Georgia Tech Football: Travares Tillman Expected to be Named Defensive Backs Coach

Update: 12/7 @ 11:51 a.m.

Georgia Tech officially announces the hire.

Rivals’ Kelly Quinlan reported on Twitter that Michigan State CB coach Travares Tillman is expected to be named Georgia Tech’s next defensive backs coach.

Tillman was a standout at Georgia Tech under then-Head Coach George O’Leary, making All-ACC twice. Following a successful playing career in college, he went on to be drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft. He spent time with the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans (briefly), Carolina Panthers, and Miami Dolphins. He was part of the the 2003 Panthers team that appeared in the Super Bowl.

After stepping away from the NFL, Tillman got into coaching, first as the Defensive Backs Coach for Calvary Day School. In 2016, he was hired as a Graduate Assistant by UGA, where he served under Mel Tucker. After he graduate, he was named a quality control assistant at UGA.

When Tucker left for Colorado in 2019, he brought Tillman with him, naming him the Defensive Backs Coach. In what was a rebuilding year, the defense was not particularly great, but since Tucker and Tillman were only there for one year, it’s tough to tell how much of an impact Tillman could have had.

When Tucker left for Michigan State the following year, he once again brought Tillman with him, but this time as a senior defensive assistant. He was promoted to Cornerbacks Coach this past year.

Given that Tillman is still relatively inexperienced as a DB Coach, it’s tough to tell if this will be a good hire or not. Like I did with Chip Long, I plan to reach out to Michigan State’s blog to see if we can get some more information about this hire, but as of right now, I’m good with this hire.

Welcome back to the Flats, Coach Tillman!