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It looks like Ga Southern U's head football coach, Brian VanGorder, is about to accept the LB coaching job with the ATL Falcons. The significance? Well, our own assistant Giff Smith was the other finalist for that job. Expect his name to be thrown around in short order for the GSU job. I'll say this - outside of J.Tenuta, there's not another assistant I would hate to see leave more than Giff Smith. A large dose of credit for our recruiting turnaround goes to this guy as he took over as recruiting coordinator. Here's yet another example of a top high school player putting us on his short list for next year's class.
Here's Giff's profile from RamblinWreck:
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Giff Smith is in his third season on the Georgia Tech staff as defensive line coach, and for 2006 was promoted to recruiting coordinator.
Smith helps coach a Tech unit that has ranked among the nation's Top 25 in rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense each of his three seasons. In particular, the Yellow Jackets have been among the nation's Top 15 against the run all three years, including 11th this fall.
Two of Smith's defensive linemen made the all-Atlantic Coast Conference team this fall in senior tackle Joe Anoai, a first-team selection, and junior end Adamm Oliver, who earned second-team honors.
In 2003-04, Smith worked with all-ACC defensive end Eric Henderson, the Yellow Jackets' all-time leader in tackles for loss. Henderson is now with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League.
Smith came to Tech in 2004 after five seasons at Tulane University. While at Tulane, Smith coached the Green Wave's defensive line all five years while serving as recruiting coordinator his last three years. He also held the title of associate head coach.
Smith has strong ties to the state of Georgia. A native of the Atlanta suburb of Mableton, he attended Pebblebrook High School and then played and coached at Georgia Southern.
A 1991 graduate of Georgia Southern, Smith was a member of three NCAA I-AA national championship teams at the school in 1986, 1989 and 1990. A three-time all-America defensive end, he helped the Eagles to a perfect 15-0 mark in 1989, and as a senior in 1990, he served as team captain.
He later spent three seasons at his alma mater, working with the wide receivers in 1996 and then the secondary in 1997-98. During his time on the staff, the Eagles won a pair of Southern Conference titles (1997-98) and advanced to the NCAA I-AA national championship game in 1998.
Smith began his coaching career in 1991 as a graduate assistant at Arkansas, where remained three years before moving to Georgia for two seasons.
Smith was inducted into the Georgia Southern University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. He is married to the former Jennifer Erickson. The couple recently welcomed their first child.