FOOTBALL
Tech easily won the "scrimmage" yesterday over scout team Alcorn State. It was a pretty vanilla scrimmage. The only injury news I heard about was a minor tweak to Qua Searcy's ankle. He would have continued playing in a game situation. Marcus Allen was the star of the day with the second team offense which gives you an idea of how out of hand things got. Brad Stewart had another strong performance and he would start with Mike Summers if everyone was healthy today. Summers is still battling a hamstring injury, but is expected back in time to be able to dress for Alcorn State if needed. One of the surprise stars of the day was Omarhi Jarrett on the scout team. He has some big play ability.
One thing to keep an eye for the Alcorn State game is GT's passing attack. I wouldn't be shocked to see CPJ test some stuff out with JT and the WRs to help get some confidence and chemistry going against a lesser foe.
Also they will dress many freshmen for the game, but not all of them will play. There are several guys CPJ and the staff remain on the fence about playing and injuries and veteran performance will dictate who plays from those fence guys and everyone is fair game until after the ND game to play.
Everyone keeps asking about the A-back situation and right now it is Broderick Snoddy, Ike Willis and Qua Searcy then a mix of guys like TaQuon Marshall, Clinton Lynch, Mikell Lands-Davis and Matthew Jordan. The staff is very excited about Lands-Davis and he is a better version of Charles Perkins out there, but he has to learn what to do. I could see him being held back in a game or two and then playing. He is the prototype of what they ideally like at A-back. Nathan Cottrell had his surgery and it was successful, the hope is he will be cleared in the summer next year and ready to go in the fall.
One guy I really wonder about going forward at A-back will be C.J. Leggett. He won't stay at B-back, he isn't really physically up to playing that role and he will enter a logjam situation at A-back especially if J.J. Green can keep himself on track. Green would start today if he were eligible, he has a real knack for the position so keep your fingers crossed that Green can keep himself together through this time next year.
At B-back Quaide Weimerskirch will be in gold next week and should be ready for the Notre Dame game and yes he is going to play unless he really struggles when he comes back. Weimerskirch is the long term replacement for Patrick Skov as the pounding B-back.
Marcus Marshall continues to progress, but Patrick Skov should start against Alcorn State and he has really come on in the last two weeks. He does some things better than Laskey or Days, but just doesn't quite have the same burst. He brings a lot to the table for the offense however and he will be a key guy to the success of the offense this season.
I expect Christian Philpott to redshirt. Harland Howell has moved ahead of him and they want to redshirt both. Philpott missed so much time this summer with his shoulder injury and his body isn't ready to play. Howell is raw, but is developing at a nice clip. If Jalen Johnson continues to practice well they should be able to redshirt both. So far Johnson has done a nice job adjusting in a few days on the job at WR.
On the OL, Gary Brown and Jake Stickler are with the scout team and Jake Whitley moved up to the varsity. The three main backup OLs are Andrew Marshall, Trey Klock and Will Bryan followed by Eason Fromayan and then Whitley.
Defensively, the front group is pretty much set. Jabari Hunt-Days was the starting NT in the scrimmage, but that is still up in the air for game one between him and Gamble and will also depend on matchups as they slide Gamble out to DE against certain bigger OLs. Some guys on the fence on the DL include Brentavious Glanton (probable), Anree Saint-Amour (possible) and Kyle Henderson (maybe) on who will play. The rest of the DL rotation is set for the first game.
Linebacker is a little more hazy, Brant Mitchell and Victor Alexander made their cases to play, but there is a lot of experience ahead of them right now. The big question will be the 4-3 MIKE LB spot with Beau Hankins and how he holds up and handles that load. Hankins plays with some reckless abandon and I think that is why he gets dinged so much. Tyler Marcordes and Terrell Lewis are solid at SAM and PJ Davis and Domonique Noble are strong at WILL.
