Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson: Duke's Cutcliffe should 'worry about his own problems'

Saturday's matchup between Georgia Tech and Duke will be laced with animosity because of a war of words between the two ACC coaches that has broken out in the media.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe made a dig at the Yellow Jackets at his weekly news conference on Tuesday, when answering a question about why more teams do not use Tech's spread-option offense, reports Ken Sugiura of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

“It’s a little more difficult to recruit high-end players, because, if you’re a defensive player on that team, you’re really not excited about spring practice, and you’re not seeing what you’re going to see in pro ball, if you think you’re a pro football player,” Cutcliffe said. “If I’m a receiver, why (play at Tech)?”

Cutcliffe's words bristled Georgia Tech's coach Paul Johnson, who fired back after the Yellow Jackets' practice Wednesday.  

“How many receivers have they put in the NFL?” Johnson asked the media. “I can tell you. None. They’ve had one offensive player (drafted by) the NFL in his six years there … He probably ought to worry about his own business.”

Johnson has a point. The Yellow Jackets have had five offensive players drafted since Johnson’s hire – three of whom were inherited – and 13 overall.

Tech's Johnson continued: “I would think he’s got enough problems of his own. He ought to worry about his own problems instead of helping us with ours. We’ve done pretty good against him so far.”

Cutcliffe later clarified his comments on Wednesday, claiming that his program suffers recruiting challenges. 

"We have the same circumstance here in who we can recruit and do recruit," said Cutcliffe. "They (Georgia Tech) recruit people that fit their system. It poses challenges at Duke to have limitations.”

The coaches will hash out their differences on the field when the Duke Blue Devils travel to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET.