Login to view embedded media "To be honest, I am very shocked and surprised. I just dropped my top ten on Sunday, and Georgia Tech is on there. The main reason was Coach Crawford. We built a strong relationship over the past year, and I went over to GT twice. I guess it is just business."
Login to view embedded media "Crazy. A lot of coaching changes everywhere in the last few weeks. It feels like I just spoke with him about GT. Congrats to him."
Login to view embedded media "Josh was really my guy.. him and coach Dre (Smelter) really treated me good and we had a decent relationship going on. Not sure where this leaves me, as I do not know if the next coach is going to re-offer. Have to wait and see now."
Login to view embedded media "I really liked him and GT, but I think he is in good hands at UGA. I really like him as a coach. As for my interest in GT, let's see who they bring in."
Login to view embedded media "Man that's crazy. Coach Crawford wanted me to come to GT so bad, and just like that he's gone. Crazy."

I will continue to add to the list as more names are confirmed.

Alex Payne was scheduled to visit prior to his commitment earlier this week to UNC. I have not been able to confirm whether or not he is still planning to visit.

The Athletic reports that one of the models being discussed going forward would guarantee 3 spots to the SEC and B1G
2 spots each to the ACC and Big 12
1 spot to a G5

3 open slots.

No link since it's a pay site. But it's a long story online tonight.

Edited to clarify this is assuming an expansion to 14 teams in 2026.

I was unable to attend due to my youngest having his four-year-old doctor's appointment and shots today.

Damon Stoudamire

On his three seniors Kyle, Ty and Carter, he said it has been great coaching all three and they are great guys. I wish he had them earlier in their careers from a selfish standpoint. They've done a great job. Kyle and Ty have had a bigger impact on the court in games, but Carter has had just as big of an impact with his voice in the locker room and the maturity of who he is and where he came from. He is a walk-on, but he played at Air Force last year and played a significant role there and then came here to GT to be an engineer. His whole thing was being able to help any way he could. He really appreciates haveing him around with his experience and knowledge on the floor.

On Kyle's clutch free throw shooting, he gives you have comfort zone and that is always great to have your ball handler as you best free throw shooter and Kyle has been money at the free throw line and he has done a great job and it always gives you a comfort zone having a guy like that at the end of games.

Stoudamire said the season isn't over yet and he isn't in self-reflection mode yet on his first year here. They are still trying to win games and they've won 2 of 3 and this is a big game for GT against FSU and they pose different challenges. They need to handle their pressure, not turn the ball over, rebound the ball, and on the defensive end limit them to one shot and that is their focus. It is not the last game and they are not buried yet. They are playing every game left as if they have something to gain.

The last time, they had bad offense and they've got to share the ball like they did last weekend at Miami. If they have that they'll be in a position to have a chance to win.

He said there is a lot to play for and a lot with the seedings. They are still playing and trying to be the best they can be and FSU tomorrow will be a chance to improve that.

Stoudamire said they gave the guys Wednesday off to rest and they practiced the rest of the week. The break was needed and they got some rest for guys with nicknack injuries and worked on a few things as well. They are looking forward to finishing the season strong.

Stoudamire said they do a lot of film work and they watch film all the time. They just need to get it. This part of the year is more mental than physical. You will get more done off the floor than on it this time of the year.

On Nait George studying under Kyle, it is the seasoning part of it, just seeing how Kyle reacted to a lot of things that were going on. I know in a lot of respects he had a good year, but he was a part-time starter last year and started the last 10 games for Tech last year and he hasn't started a game this year and I think he has handled that well. I thought he showed a great sense of maturity in handling that on and off the floor and I hope Nait can take that away from him. Kyle is a high-character individual to be able to do the things he did. He is what a student-athlete embodies.

Stoudamire said part of the offensive issues is guys getting bored doing the same things over and over again and he thinks the Miami game is the recipe, but it has been the same recipe all year and that has recipe has worked for the most part in their wins this year. They have to share the ball and they are a better team when they share the ball. Getting guys to stay the course of what they are doing and that is why there have been so many inconsistencies, getting too high off wins and too low off losses. Good teams/good programs do that, don't get too high or low.

Login to view embedded media

I present to you, this year's bracket buster extraordinaire...Indiana State's Cream Abdul Jabbar

Login to view embedded media

What’s the best way to get Tix?

Just curious how it's affecting the JOL community. For me, it's not sending me a code to login to my personal email. My Verizon phone works fine as does my DirecTV Stream.
AT&T Outage

Login to view embedded media
Curb just had an episode about him dying and that Larry David didn’t want his will.. it was a joke but damn

The ACC managed to not give me a reason to go catch a game in California. ****ing idiots.

