Report: Chargers OC Ken Whisenhunt Interviewing for Georgia Tech Head Coaching Job
Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt will interview for the vacant Georgia Tech head coaching job this weekend, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson announced his retirement Wednesday after 11 seasons with the Yellow Jackets. The school would reportedly like to replace Johnson with someone "with NFL experience connected to the school," Schefter added.
Whisenhunt, who played for Georgia Tech from 1980 to 1984, has spent the last 20 years with nine different NFL franchises and fits both requirements. The Yellow Jackets athletic director Todd Stansbury also played with Whisenhunt at Georgia Tech in the 1980s.
The 56-year-old coach said Thursday that he hasn't "even had a chance to think about it" as he's been busy preparing for Los Angeles's upcoming game at Pittsburgh.
"I had no idea that I was really a candidate for that. I'm certainly flattered that people think that, but my focus is on the Steelers," he said, per Sam Fortier of The Athletic. "I don't have any interest in it being a distraction whatsoever."
Whisenhunt spent only one season coaching college football. He began his career at Vanderbilt, where he coached special teams, tight ends and running backs for the Commodores from 1995 to 1996. A former tight end for the Falcons, Whisenhunt returned to the NFL in 1997 as the tight ends coach for the Ravens. He then spent time with the Browns, Jets and Steelers before taking over as the Cardinals head coach in 2007.
After three straight non-playoff seasons in Arizona, Whisenhunt was fired in 2012 and brought on as the Chargers offensive coordinator in 2013. He returned to a head coach capacity with the Titans in 2014, before he was fired halfway through the 2015 season, which led him back to the Chargers for a second stint.
