5 college football coaches who would make good basketball coaches

Paul Johnson – Georgia Tech

The difference between the way Dean Smith coached and the way Roy Williams coaches has a lot to do with scheme. Williams found a successful element in Smith’s scheme and asked ‘why not just do more of that?’

Johnson is known for one thing in college football – the triple option. He ran it at Navy to help make Navy the successful football program it is today. He won an ACC title at Georgia Tech (before it was vacated) doing the same thing with better talent. He doesn’t have a play sheet, he just calls the offense as he sees it.

This could translate to basketball very well. Johnson would have a defined offensive scheme and then he would play it to death. He could add wrinkles and variants from time to time. Players would gain experience working in the system and gain comfort with what everybody was supposed to do.

Coach Krzyzewski once noted that Duke only became great when he stopped trying to coach for every opponent and instead concentrate on what he wanted his own team to do. Johnson would fit very nicely into this idea.

The x-factor would be recruiting. Johnson would probably have an easier time recruiting in basketball than he does in football because the parts are more interchangeable. It would be far easier to recruit for a motion offense on the court than the option offense on the gridiron.