Login to view embedded media

Any names you can share that Key is bringing onto his staff? Any that he was after but it didn’t happen

KQ- Yes, but that is something I'll share when the full staff is finalized. We are still a few weeks away from that as there is a lot of shuffling going on behind the scenes. The entire recruitment department is being replaced right now for example. Key decided to overhaul that area.

What would have to happen from a basketball roster standpoint next year for you to do a pre-season prediction for the Jackets to have a winning record in the ACC?

Will it take a major acquisition in the portal or just some key carry-overs from this year's team with the new freshman class?

KQ- They need to keep at least Baye Ndongo and Nait George and build around that. Hopefully keep Miles Kelly and some glue guys like Sacko and Reeves and maybe Gapare. They need real help in the post. Cole Kirouac is going to need some significant S&C work and Ibrahim Souare is also a project so they need a big man. They have plenty of guard types coming in that should be able to play. Finding a real post-player to compliment Ndongo is key. If they find even a Ja'Von Franklin type that would probably be enough with Ndongo.

I think ideally you would add Doryan Onwuchekwa and a transfer player like a James Banks/Nick Jacobs/Ja'von Franklin type. That should be enough to get them over the hump into the middle of the ACC pack.

I noticed we flipped the front page to '25 commits. Any imminent news on that front? What do you think the proposed / discussed changes to the timing of ESD will do to affect our recruiting?

KQ- That stuff is done nationally and not by me. @Russell Johnson can answer on the other stuff.

Do you think they’ll be any fallout from CPJ’s Shanks interview with the GTAA, or is it at the “water under the bridge” stage at this point?

KQ- What are they going to do? Literally, every person he talked about was fired or left GT. As I said I've heard all this from PJ since December of 2018. I still talk to him pretty regularly. I had a couple of people at GT and a couple of people I trust who are close to the program to hold back from doing that scorched Earth PJ interview until Brent Key was able to clear the air with PJ and also get his feet under him as head coach. So we are probably closer to that happening now. PJ understood where I was coming from with that as well. He wishes Brent well, but PJ is like a pitbull on a chew toy, you better be careful what you ask or what you get into when talking to him.

My takeaway from last years season is that we were explosive on offense but not always consistent. What I mean by that is we went into some games with back to back three and outs and in certain games it caught up with us as our defense could not get off the field. Bowling Green comes to mind. One way to overcome a less than stout defense is to do what Paul Johnson did and eat clock.
While I thought our RBs did well towards the end of the year, do you think we will try to pound the ball up the middle more next year given we may have more of a compliment to Haynes and others (i.e. Carrie) and an even more improved OL?

Don’t get me wrong. I was very happy overall with the offense last year. But of course you always want to build off your success.

KQ- I think if they had Dontae Smith free and clear all year at his best from day one last year you would've seen more of that early on. They realized pretty quickly the limitations of Tre Cooley and Jamal Haynes for all of his abilities shouldn't be running the ball more than 15-20 times max if you want him to hold up for a season. They had to adapt. I think Haynes King had to figure out his role running the ball as well and he became a more willing runner despite dealing with a foot injury later in the season because he wanted to win. I think also if they had more time to work in the running packages with Zach Pyron that would've helped but the defense was so bad I think that Key and Buster felt like they couldn't risk trying a lot. That put a lot of pressure on the offense and King wasn't sharp all the time and the WRs outside of Singleton and Rutherford and occasionally Leary were pedestrian. It is a bad recipe, but they still won with it.

What are your thoughts on the proposed summer signing day? Do you think it will come to pass?

KQ- I'll be honest with you, I have no clue. I know that is what CPJ wanted to do. Let kids visit in the summer, sign and then play their senior seasons.

Can you picture Scooter actually having some success in his new position with the Tarholes or will it be the train wreck we all want to see?

KQ- They have underachieved so much there that maybe he can channel it into something. I have never been impressed with him as a DC and if you've been on here long enough you've probably seen me talk about it years ago when he was a DC. He does well with really dynamic talent and walked into some impressive defensive rosters as a DC. It will be very interesting to see how he does and more of an indictment of him as a HC if he does well IMO.

Any place I can find total snap counts for the season? RW.com didn’t have it that I could find

KQ- They would never have something like that. I realized I never did a final season tally for GT. So I'll try to get to that this week.

After basketball season ends (soon) and you have some time (which may be never), could you do a recap of how the guys who transferred out from last year did at their new schools? I believe Jalon Moore and Deivon Smith have been contributing at Oklahoma and Utah, respectively.

