DeAndre Hopkins may be taking the next step from star receiver to coach, and he’s doing it at an ACC program that knows him well.
247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported Friday afternoon that Hopkins is expected to join Georgia Tech’s offensive staff after visiting the team in Atlanta this past week. The specific title hasn’t been confirmed yet, but the expectation is that he’ll work with the wide receivers, especially after recently being seen helping the New England Patriots’ wideouts in an unofficial coaching role.
Zenitz also pointed to a key reason the move makes sense: Hopkins’ relationship with Georgia Tech offensive coordinator George Godsey.
The two first worked together in 2014, when Hopkins was entering his second NFL season with the Houston Texans and Godsey was in his first year as the team’s quarterbacks coach. With 32-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, Godsey helped Hopkins reach his first 1,000-yard season. Houston missed the playoffs that year, but the offense still finished 14th in points per game, and Godsey was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2015.
The next season brought a much tougher quarterback situation, with the Texans using four different starters because of injuries. Even so, Hopkins put together one of the best seasons of his 12-year career, catching 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. Houston made the playoffs for the first time since 2012 before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 30-0 in the Wild Card round.
The production dipped in 2016. Hopkins finished with under 1,000 receiving yards, and Godsey’s offense struggled badly, averaging just 17.4 points per game.
Godsey was fired after that season, but the connection didn’t end there. Hopkins and Godsey reunited on the Baltimore Ravens last season, when Godsey had been the tight ends coach for the previous three years. After helping develop players such as Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, Godsey was hired as Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator ahead of the 2026 season, replacing Buster Faulkner.
Hopkins is still a free agent heading into the 2026 season, and at 34, the question now is whether he still has another run as a player left in him or if coaching is becoming the more realistic path. For now, the Georgia Tech opportunity should help him get a better read on where he wants to go next.
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