Jan. 23, 2008
The second in a series of interviews with the new members of the Georgia Tech football coaching staff. This week’s Q&A is with quarterbacks/b-backs coach Brian Bohannon. The questions were asked by the Voice of the Yellow Jackets, Wes Durham:
Click “Video” to watch Wes Durham’s interview with Brian Bohannon.
Q: You grew up in this state, played college ball in this state, and now have come back to this state after actually starting out coaching a couple of years in this state.
A: I did. I finished playing at Georgia, then went over to West Georgia for a couple of years, then went up to Gardner-Webb, then I was at Georgia Southern for five. I am excited to back in the state.
Q: What does it mean for a guy who grew up in the state to be able to come back and coach major college football here?
A: I think that anybody who gets into coaching, you want to get to the highest level of Division I football and there are two Division I programs in the state of Georgia. My whole career I never previously had this opportunity, so my wife, my family, we are real excited to be here.
Q: Brian, when everybody looks option football and all the details of it, you are the quarterbacks and the B-Backs coach. What is the B-Back?
A: Basically, in our offense, the B-Back is what an I-tailback is in a regular offense. We call him a B-back, you can call him a fullback, you can call him whatever you want. But the quarterback and fullback do so much together, that’s why Coach Johnson has put those two together. There is so much that goes on between those two guys as far as mesh and being on the same page. But basically it is like being an I-tailback.
Q: It is an interesting concept, particular as it relates to what Georgia Tech has done here in the past. Tashard Choice just wrapped up his second ACC rushing title. Everybody sees, that they have been able to take the offense that Coach Johnson ran at Navy, and start mentally plugging in guys. Do you have to help yourself from doing that as a coach?
A: I think so, but I think the one thing that we are is staying opened minded just as we have asked the players to be with what we have to bring. And I will evaluate them all, give them all a fair chance, and I am sure the guys that fit best with what we can do and help us win are going to show up at the top of that.
Q: What is the most important piece of the quarterback/b-back set, as you start looking for guys, what is the one thing they have to do?
A: They have to be able to run. Just like every position on the field, we like guys that can really run. That B-back is going to have to be a tough runner. But we want those guys who can run and make plays and when they get a chance to hit a crease, they go the distance.
Q: I guess the biggest misconception is that you don’t throw the ball? A: Right. It’s funny because we can do what our personnel really dictates. And we are not going to line up and throw the ball 30 to 35 times per game, that is probably not going to ever be us. But if our personnel dictates, then we sure can do it. Coach (Johnson) did it in Hawai’i before — throw the ball a bunch. So whatever the personnel dictates that is what we will do.
Q: You know it is amazing when you start looking at when Coach Johnson arrived here and said our system is adaptable to the personnel we have; and sometimes people regard that as coaching. But when you look back at the six years at Navy, your numbers truly fluctuated based on who you had.
A: That is right. It is definitely on personnel and we will adapt to whatever will make Georgia Tech win.