KQ- I can give you a quick one right now.

Doing well
Deivon Smith (Utah) starting PG 11.8 ppg, 5.6 RPG, 6.1 APG, 43.7% FG, 67% FTs, 32.6% 3FG, 1 SPG in 27.3 MPG, all career highs except RPG and SPG which tie his GT numbers
Jalon Moore (Oklahoma) starting PF 10.7 ppg, 6.4 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 0.7 SPG in 24.4 MPG, shooting 55.5% FG, 42.2% 3FG, 75% FT all career highs for him, this one hurts badly
Rodney Howard( WKU) sixth man C 10.2 ppg, 5.2 RPG, 54.7% FG, 68.3% FT in 20.2 MPG this hurts because they gave up on him and ended up only being able to get Ebe who is much worse than Rodney

Doing meh
Tristian Maxwell (Hampton) starting SG 6.6 PPG, 35.4% FG, 32.6% 3FG, 59.1% FT, 2.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1 SPG in 24.5 MPG
Cyril Martynov (Eastern Michigan) backup center 2.6 PPG, 52.9% FG, 51.9% FT, 2.4 RPG in 13 MPG

Doing poorly
Freds Pauls Bagastkis (UT-Arlington) he has only played in two games back in November averaging 6.6 ppg, I guess he got hurt or something, not much information out there.

Walk-on Jermontae Hill ended up at a Tyler JUCO in Tyler, TX. Not sure what the hell happened with that kid.

The CPJ interview got my wheels turning… how would you describe Key’s program management compared to CPJ? Is there a HC inside the program or outside that you’d compare to? My initial thoughts are CPJ was an offensive mastermind and obviously called every offensive play but was hands off on defense and ST.

CBK I feel is more diplomatic across the program and relies on his staff to make tactical calls while focusing on the strategy. Is that accurate?

KQ- Key knows his role, he knows he is not some great tactician when it comes to scheming up things and yes he gets involved with a bit of everything, but both let their guys coach, the main difference there is CPJ was hands-on with the playcalling and installation and execution of his offense. Key works the room. CPJ was actually more controlling of the recruiting side of things than Key is in a weird way. Key runs everything, but CPJ had to sign off on every single offer and was micromanaging every offer, Key will give his guys a bit of latitude from what I've seen and heard until they lose that privilege.

Key is more focused on what it takes to be a modern-day coach. I think CPJ was of his era, but would hate everything about CFB right now and the shit that Key has to deal with every day. He has told me as much.

Would we take 5 HS guys if Doryan O and Pippen both want to come.

O/U 50% chance of that happening

KQ- Yes and there is a pretty decent shot of it happening. It is hard to put a percentage on it right now since Doryan just reopened and Pippen is still blowing up.

Will there be a big board of offers for hoops 2025

KQ- Yes, was waiting for the end of the regular season.

Do you think we land a big time center or bucket better in the portal

KQ- Hopefully for everyone's sake who has to watch the team play including myself.

5 - Tennessee is 4-5
6 - Alabama is 3-7
7 - Auburn is 2-6

🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♂️

Login to view embedded media

Russell will be joining about 10 minutes in.

I've heard from our UGA source that Josh Crawford is a legit candidate to now for the UGA RB coach gig. This seems to be more serious than the WR search was, but we have not confirmed it our end yet. I talked to a good source who said it is possible and GT would be fine if it happens, but obviously, they'd prefer to keep the staff intact on that side of the ball for another season. UGA site is posting something, so I wanted to be proactive and reset the questions to a new thread on this topic alone.

Stay tuned.

Drop your questions here

We will talk FB, hoops and staff changes.

This week is a big one for Georgia Tech baseball. Following the Georgia State matchup on Tuesday afternoon, the biggest non-conference series of the season takes place this weekend as UGA awaits.

Under first-year head coach Wes Johnson, the Bulldogs are off to a 7-0 start, and look as potent offensively as any team in Athens has in several years.

But as both teams prepare for this weekend, a matchup being hyped up by national media as one of the most-anticipated in the country, they'll both want to be sure not to look too far ahead.

The Bulldogs have a rare two day, two opponent mid-week slate, facing off against Presbyterian on Tuesday and Michigan State on Wednesday.

The Yellow Jackets, as mentioned above, are set to face in-state foe Georgia State on Tuesday.

Getting off to a hot start is nothing new for Danny Hall and Georgia Tech, starting the last two seasons 9-0 and 8-1 heading into the COFH series.

The Bulldogs in the last two seasons have entered the series with a 7-2 record and a 7-0 record heading into the series.

