By Matt Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are currently headed on an upward trajectory, and much of the credit for that progress should be thrust squarely upon their head coach.

Perhaps no active coach in college football has drawn more criticism in spite of an impressive resume than has Georgia Techs Paul Johnson.

Entering the 2014 regular season, there were serious x9chot seatx9d discussions being had around Johnsons name in Atlanta. All of those discussions, of course, were being held despite the fact that Johnson had won more games than any other coach in Georgia Tech history through his first six seasons as head coach. His resume in Atlanta, at that time, also included two ACC Coach of the Year Awards, a pair of ACC Coastal Division titles and an ACC championship.

Even so, many fans around the Georgia Tech program felt as though the Yellow Jackets had plateaued under Johnsons leadership. Back-to-back seven-win campaigns in 2012 and 2013 led many to believe that the Yellow Jackets had maxed out on their potential in Johnsons scheme.

Some of the negative sentiments surrounding the program were reflected in Georgia Tech being picked to finish fifth in the Coastal Division at ACC Media Days in Greensboro back in July.

Johnson, as he has done in every season since taking over control of the program in 2008, would ultimately lead the Yellow Jackets to a finish that surpassed their preseason expectations.

Led by standout sophomore quarterback Justin Thomas, the Yellow Jackets would win ten games in the regular season on their way to a third appearance in the ACC Championship Game under Johnsons watch. The double-digit win total was undoubtedly made even sweeter by the fact that Georgia Tech was able to defeat rivals Clemson and Georgia, in addition to toppling perennial nuisances Virginia Tech and Miami, on its way to Charlotte.

And because of the work that he did in leading his team to the ACC Championship Game after relatively low preseason expectations, Johnson would go on to win his third award for ACC Coach of the Year.

Johnsons reputation upon entering Atlanta was one of being an offensive-minded coach with a unique some would have said x9coutdatedx9d offensive scheme. There were serious concerns from many fans and pundits alike as to how Johnsons patented spread option attack, which had worked well for him at previous stops at Georgia Southern and Navy, would fare in a conference such as the ACC.

Leading the ACC in total offense in each of his first two seasons helped quell some of the talk about his system, but there were still plenty of arguments being made saying that the offensive would gradually become less productive as defensive coordinators were given time to adjust.

Through seven seasons, however, the Yellow Jackets have yet to finish worse than fourth in the conference in total offense. They once again led the league in that statistical category this fall, the fourth time they have done so under Johnson.

That powerful Georgia Tech offense was on full display Wednesday night in the Orange Bowl against No. 7 Mississippi State, as the Yellow Jackets set a bowl record with 452 rushing yards on their way to an impressive 49-34 victory. The victory marked the first win for Georgia Tech in a x9cmajorx9d bowl game since its 1990 national championship-winning season.

Following the Orange Bowl victory, Johnson is certainly no longer considered to be on the hot seat with the Georgia Tech administration.

But given his track record at the school, it does not seem like enough to simply consider Johnson x9csafe for nowx9d.

Johnson has firmly entrenched himself as one of the premier coaches in the ACC, if not all of college football. His offense has consistently been one of the most productive in the country, and, after seven seasons, major conference defensive coordinators are still scratching their heads when attempting to come up with a solution to Johnsons attack.

The Yellow Jackets are currently headed on an upward trajectory, and much of the credit for that progress should be thrust squarely upon their head coach.

Georgia Tech has found its long-term solution at head coach, and he plans on sticking around for quite some time. And while hes at it, theres a pretty good chance that he is going to take the Yellow Jackets to new heights.