Craig Candeto

Craig Candeto, a college football coaching veteran, former quarterback under head coach Paul Johnson and one-time U.S. Navy fighter pilot, is in his second season as Georgia Tech’s quarterbacks/B-backs coach and fourth season overall with the Yellow Jackets’ football program.

In 2017, his first season coaching the Jackets’ quarterbacks and B-backs, QB TaQuon Marshall (1,146 rushing yards) and BB KirVonte Benson (1,053 rushing yards) became the second-highest single-season rushing duo in Georgia Tech history, combining for 2,199 yards on the ground. The tandem also combined for 11 100-yard rushing games, including four contests in which they both surpassed the 100-yard mark, making them the first Tech teammates to ever record four games with 100 rushing yards apiece in a single season.

Candeto returned to coaching after one season as Tech’s assistant director of football operations. His promotion to assistant coach marked his third role as a member of Georgia Tech’s football staff. He spent one season as a graduate assistant under Johnson in 2010 before returning to The Flats in February 2016 to assist with the program’s day-to-day operations.

Candeto’s coaching experience also includes three seasons as head coach at Capital University (2013-15). In his final season at the Columbus, Ohio school, the Crusaders ranked among the top 15 out of 243 NCAA Division III teams nationally in five major statistical categories, highlighted by having the nation’s No. 6-ranked rushing offense (307.3 ypg). Candeto’s teams also broke six school records during his three years at Capital.

Prior to his head-coaching stint, Candeto spent two seasons as quarterbacks/B-backs coach at The Citadel (2011-12). He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Austin Peay (2009) and Georgia Tech (2010).

Candeto played both football and baseball as a student-athlete at the U.S. Naval Academy from 2000-04. He was a two-year starter at quarterback under Johnson (2002-03) and a two-time winner of Navy’s Memorial Silver Helmet Award as the team’s most outstanding player. As a senior captain in 2003, he accounted for 2,252 yards of total offense (1,140 passing, 1,112 rushing) and 23 touchdowns (seven passing, 16 rushing) while leading Navy to an 8-5 record and an appearance in the Houston Bowl, an impressive accomplishment for a team that had won a total of three games over the previous three seasons.

After graduating from the Naval Academy in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Candeto served five years in the U.S. Navy, reaching the rank of lieutenant. His final assignment was as a fighter pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron 106 in Virginia Beach, Va., flying the $57 million F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

Candeto and his wife, the former Maribeth Robinson, have a son, Christian.