Given the buzz around both programs heading into this weekend, going a combined 3-0 in the mid-week could lead to the types of crowds in Atlanta, Athens, and Lawrenceville that these players dreamed of growing up.

-------------------------------------------------

Georgia Tech opted to switch things up last weekend against Cornell, moving Terry Busse back into the bullpen and elevate Cam Hill into the Friday night starter spot.

Hill struggled coming out, but settled in and found his groove. He finished with 4 IP, 7 K and just 1 ER to his name. As he works his pitch count up the 70 he threw last weekend will likely be somewhat of a floor moving forward.

Aeden Finateri, albeit against lesser competition, has been everything and more for GT in the Saturday role. FInateri's given up just 1 run in 11 innings, to go along with an absurd 18/2 K/BB rate that has to have first-year pitching coach Matthew Taylor pretty pumped up.

The biggest question marks on the pitching staff going into the weekend are-

A. Who starts on Sunday?
B. Will Ben King regain his form from late last season?

In regards to A, the easy answer and the one I am sure Taylor would like to go with is Mason Patel. In his outing on Sunday against Cornell, Patel wasn't missing many bats, and while he wasn't giving up walks, he was ineffective and gave a Cornell offense that had been inconsistent all weekend to find themselves a bit.

The combination of Patel and a few defensive miscues led to Georgia Tech’s first loss of the season.

Here are three candidates I would consider for the Sunday role-

Cam Jones-

0.00 ERA in 5.2 IP in relief, has also started games both in the OF and at 1B.

Logan McGuire-

Starter last Tuesday in a return from injury, gave up 3 R in 4 innings to GaSo while striking out 7.

Tate McKee-

Freshman has impressed each time out, but is the Sunday stage too big for McKee? Opponents are batting .091 against him, with just 1 hit in 3.1 IP.

-------------------------------------------------

While it has not been a deciding factor in any of the games thus far, fans of Georgia Tech’s games thus far, fans (and likely the coaches too) have come to expect more from the catcher position.

Indiana transfer Matthew Ellis has started all but two games thus far, and as Tuesday night’s matchup approaches with Georgia State, Ellis has the lowest batting average of the regulars (.276) has 2 RBI, and the only OBP under .400.

Behind Ellis at the position is Sophomore Tyler Minnick and Freshman Vahn Lackey.

Minnick is by far the best defensive catcher of the trio.

Lackey is likely the best offensive catcher of the trio. At least from the (small) sample size in his limited AB’s.

Ellis fits right in the middle, give or take, which has led to him being the guy early on in the season.

Given the hot start of guys below him in the lineup such as fellow transfers Bobby Zmarzlak and Mike Becchetti, until Ellis starts producing more at the plate he may need to move down the order a bit.

Lackey may not be ready for the full-time role this season, but the tools and the potential he’s shown both at the plate and behind the plate have been impressive. He’s got as many RBI and HR as Ellis in 25 less AB’s.

The late addition to Georgia Tech’s 2023 class had some tough stretches this summer, to the point that some on JOL were wondering if he’d even be able to contribute.

Ellis will get out of his early season funk, one would think. When he makes contact, it is hard contact. An opportunity like the one in front of Georgia Tech on Tuesday against Georgia State may be the type of spot where you see what Lackey can bring to the table as a nine-inning player and not just a mid-game replacement.

-------------------------------------------------

Georgia Tech is turning to Carson Ballard on Tuesday against a struggling Georgia State team. Ballard threw four innings of no-hit ball against Radford, and looked to have full command of the strike zone as well, not allowing a single baserunner.

The matchup will be the first of its kind for Cam Jones, Cam Landry, and Mason Patel, as the trio left the Panthers’ program in the off-season.

Players to watch for the Panthers-

RF Jojo Jackson - 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1.197 OPS
1B Luke Boynton - 5 HR, 7 RBI, 1.348 OPS

OFFENSIVE OFFERS:

QBs (1/1):
Top Tier:
Grady Adamson (Deer Creek, OK) ***GT COMMIT 4/6/24***, SIGNED

RBs (3/2-3):
Isaiah Groves (East Roberson- Cross Plains, TN) ***GT COMMIT 6/18/24***
Shane Marshall (Irwin County- Oscilla, GA) ***GT COMMIT 12/4/24***, SIGNED
JP Powell (Miller County- Colquitt, GA) ***GT COMMIT 6/4/24***, SIGNED, ENROLLED


