Getting to know new Georgia Tech assistant Craig Candeto

ajc.com

Credit: Ken Sugiura

Credit: Ken Sugiura

A little over a year ago, Craig Candeto and wife Maribeth prayed and thought hard about a job change. Candeto had finished his third season as head coach at Division III Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, but felt drawn to coaching at the Division I level. Convinced they needed to make a move, he took a job at Georgia Tech as the assistant director for football operations, an off-the-field job.

“It wasn’t an easy decision leaving my guys,” Candeto said. “It’s never easy to say, ‘Hey, I’m out of here’ to the kids you’ve recruited.”

Candeto was hopeful that, after a year, perhaps a job on the coaching staff would open up, but was under no illusion that one would. If not, he figured he would look for a coaching job elsewhere. Monday, Candeto’s hopes will be officially realized, when he conducts his first practice as Tech’s quarterbacks and B-backs coach as the replacement for Bryan Cook, now the offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern.

“It’s a little more natural for me to be on that (coaching) side more so than the operations side,” Candeto said. “Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but I’m excited to be back on the field coaching.”