In the secondary A.J. Gray is the only guy with a major initial role in the defense as a true freshman and he is sort of second team. He is a huge special teams guy and they want to get him some work so he can compete for either starting safety spot next year. The nickel back will remain an open competition for a while between Lynn Griffin and Lawrence Austin and I see them splitting reps when GT goes into that defense. I'm not sure how they will opt to defense Alcorn State to be honest. They may just go base 4-3 early.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Georgia Tech is still looking for up to five OLs in this thin 2016 class. That is why they finally offered Tremaye Anchrum (McEachern HS) and CAM is working him hard now. He is a bit undersized for more traditional offenses, but it will be an uphill battle as I alluded to because of all his teammates being UGA commits/leans and the not so great experience Ty Griffin had at GT.
Another OL to keep an eye on is Louisville commit Robbie Bell from Mill Creek. The three-star OL wants to come check out GT this fall. Louisville was his only P5 offer and he jumped on it quickly, but GT may be a better fit for him. No offer has been extended to Bell yet.
Four-star safety Romeo Finley is a GT lean, but he would probably prefer a school like Auburn or Miami, but those options are not there for him right now. He has not visited GT yet because of transportation and financial issues. I would not be surprised to see a December OV from Finley to GT and then a possible commit.
Jair Hawkins-Anderson is doing a strong mea culpa with the GT staff after his comments. GT would take him as an athlete with a eye toward defensive back. He will have to convince CPJ that he actually wants to be on the Flats before anything happens. His dad, former AU and Bengals OL Willie Anderson wants his son at GT.
GT is still looking at WR targets, Steve Dolphus still on the board, CJ Riley and a few others. They are going to see how Jalen Johnson does before committing to taking two in this class. If Johnson takes to WR, then GT can get away with only taking one guy. I don't see GT being a player for former FSU commit Keith Gavin right now. There are a few interesting options out there.
The football staff has been busy looking under rocks and every stone for a QB and a DT for this class. Not really a lot to report yet on either spot.
Louisville commit Malik Staples wants to OV to GT and he and Baylen Buchanan could end up together here if GT wants to take another RB in the 2016 class.
The staff is aiming to use some momentum to fill out the class and several coaching changes that are going to happen this season like VaTech, Vandy and even either Miami or UNC could really shake things up later so they are staying away from stretches right now. Also some of the best players in the 2015 class were late offers like Marcus Marshall, Dorian Walker and Brad Stewart.
Tech easily won the "scrimmage" yesterday over scout team Alcorn State. It was a pretty vanilla scrimmage. The only injury news I heard about was a minor tweak to Qua Searcy's ankle. He would have continued playing in a game situation. Marcus Allen was the star of the day with the second team offense which gives you an idea of how out of hand things got. Brad Stewart had another strong performance and he would start with Mike Summers if everyone was healthy today. Summers is still battling a hamstring injury, but is expected back in time to be able to dress for Alcorn State if needed. One of the surprise stars of the day was Omarhi Jarrett on the scout team. He has some big play ability.
One thing to keep an eye for the Alcorn State game is GT's passing attack. I wouldn't be shocked to see CPJ test some stuff out with JT and the WRs to help get some confidence and chemistry going against a lesser foe.
Also they will dress many freshmen for the game, but not all of them will play. There are several guys CPJ and the staff remain on the fence about playing and injuries and veteran performance will dictate who plays from those fence guys and everyone is fair game until after the ND game to play.
Everyone keeps asking about the A-back situation and right now it is Broderick Snoddy, Ike Willis and Qua Searcy then a mix of guys like TaQuon Marshall, Clinton Lynch, Mikell Lands-Davis and Matthew Jordan. The staff is very excited about Lands-Davis and he is a better version of Charles Perkins out there, but he has to learn what to do. I could see him being held back in a game or two and then playing. He is the prototype of what they ideally like at A-back. Nathan Cottrell had his surgery and it was successful, the hope is he will be cleared in the summer next year and ready to go in the fall.
One guy I really wonder about going forward at A-back will be C.J. Leggett. He won't stay at B-back, he isn't really physically up to playing that role and he will enter a logjam situation at A-back especially if J.J. Green can keep himself on track. Green would start today if he were eligible, he has a real knack for the position so keep your fingers crossed that Green can keep himself together through this time next year.
At B-back Quaide Weimerskirch will be in gold next week and should be ready for the Notre Dame game and yes he is going to play unless he really struggles when he comes back. Weimerskirch is the long term replacement for Patrick Skov as the pounding B-back.
