Additionally, seven different Georgia Tech pass-catchers found the end zone.
As a team, Georgia Tech finished 12th nationally at 466.3 yards per game on 7.09 per play. That figured tied for seventh nationally and, more importantly, represented a near yard-per-play improvement from 2024. After averaging 28.5 points per game in 2024, the Jackets scored 33.1 points per game this fall.
The Yellow Jackets were a top-20 unit on third down, converting 67-of-142 opportunities, and allowed only nine sacks all season -- a top five number nationally.
King was named the ACC Player of the Year, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and was the quarterback on the All-ACC First Team, where he was joined by guard Keylan Rutledge. Amazingly, Georgia Tech's offense did not have another All-ACC player.
A Valdosta State graduate, Faulkner has been a winner since he first put on a helmet. He won state championships as a high school quarterback and a coach, and won three national championships and six conference championships at the college level. He started coaching at Valdosta State as a student assistant in 2005, and has since made stops at Georgia, Central Arkansas, Murray State, Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, Southern Miss and Georgia Tech, where he spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator.
Last week, Faulkner accepted the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks job at the University of Florida.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by Teamworks are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Tim Beck [Vanderbilt], Jonathan Brewer [Duke], Mike Bobo [Georgia], Mike Shanahan [Indiana], Will Stein [Oregon] and Faulkner) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Offensive Coordinator of the Year award are Kevin Wilson (Oklahoma, 2008), Bryan Harsin (Boise State, 2009), Gus Malzahn (Auburn, 2010), Kliff Kingsbury (Houston, 2011 and Texas A&M, 2012), Philip Montgomery (Baylor, 2013), Tom Herman (Ohio State, 2014), Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma, 2015), Lane Kiffin (Alabama, 2016), Josh Heupel (Missouri, 2017), Mike Locksley (Alabama, 2018), Joe Brady/Steve Ensminger (LSU, 2019), Steve Sarkisian (Alabama, 2020), Jeff Grimes (Baylor, 2021),, Garrett Riley (TCU, 2022), Mike Denbrock (LSU, 2023), and Mike Shanahan (Indiana, 2024).
Teamworks Coaching and Teamworks Scouting have quickly become essential platforms inside college football offices. As programs sharpen their game-prep processes, strengthen roster management, and prepare for the transfer portal, these platforms are shaping how staffs operate across the country.
