ADVERTISEMENT

RIP Charles “Lefty” Driesell

Had a checkered career. Great coach, bruised by the Bias thing, etc. Got the chance to meet him while at Tech. He used to do color commentary for Raycom and was doing our game one night. Was walking on campus to exercise that day and I saw him as I got off the Stinger. Ran in the fraternity house threw down my backpack and chased him down. Asked if I could walk with him to chat. “Absolutely young man.” Walked with him about a mile and had the best conversation. True gentleman.

HOOPS RECRUITING New 2024 G offer out..

to Justin Pippen, son of former NBA player Scottie Pippen.

Pippen and head coach Damon Stoudamire were teammates in the NBA, as Pippen spent his entire tenure in Portland with Damon as a teammate.

Justin has really started to gain some momentum on the recruiting trail as of late, as the 6-foot-3 guard has new interest from Tennessee, LSU, Georgia Tech, and Georgia among others.
Login to view embedded media

FOOTBALL Georgia State in the market for a head coach..

Thought this was worth its own thread.

Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott shocked his team on Thursday morning, letting them know he was resigning from his position as head coach.

His next move is expected to be to South Carolina as TE coach.

Really fascinating coaching search coming up for them, imo.

HOOPS RECRUITING Emptying the OTE Notebook..

This has been a long-time coming, my apologies for the delay as football recruiting has been just a little bit busy..

I spent time last week at Overtime Elite, and got the chance to get a feel for what's happening there, the relationships being built by GT coaches, and the pipeline being built between the two parties.

Below I have my takeaways and quotes on Jaeden Mustaf,, Darrion Sutton, Daquan Davis, and Mikel Brown Jr.

Jaeden Mustaf-

Mustaf impressed in every facet of the game I was in attendance for. He is extremely excited about his Georgia Tech future.

“My whole family is tough,” said Mustaf as he described his mentality in the 4th quarter as his team’s big lead started to shrink. “When things get tough, we don’t back down from anything.”

“I see a lot of progress, I’ve been impressed,” said Mustaf about his thoughts from year one (so far) for Stoudamire at GT. "He’s a great coach. I’ve been there for the wins and the losses, but just seeing the team compete, I’m fired up about getting the chance to play in that atmosphere, in front of those fans. They’ve been showing out.”

On what he has seen from GT this season, and how he believes he can fit in-
"It’s an NBA style offensively, a lot of pick and roll stuff. I know I can bring that defensive intensity to help close out games. Every game has been close this season."

On recruiting Daquan Davis to join him-
That’s my boy. When we on the court we aren’t friends, but that’s my guy. I’ve known him for YEARS. Me and Darrion both been on him.”

On recruiting Bryson Tiller to join him-
"I'm trying to see what I can do 👀"

On what goes through his head matching up defensively with future teammate Darrion Sutton.
“It is fun playing against Darrion Sutton now,” said Mustaf following a matchup against his future teammate. “Knowing that we will be on the same team next year, I still get mad when he scores on me, but next year I want him to keep doing the things he is doing.”

Darrion Sutton-

RWE head coach Corey Frazier on Sutton’s game-
"Swiss army knife, we play him wherever we need him. Right now, we have him playing the backup point, kind of like a point forward. Long defender, really good passer, and has a really high basketball IQ. He can hold his own defensively from the 1-4. Strong rebounder, too."

On who his player comp is/favorite player-
"They had been comparing me to Lamar Odom, so I went and watched a bunch of videos of him. My favorite player is James Harden, though."

On recruiting Daquan-
“He knows where home is. We feed off of each other every game we play together. It is a lot of fun playing with him.

Daquan Davis-

Davis went off on Tuesday night for RWE in a matchup against Blue Checks, finishing with a near triple-double that included 28 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds.

