Gary Stokan and Kelly Quinlan

Gary Stokan has been one of the major movers and shakers in college football over the past two-plus decades.

As the CEO and president of the Peach Bowl, Stokan has been instrumental in making Atlanta a prominent player in college football.

When he was in his 20s, Stokan worked for shoe companies and helped seal sponsorship deals with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

He still kicks himself for letting Michael Jordan get away to a struggling company called Nike. The sneaker business was forever changed when MJ and Nike joined forces.

Stokan gives some insight into why Clemson's opener against Georgia Tech will have a capacity of just 45,000 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

He also shares what it's been like to develop a friendship with Dabo Swinney over the years as Swinney built Clemson from a perennial underachiever, to a really good program, to an elite one.

Kelly Quinlan, longtime chronicler of Georgia Tech football, provides a pulse on the Geoff Collins regime and looks back at the mistakes Collins made starting out. The Yellow Jackets have won a total of nine games the past three seasons, and a rigorous 2022 schedule has enhanced the likelihood that this will be Collins' final season on The Flats.

Quinlan was close with Paul Johnson during the coach's long tenure at Georgia Tech, and he still communicates with him regularly.

Asked if Johnson might be taking some satisfaction in the struggles that followed his departure, Quinlan responded:

"I'm sure he's sitting there with a glass of bourbon and puffing on a cigar and getting a chuckle out of this."