5) Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech
Pastner might end up being a victim of his own success at Georgia Tech.
The administration told him when he took the job prior to the 2016-17 season that the program was in such bad shape that he should expect to struggle for a few years. Instead, Pastner went 21-16 that year and led the Yellow Jackets to the NIT finals.
However, Georgia Tech took a step back last year with a record of just 13-19 and, as of now, it doesn’t seem as though they’ve improved. They are 7-5 on the young season with double-digit losses to KenPom sub-100 teams in Georgia and Gardner-Webb.
The Yellow Jackets were hurt by the departure of Josh Okogie to the NBA last year and Pastner has not recruited well enough to raise the talent level of the overall roster. Freshman point guard Michael Devoe is the only player he has signed that ranks above No. 170 in the 247sports Composite rankings, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
Georgia Tech seems to know that their program was facing an uphill battle to return to relevancy in the ACC, yet they’re going more backward than forward. Pastner may be gone because of that if the Yellow Jackets don’t show any signs of life in ACC play.