Bond talks on Tech's offense, changing schools

Last season, John Bond coached the nation's leading rusher, Garrett Wolfe, at Northern Illinois University. This season, he hopes to do the same with the ACC's leading rusher Tashard Choice at Tech. Under Bond's tenure, Wolfe set many school marks, including career rushing leader, and finished among the top-10 all-time in NCAA history in points per game and all-purpose yards per game.

Bond brings a sophisticated run game and his spread passing attack to The Flats for his first season as the Jackets' offensive coordinator after Patrick Nix left for the University of Miami. Bond is typically known for a passing game that features the quarterback throwing to six or seven different receivers a game.

Despite only being here for spring practice and a few summer practices, Bond has already made an impression on the players here.

"I'll be able to go out on more pass routes...I'm looking forward to this season with the new offense. I like being able to do new things [on the field] instead of being a regular fullback," said fullback Michael Cox.

In previous seasons, the fullback did little more than block for the running back in Tech's offensive scheme. The tight ends were relegated to similar duty. This season bodes well for them, as Bond plans to integrate those positions in to the pass attack.

"Mike Cox is one of the best fullbacks in the country, you watch him on film and you get excited. He wasn't around in the spring, so I'm anxious to watch Cox work and to see [tight end] Colin Peek work. You get excited by the possibilities, but until we get into camp and see what guys are doing well and what they're capable of doing, it's still a little bit of an uncertainty," Bond said.

Before his arrival at Tech, Bond started his coaching career as a student assistant at Arkansas under Lou Holtz. His first full time coaching stint came in 1986, when he was the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Southwest Missouri State. He followed that with time at UTEP, Delta State, and then became the offensive coordinator at Illinois State from 1996-1999.

After leaving Illinois, Bond took the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach job at Army from 2000-2004. It was at Army that Bond devised a spread passing attack that broke 35 school records.

Bond decided to take the job at Tech because of the atmosphere here. He had never coached at a school with as much tradition and national exposure as there is with the Jackets.

"It was the opportunity I had been looking for, in the profession, for a long time," Bond said.

Last season, Tech struggled to pass the ball outside of two to three players a game, one of those players always being All-America receiver Calvin Johnson.

"We had arguably the greatest talent in the history of college football in Calvin Johnson, and he's not back. No one's going to replace [Johnson's production] but maybe you can replace it collectively. That's something that is on the strength of our quarterback and I think that ultimately, it's going to make us tougher to defend," Bond said.

Replacing Calvin Johnson has been a big question mark for the team. James Johnson, who played alongside Calvin last season returns for his junior year. Playing alongside him will be redshirt freshman Correy Earls, who has the speed to play alongside James Johnson and was name a top-50 recruit in Georgia his senior year of high school. Redshirt Sophomore Greg Smith played limited time last season, but did catch two touchdown passes from quarterback Taylor Bennett against Duke.

"I'm excited about our wide receivers, they're young, no one knows much about them...I think we have a talented group. They just haven't played, you just want to get out their and get them going," Bond said.

Behind Tashard Choice, Tech parades a list of talented running backs that includes Jamaal Evans, Roddy White and Johnathan Dwyer. Rashan Grant is the returning starter with the most experience behind Tashard Choice. He was only used in a limited half back role last season.

"Here's a guy that can make you miss, he does a great job catching the ball out of the backfield. Hopefully we're going to be able to find roles for him, to get him in the game and get the ball to both [Choice and Grant] in different places and stay diversified a little bit. He deserves to play and we have to try and find a role for him," Bond said.

Bond hopes to recreate an offense that has struggled with consistency these past few seasons.