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Georgia Tech Football: CBS ranks Johnson among top coaches

By Blake Silvers

Sep 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson gives a play to running back TaQuon Marshall (16) during the fourth quarter of their game against the Alcorn State Braves at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech won 69-6. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson gives a play to running back TaQuon Marshall (16) during the fourth quarter of their game against the Alcorn State Braves at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech won 69-6. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Fresh off a bounce-back 9-4 season in 2016, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson enters his 10th season on the Flats and CBS is giving him his due.

In its 2017 preseason FBS coaches rankings, CBS has Yellow Jackets head coach Paul Johnson in the top 25.

The list included only coaches from the so called “Power Five” conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision, plus Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly.

Of the 65 coaches, Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson landed at No. 24 just ahead of Washington State’s Mike Leach and just behind Florida’s Jim McElwain.

After a 3-9 year in 2015, Tech’s solid 2016 rebound campaign bumped Johnson up from the No. 37 spot in last season’s poll.

Not surprisingly, Alabama’s Nick Saban took the top overall spot at No. 1, followed by Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh to round out the top five.

Along with Johnson, the Atlantic Coast Conference had six coaches in the top 25 (seven if you count Brian Kelly). Here’s how all ACC coaches ranked:

24 – Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech

17 – David Cutcliffe, Duke

15 – Mark Richt, Miami

13 – Bobby Petrino, Louisville

4 – Jimbo Fisher, Florida State

3 – Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Comparatively, the Southeastern Conference had four head coaches in the top 25, while the Big Ten had six on the list. There were four coaches from the Pac 12 and four from the Big 12 in the top 25 as well. See the full top 25 HERE.

For those curious as to where Georgia’s Kirby Smart ranked on the CBS power rankings, the poll had him at No. 54. That spot was down from No. 46 in the 2016 rankings. See the rest of the rankings HERE.

As head coach at Georgia Tech since 2008, Johnson has led the Jackets to a 70-48 overall record and 42-30 in the ACC. He has a career coaching record of 177-87.

Next: Post-spring ACC football power rankings

Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets kick off the 2017 season against the Tennessee Volunteers on Labor Day at Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in one of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games.