“They’ve been on me hard,” said Davis about the push from Georgia Tech. “Jaeden and Darrion say something about GT every single day. Literally every day. I hope to get on an official soon”

On his impression of Stoudamire, and what playing for him would mean to him-
“It would mean a lot to play for him,” said Davis about the idea of playing for GT head coach Damon Stoudamire. “It means a lot in general to me that he even wants me. He was a big time PG in the NBA.”

Mikel Brown Jr.-

Mikel Brown Jr. was in the second game of the double-header I attended earlier this month, and whenever he was on the floor, the game just felt like it was at a different level.

Brown Jr. is one of the top recruits in the country regardless of class, and is currently a five-star in the 2025 class. With an official visit to Alabama in the books, Brown Jr. was at Georgia Tech over the weekend, and had the chance to really spend some time with the members of the Georgia Tech coaching staff.

He quickly shot down any talk of reclassification during our time together, but did say that things have been picking up recently between he and Georgia Tech leading up to the visit over the weekend. I have reached out since, but am yet to hear back.

Brown Jr. has a great relationship with Damon Stoudamire and coach Karl Hobbs, and he admitted he has seen communication with them pick up in recent weeks.

Georgia Tech is involved in this one regardless of what class he ends up in, but from what I have gathered things really could pick up with them if he does reclassify.

Regardless of what happens with that, though, it is very likely Brown Jr. takes an OV sooner than later.

ACC Concludes Annual Winter Meetings in Charlotte



CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference’s annual winter meetings concluded on Wednesday, February 14, following three days of business. The meetings were held in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of the conference headquarters.



The meetings began Monday afternoon with the league’s Athletic Directors (ADs), Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs), and Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs) participating in individual and joint sessions. After the joint session ended Tuesday afternoon, the ACC Board of Directors, comprised of the conference’s Presidents and Chancellors, met with the ADs before beginning their meetings that ended on Wednesday.



“The leadership at our current and future membership is tremendous and the successes we are able to celebrate are simply amazing,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “It is always beneficial to meet in person and the dialog surrounding the myriad of national topics as well as how to continue to elevate the conference were significant and extremely valuable.”



ACC student-athletes Piper Hampsch (Duke field hockey) and Michael Redding III (Miami football) joined the meetings and spoke with the ADs, FARs and SWAs. Hampsch is the Chair of the 2023-24 ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Executive Board, while Redding III serves as SAAC’s Chair for the Mental Health Subcommittee. They reported on recent SAAC meetings and presented draft recommendations to increase student-athlete engagement in conference governance and enhance the mental health support available to ACC student-athletes.



Individual and joint sessions attended by the ADs, FARs and SWAs, included updates and presentations from ESPN and ACC Network, ACC CORE (Champions of Racial Equity) and ACC SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee). Additional discussion topics included the selection of the 2024 ACC Postgraduate Scholar-Athletes, conference revenues, the College Football Playoff, the use of helmet technology in football, future men’s and women’s basketball scheduling and the postseason, recommendations from the Olympic Sport Committees and discussions around Olympic Sport policies and procedures.



In the sports of men’s and women’s basketball specifically, the membership determined that for the 2024-25 season, the top 15 teams would compete in the 2025 ACC Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments. In addition to the decision on ACC Tournament play, the men’s basketball regular season will continue with a 20-game conference slate while the women will continue to play an 18-game campaign.



The membership also approved the implementation of two new technology initiatives beginning with the 2024 football season, pending final approval later this month from the NCAA Football Rules Committee. Unanimously supported by ACC head football coaches, for the upcoming 2024 season ACC football teams will be provided with access to in-game video which will enhance their ability to make in-game adjustments. Additionally, ACC teams will be provided with access to coach-to-player communication devices that will allow for one-way communication between the sideline and player(s) on the field.



Both programs will be administered via the Conference office to ensure competitive equity with the implementation of the new initiatives and the ACC is working collaboratively with the NCAA Football Rules Committee to fully develop the final rule and associated policies. The use of either piece of technology will be permissive and at each institution’s discretion.