WRs (3/4)
Jordan Allen (Buford, GA) ***GT COMMIT 11/25/24***, SIGNED
Jamauri Brice (Cartersville, GA) ***GT COMMIT 6/9/24***, SIGNED, ENROLLED
Cal Faulkner (Lumpkin County- Dahlonega, GA) ***GT COMMIT 6/23/24***, SIGNED

TEs (2/2):
Kevin Roche (Darien, CT) ***GT COMMIT 6/17/24***, SIGNED
Connor Roush (Wesleyan- Norcross, GA) ***GT COMMIT 6/9/24***, SIGNED

OLs OTs (3/3):
Xavier Canales (Douglass- Atlanta, GA) can also play guard ***GT COMMIT 6/18/24***, SIGNED, ENROLLED
JaKolby Jones (Copiah-Lincoln- Many, LA) ***GT COMMIT 12/20/24***, SIGNED, ENROLLED
Josh Petty (Fellowship Christian School- Roswell, GA) ***GT COMMIT 8/12/24***, SIGNED, ENROLLED

OLs OG/OC (3-3):
Jimmy Bryson (Baylor School- Chattanooga, TN) ***GT COMMIT 6/2/24***, SIGNED
Peyton Joseph (Houston County- Warner Robins, GA) ***GT COMMIT 12/1/24***, SIGNED
Kevin Peay (Lancaster, SC) ***GT COMMIT 6/9/24***, SIGNED, ENROLLED

DEFENSIVE OFFERS

DEs (0/2-?)
Corey Adams Jr. (Edna Karr- New Orleans, LA)
Isaiah Gibson (Warner Robins, GA)
Julius Holly (Alpharetta, GA)
Tylon Lee (Pace, FL)
Derry Norris Jr. (Spruce Creek- Port Orange, FL)
Caleb Smith (A.H. Parker- Birmingham, AL)
Jared Smith (Thompson- Alabaster, AL)
Chad Woodfork (Summer Creek- Humble, TX)

DTs (0/2):
Caleb Bell (Milton- Alpharetta, GA)
Christian Garrett (Prince Avenue Christian- Bogart, GA)
LaDerion Williams (Douglas County- Douglasville, GA)

OLBs/RUSH (0/2)
Tawshawn Alston (Vance County- Henderson, NC) TOP 6
Kelan Butler (Jefferson, GA)
Carrington Coombs (Hebron Christian Academy- Dacula, GA)
Darryll Desir (Miami Norland- Miami, FL)
Taleb Graham (Daphne, AL)
Makel Green (Central- Phenix City, AL)
Kobby Sakyi-Prah (Roswell, GA)

LBs (0/2):
Antoine Deslauriers (Rabun Gap Nachoochee- Rabun Gap, GA)
Christian Gass (East Side- Covington, GA)
AJ Holloway (Buford, GA)
Tyler Lockhart (Winona, MS)
Elijah Melendez (Osceola- Kissimmee, FL) Miami commit
AJ Rice (Madison Academy- Huntsville, AL) Miss State commit
Kenyon Rivera (Buford, GA)
Chase Taylor (Stockbridge, GA)
Kris Thompson (Lipscomb- Nashville, TN)

CBs (0/2):
Zach Harden Jr. (Newton- Covington, GA)
Mark Manfred (Sprayberry- Marietta, GA)
Chris McCorkle (Cardinal Mooney- Sarasota, FL) TOP 12
Zion Paret (Miami Central- Miami, FL)
Elgin Sessions (Dutch Fork- Irmo, SC)
Donovan Starr (Ravenwood- Brentwood, TN)
Cam Strong (TL Hanna- Anderson, SC)
Rukeem Stroud (Tampa Bay Tech- Tampa, FL)
Devin Williams (Buford, GA) Auburn commit


S/NB (0/2):
JaDon Blair (Mount Tabor- Winston-Salem, NC)
Javion Butts (Jones County- Gray, GA)
Travares Daniels (St. Thomas Aquinas- Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Rasean "Duke" Dinkins (Warner Robins, GA)
Anquon Fegans (Thompson- Alabaster, AL)
Damarcus Leach (Abbeville, SC)
Jontae Gilbert (Douglass- Atlanta, GA)
Tae Harris (Cedartown, GA)
Lagonza Haywood (Toombs County- Lyons, GA)
Gerritt Kemp (Hebron Christian Academy- Dacula, GA)
Carson Lawrence (McCallie School- Chattanooga, TN) Vandy commit

Right here:

Is Drew Burress even real life? He has started this season everything as advertised if not even more.

Clarence Taylor

Will be Carson Ballard.

Georgia State throwing RHP Caleb White Jr.

More coming on the Panthers and a look back at the Cornell series tonight after I get home.