Report: Georgia Tech Makes A Hire At Running Backs Coach

Georgia Tech's staff is starting to get filled in.

They have had a host of offensive coaches leave for various different jobs, including running backs coach Norval McKenzie, who left to take the running backs coaching position at Virginia Tech. While Georgia Tech has not announced a hire for offensive coordinator yet, the Yellow Jackets have reportedly made a hire to replace McKenzie.

According to On3 Sports Pete Nakos, Georgia Tech is going to hire TCU running backs coach Jimmy Smith to replace McKenzie.

TCU running backs coach Jimmy Smith is being targeted as Georgia Tech's next running backs coach, sources tell @On3sports.

Was previously at Arkansas. https://t.co/iIw41l6p3E pic.twitter.com/1VWdkv6ygP
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 1, 2026

Smith was previously at Arkansas and has high school football coaching experience in the state of Georgia, as he was the high school head coach at Cedar Grove High School.

Per his TCU bio:

"Smith served the previous four seasons as running backs coach at Arkansas, including the first three with TCU Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Kendal Briles. Smith was promoted to associate head coach his final season in Fayetteville.

With Briles and Smith working together in 2022, the Arkansas running game was highly productive in rushing for 3,077 yards and averaging 236.7 yards per game to finish seventh in the nation. The Razorbacks eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark for just the 10th time in school history with the eighth-most yards in a season by an Arkansas offense.

Smith's running backs also produced an impressive 2021 season as Arkansas led the Power 5 and ranked second nationally with 227.8 rushing yards per game. The Razorbacks' ground game was explosive with its 113 runs of 10-plus yards leading all P5 members.

In 2020, his first season in Fayetteville, Smith oversaw a rushing offense that produced 151.3 yards per game against a conference-only schedule.

As running backs coach at Georgia State in 2019, Smith helped guide a run attack that totaled 213 yards in a 38-30 win at Tennessee. It was Georgia State's first victory over a Power 5 program.

Prior to jumping to college football, Smith coached for 12 years at Cedar Grove High School in Metro Atlanta, including his last six as athletics director, head football coach and head track and field coach.

In his six seasons at the helm of the football program, he led the Saints to a 67-14-1 record. From 2015-18, Smith guided Cedar Grove to two Class AAA state championships in 2016 and 2018 – the first two state titles in school history – as well as berths in the state final four in 2015 and 2017, all while winning 51 games.

Smith arrived at Cedar Grove in 2007 as an assistant football coach, working with receivers and defensive backs. He was then elevated to offensive coordinator in 2010 for three seasons before taking over as head coach in 2013.

Smith earned numerous coaching accolades, including a pair of Georgia Coach of the Year awards in Class AAA (2016 and 2018) as well as multiple region and county Coach of the Year honors. He coached six prep All-Americans and more than 30 of his former student-athletes went on to play at the collegiate level.

As the head track and field coach, Smith led Cedar Grove to four consecutive state titles (2015-18), the first in school history. He was honored as the 2018 Region 5-AAA Athletics Director of the Year.

Smith began his coaching career at Darlington (S.C.) High School, his alma mater, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for one season in 2005.

Smith was a quarterback at Tennessee State, helping the Tigers to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships in 1998 and 1999."

Stay tuned for the latest news regarding more updates on Georgia Tech's coaching staff.

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