The ACC Board of Directors announced that Wake Forest University President Dr. Susan R. Wente will serve as the Vice-Chair of the league’s Board of Directors through the remainder of the 2023-24 academic year and throughout 2024-25. Wente becomes the Vice-Chair following the departure of University of North Carolina Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz. University of Virginia President James E. Ryan continues his service as Chair of the Board of Directors, a position he will serve in through the 2024-25 academic year.



Significant discussions and updates about the future of college athletics, legislation and legal topics, Project Division I concept were common themes throughout both the individual and joint meetings. In addition, updates and dialog with Disney, ESPN and ACC Network took place along with reports related to business, finance and revenue generation and the College Football Playoff.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING Georgia Tech set to host another talented group of weekend visitors

I'll update this leading up to tomorrow.

Upshaw will visit on Sunday, per source.

Brett McMurphy early 12-team bracket for 2024



4 SEC teams
4 Big teams
FSU
Utah
ND
Boise

Quickly heading to the big 2 conferences controlling the playoff. Here’s to GT having a place at the table when the ACC implodes.

GTWB: Dunn Lifts Jackets to Victory at Clemson, 64-63

Kara Dunn leads trio of Jackets in double-figures with 24 points

CLEMSON, S.C. Kara Dunn scored 15 points in the final quarter, lifting Georgia Tech to a 64-63 victory at Clemson on Thursday evening in Littlejohn Coliseum. A trio of Yellow Jackets finished in double-figures to push Tech back to winning ways.

A 13-2 run from the Yellow Jackets (15-11, 6-8 ACC) in the second quarter pushed Tech out in the lead by double-digits. After a back-and-forth battle in the first quarter, the Jackets kept the Tigers (11-14, 4-9 ACC) off the scoreboard for nearly six minutes to extend its lead to 31-20. Rusne Augustinaite paced Tech with 12 points in the first half as Tech shot 50.0 percent from the field as a team. Clemson was limited to 27.6 percent shooting.

Clemson came out and won the third quarter, 27-12, to lead 49-43 entering the final period, but the Yellow Jackets rallied in the final 10 minutes to capture the road win. Dunn scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, going 4-for-6 from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line to lift Tech to victory. After a pair of free throws from Dunn at 3:37, Tech led 58-56, but Ruby Whitehorn sank a three-pointer to return the advantage to Clemson in the next possession. Trailing by two, Augustinaite hit a jumper to knot the game at 60-60 with 2:14 to play before Dunn connected on a layup and hit two free throws to extend Tech’s lead to 64-60 with 2.5 ticks on the clock. Clemson closed the game with a triple from Dayshanette Harris for the final score.

After shooting just 19.0 percent in the third period, the Jackets rebounded shooting 58.3 percent in the fourth quarter. For the game, Tech shot 41.0 percent and went a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line. In the second half, the Jackets committed only three turnovers and hit all 11 of their free throws. Dunn logged a dominating 22 points in the final two quarters to lead all scorers in the final 20 minutes.

Inés Noguero recorded her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Augustinaite finished with 14 points in the win. Noguero and Sydney Johnson both dished out five assists to lead the Jackets.

Harris led the way for Clemson with 24 points, followed by Amari Robinson with 20 points. The Tigers shot 50.0 percent to take the lead in the third quarter, but were limited to just four field goals in the final 10 minutes for a 26.7 percent shooting efficiency. Overall, Clemson shot 33.9 percent from the field. The teams tied in rebounding with 40-apiece.

Georgia Tech closes out this two-game road swing on Sunday, traveling to No. 6/7 NC State. Tip is slated for 12 p.m. on the CW inside Reynolds Coliseum.

Georgia Tech Football Meet and Greet Saturday 2/17

Become a member of The Tech Way today and join the stars of the Georgia Tech Football team Saturday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex! Get autographs and photos from 4 pm-5:30 pm, prior to the Georgia Tech basketball game tipoff. Become a member at Thetechway.com/memberships to get on the RSVP list or sign up at the door.
DISCOUNTED TICKETS TO MBB vs SYRACUSE AVAILABLE!
Login to view embedded media

FOOTBALL Projected Spring Depth Chart as of now

Seems unlikely they will add anyone else for spring as of now. Take a look, still will need to see how some things like OLB/DE or the LB spots work under the new DC.