Marcus Marshall continues to progress, but Patrick Skov should start against Alcorn State and he has really come on in the last two weeks. He does some things better than Laskey or Days, but just doesn't quite have the same burst. He brings a lot to the table for the offense however and he will be a key guy to the success of the offense this season.
I expect Christian Philpott to redshirt. Harland Howell has moved ahead of him and they want to redshirt both. Philpott missed so much time this summer with his shoulder injury and his body isn't ready to play. Howell is raw, but is developing at a nice clip. If Jalen Johnson continues to practice well they should be able to redshirt both. So far Johnson has done a nice job adjusting in a few days on the job at WR.
On the OL, Gary Brown and Jake Stickler are with the scout team and Jake Whitley moved up to the varsity. The three main backup OLs are Andrew Marshall, Trey Klock and Will Bryan followed by Eason Fromayan and then Whitley.
Defensively, the front group is pretty much set. Jabari Hunt-Days was the starting NT in the scrimmage, but that is still up in the air for game one between him and Gamble and will also depend on matchups as they slide Gamble out to DE against certain bigger OLs. Some guys on the fence on the DL include Brentavious Glanton (probable), Anree Saint-Amour (possible) and Kyle Henderson (maybe) on who will play. The rest of the DL rotation is set for the first game.
Linebacker is a little more hazy, Brant Mitchell and Victor Alexander made their cases to play, but there is a lot of experience ahead of them right now. The big question will be the 4-3 MIKE LB spot with Beau Hankins and how he holds up and handles that load. Hankins plays with some reckless abandon and I think that is why he gets dinged so much. Tyler Marcordes and Terrell Lewis are solid at SAM and PJ Davis and Domonique Noble are strong at WILL.
In the secondary A.J. Gray is the only guy with a major initial role in the defense as a true freshman and he is sort of second team. He is a huge special teams guy and they want to get him some work so he can compete for either starting safety spot next year. The nickel back will remain an open competition for a while between Lynn Griffin and Lawrence Austin and I see them splitting reps when GT goes into that defense. I'm not sure how they will opt to defense Alcorn State to be honest. They may just go base 4-3 early.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Georgia Tech is still looking for up to five OLs in this thin 2016 class. That is why they finally offered Tremaye Anchrum (McEachern HS) and CAM is working him hard now. He is a bit undersized for more traditional offenses, but it will be an uphill battle as I alluded to because of all his teammates being UGA commits/leans and the not so great experience Ty Griffin had at GT.
Another OL to keep an eye on is Louisville commit Robbie Bell from Mill Creek. The three-star OL wants to come check out GT this fall. Louisville was his only P5 offer and he jumped on it quickly, but GT may be a better fit for him. No offer has been extended to Bell yet.
Four-star safety Romeo Finley is a GT lean, but he would probably prefer a school like Auburn or Miami, but those options are not there for him right now. He has not visited GT yet because of transportation and financial issues. I would not be surprised to see a December OV from Finley to GT and then a possible commit.
Jair Hawkins-Anderson is doing a strong mea culpa with the GT staff after his comments. GT would take him as an athlete with a eye toward defensive back. He will have to convince CPJ that he actually wants to be on the Flats before anything happens. His dad, former AU and Bengals OL Willie Anderson wants his son at GT.
GT is still looking at WR targets, Steve Dolphus still on the board, CJ Riley and a few others. They are going to see how Jalen Johnson does before committing to taking two in this class. If Johnson takes to WR, then GT can get away with only taking one guy. I don't see GT being a player for former FSU commit Keith Gavin right now. There are a few interesting options out there.
The football staff has been busy looking under rocks and every stone for a QB and a DT for this class. Not really a lot to report yet on either spot.
Louisville commit Malik Staples wants to OV to GT and he and Baylen Buchanan could end up together here if GT wants to take another RB in the 2016 class.
The staff is aiming to use some momentum to fill out the class and several coaching changes that are going to happen this season like VaTech, Vandy and even either Miami or UNC could really shake things up later so they are staying away from stretches right now. Also some of the best players in the 2015 class were late offers like Marcus Marshall, Dorian Walker and Brad Stewart.
