Since there are five days in the week (not including the weekend), we will be doubling up on a few of the new coaches. Today is the first one of those, as we look at Tech’s new running back and wide receiver coaches: Mike Daniels and Del Alexander.

RB Coach Mike Daniels

Daniels comes to Georgia Tech from Buffalo, bringing along former Buffalo running back Dylan McDuffie. He replaces Tashard Choice on staff, who left to join USC (and then Texas shortly after).

Coaching History

2008 | Alcorn State (Tight Ends Coach)

2008 - 2009 | Cincinnati (Graduate Assistant)

2010 | Buffalo (Running Backs Coach)

2011 - 2012 | Statesboro (GA) High School (Running Backs Coach)

2013 | Statesboro (GA) High School (Offensive Coordinator)

2014 - 2016 | Kennesaw State (Wide Receivers Coach)

2017 - 2020 | Princeton (OH) High School (Head Coach)

2021 | Buffalo (Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator)

Daniels career trajectory is really interesting to follow, as he has moved around a lot. Between his two stints at Buffalo, Daniels’ running backs saw moderate to good success. In 2010, Buffalo used a running back by committee approach, which saw five players get more than 60 carries across the season, though none gained more than 300 yards.

His second stint, which he just completed, saw much more success, with the emergence of Dylan McDuffie. He finished the season with 207 carries for 1,052 yards and 11 touchdowns. As mentioned earlier, McDuffie is joining Tech’s running back room this season. In addition to McDuffie, Buffalo also saw two more running backs go for at least 400 yards with a combined eight touchdowns.

Though he is relatively inexperienced as a coach, I think this is a very solid hire, and he should be able to retain a lot of the success that Choice had in the running back room.

WR Coach Del Alexander

Alexander is one of the latest coaching hires for Georgia Tech, replacing Kerry Dixon, who was hired as the assistant QB coach for the Baltimore Ravens back in March. He comes to Georgia Tech after not being retained by Notre Dame following this past season.

Coaching History

1996 - 1997 | University of Southern California (Graduate Assistant for Tight Ends)

1998 | UNLV (Wide Receivers Coach)

1999 | San Diego Chargers (Senior Offensive Assistant for Running Backs)

2000 - 2001 | UNLV (Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers and Quarterbacks Coach)

2002 | UNLV (Wide Receivers and Quarterbacks Coach)

2003 - 2004 | Oregon State (Wide Receivers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator)

2005 - 2006 | San Diego (Running Backs Coach/Assistant Special Teams Coordinator)

2007 - 2011 | Wisconsin (Wide Receivers Coach)

2012 - 2015 | Arizona State (Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach)

2016 | Arizona State (Tight Ends Coach)

2017 - 2021 | Notre Dame (Wide Receivers Coach)

Alexander brings much more experience to the wide receivers coach position. He comes to Georgia tech after previously working with Chip Long at Notre Dame. After not being retained by Notre Dame, Alexander took advantage of the connection and found himself on the Flats.

Looking at One Foot Down’s article on Alexander’s departure, it looks like it was recruiting issues that led to Alexander’s downfall, not wide receiver play. Reviewing the stats, that lines up. Notre Dame has been very successful on offense, and wide receivers have been right up there with the success. In Alexander’s tenure, Notre Dame has seen four receivers be selected in the NFL Draft.

The Bottom Line

Reflecting on the new coaches and the coaches they are replacing, I think Georgia Tech is getting a net equal here. Daniels is a bit of a downgrade from Choice, and I think Alexander could be an improvement over Dixon. Ultimately time will tell, but overall, I would say that these are both solid to good hires, and I am excited to see how they play out this season.