FOOTBALL My uneducated guess at Spring Football Depth chart (defense)

I'm sure there's some inside information that I'm not aware of (I don't claim to be RJ or KQ), but this is my best guess at the projected depth chart (2 or 3 deep) for the defense. I must admit I struggled a little with the secondary at corner. Not real sure about the depth there. Here it is:

Defensive End
I'm not sure how Coach Santucci will play his DEs. Could be strong and weak or Field and boundary. I've listed them as Strong and Weak. We actually have good size and playing experience here. I feel much better about our depth after doing this.
Sylvain Yondjouen (R-Sr, 6'4, 248) Eddie Kelly (Jr, 6'4, 278)
Kevin Harris (Sr, 6'4, 245) Jack Barton (R-Jr, 6'4, 265)
Josh Robinson (Sr, 6'6, 253) Shymeik Jones (R-Fr, 6'5, 283)

Defensive Tackle
Like DE, I'm not sure how Coach Santucci plays his DTs. I'm assuming he'll play a larger 3 technique with a 1 technique. I've charted them that way here. I like the 2 deep but depth after that is non-existent. Perhaps someone like Shymeik Jones could slide inside.

Zeek Biggers (SR, 6'6, 333) Makius Scott (Sr, 6'4, 291)
Horace Lockett (R-So, 6'6, 341) Ayo Tifase (R-So, 6'4, 300)

Linebacker
Really guessing here since I haven't seen most of these guys play. Feel confident that Kyle Efford has at least earned first shot at it based off his performance last year though.

Kyle Efford (R-So, 6'2, 219) EJ Lightsey (R-So, 6'2, 235)
Trenilyas Tatum (Jr, 6'1, 214) Jackson Hamilton (R-Jr, 6'0, 225)
Jacob Cruz (So, 6'4, 232) Tah'j Butler (Fr, 6'1, 215)

Safety
Someone may get moved over to safety but from what I can tell, this is the spot that needs bodies through the portal the most. Keep in mind someone from this group may be used to play the nickel spot as well.

LaMiles Brooks (Jr, 6'2, 188) Clayton Powell-Lee (Jr, 6'2, 185)
Taye Semore (So, 5'11, 203)

Cornerback
Again, this is the spot I had to guess at the most. I don't know who plays field or boundary, or if Coach Santucci even assigns spots based on that, although I bet he does. Someone from this group may also play nickel as well.

Syeed Gibbs (R-So, 6'0, 180) Ahmari Harvey (R-Jr, 6'0, 180)
Omar Daniels (R-Jr, 6'0, 176) Rodney Shelley (Jr, 5'11, 168)
Steven Jones, Jr (R-Fr, 6'1, 192) DJ Moore (R-So, 6'1, 188)


There you have it. Need immediate depth help throughout the secondary. Perhaps Steven Jones, Jr or DJ Moore can provide that, but I'd bet we go find some help from the portal. We could also use some depth at DT, but I like our first four.

Anyone who may be more informed feel free to offer corrections or suggestions!
  • Like
Reactions: masondollar7

ACC Kickoff dates

2024 ACC Football Kickoff Set for Four Days, July 22-25


CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – For the first time in the history of the event, the Atlantic Coast Conference will conduct the annual ACC Football Kickoff with four full days of interviews, July 22-25, at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACC Network will provide live coverage for all four days.



With the addition of three new members in the University of California (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU), and Stanford, the breakdown of all 17 schools will consist of three schools on Monday, July 22, five schools each on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 23-24, and four schools on Thursday, July 25.



Additional information on credentials, media schedules, student-athletes attending, and much more will be announced in the future.

1707777497588.jpeg
ADVERTISEMENT

Filter

ADVERTISEMENT