Georgia Tech firing nearly half their coaching staff

Georgia Tech has dismissed four staff members amid a 2-7 season that has the Yellow Jackets in last place in the ACC, ESPN’s Pete Thamel first shared this afternoon and FootballScoop can confirm. 

The group includes defensive coordinator Jason Semore, defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Kyle Pope, offensive line coach Allen Mogridge, and wide receivers coach Jafar Williams. The moves come after a four-game losing streak, including lopsided defeats to Boston College (49-27), Pitt (34-11), and Louisville (44-17), with the defense especially vulnerable against the run.

Head coach Brent Key, in his fourth full season, entered 2026 after a stronger 2025 campaign and with significant offseason turnover. He brought in Semore as defensive coordinator (reuniting after Semore’s 2022 stint as linebackers coach) and George Godsey as offensive coordinator, while adding transfers including quarterback Alberto Mendoza. The results have not followed. Key has previously described the program as needing a thorough evaluation and has been cautious about midseason staff changes, but the dismissals arrive with games still remaining, starting with a trip to Clemson.

Seeking to replace the job Buster Faulkner did as offensive coordinator last season by hiring George Godsey was considered by most a stunning decision. 

Jason Semore, in his first season as Tech’s DC after previous stops as DC at Southern Miss (where the defense led the nation in interceptions), Marshall, Valdosta State, and Montana, was hired to install a more aggressive scheme focused on takeaways and negative plays. The unit has instead struggled significantly in total and rush defense.

Kyle Pope, in his third season at Georgia Tech after previous roles at Memphis (including as defensive run game coordinator), Liberty, and as a graduate assistant at Alabama, coached the edge group. He had prior ties to Key from their time overlapping in the Alabama orbit.

Allen Mogridge returned to Georgia Tech as offensive line coach for 2026 after serving as a senior offensive advisor in 2024 and a year as OL coach at Appalachian State. A longtime veteran with stops that included UCF (where he worked with Key), East Carolina, USF, FIU, and others, he brought extensive Power-conference and Group-of-Five line experience.

Jafar Williams, a first-year hire at Tech after serving as an assistant wide receivers coach at Vanderbilt, had prior full-time roles coaching receivers or backs at Temple, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, and elsewhere. He was tasked with rebuilding a receiver room that turned over heavily in the portal and through graduation.

Offensive coordinator George Godsey and co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke remain on staff, as do other position coaches including defensive line coach Jess Simpson, running backs coach Jimmy Smith, and the secondary staff. Sources tell FootballScoop some change in roles is expected within this group. 

The dismissals mark a significant midseason reset for a program that has seen defensive and offensive inconsistency throughout the year. Georgia Tech’s remaining schedule includes the Clemson rivalry game and a late-season matchup with Georgia. 

Georgia Tech has now shared how they will adjust the staff for the remainder of the season. Defensive backs coach Vinnie Sunseri, a former Alabama safety and NFL draft pick who spent time as co-defensive coordinator at Florida, will assume defensive play-calling duties. On offense, DeAndre Hopkins—the five-time All-Pro wide receiver and Clemson alumnus who joined the staff this summer as an assistant receivers coach will take over the wide receivers room. Hopkins has a longstanding relationship with offensive coordinator George Godsey from their time together with the Houston Texans.

Elsewhere, assistant offensive line coach Brandon Torrey, a former NFL lineman, will assume primary responsibility for the offensive line. Defensive line coach and assistant head coach Jess Simpson will expand his role to include defensive ends and outside linebackers, while senior defensive analyst Jack Tyler, a former all-ACC linebacker at Virginia Tech and recent defensive coordinator at East Texas A&M, will coach the linebackers. The moves come as the Yellow Jackets, 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the ACC, look to stabilize both sides of the ball over the final stretch of the regular season.

Have a listen to how Key spoke following their most recent loss. Safe to say things aren't great right now at Georgia Tech.