Thanks to our sponsor Inteleca for helping bring back Q's Take my weekly look at things around GT and college sports from my vantage.




A year ago uncertainty filled the hearts and minds of the JOL community as Georgia Tech AD J Batt was operating his first coaching search as the head AD of a Power Five program just a few months into his new gig as athletic director. He often joked about not knowing where the maker was. The football search was a thorough one with lots of plot lines, but ultimately Brent Key prevailed and became the head coach at Georgia Tech.

Four months after that hire, Batt pulled the plug on Josh Pastner after a pair of underwhelming seasons coming off his ACC Championship. Pastner didn't have the resources to compete with his ACC peers at the time and many including myself thought that Batt would punt and give him one year to sink or swim. Then he very quickly hired Damon Stoudamire from the NBA after a quick series of discussions aided by NBA scheduling having Stoudamie and the Celtics in town. Ironically Stoudamire was only available because Stoudamire was passed over by the Celtics brass for Joe Mazzulla a fellow assistant coach on the Boston staff when Ie Udoka was suspended and later fired due to team policy violations stemming from an inappropriate relationship within the organization.

Both coaches had to rebuild their respective programs and find a way to develop proof of concept in a small window to hit the ground running with mismatched rosters.

Key overhauled the Georgia Tech offense hiring almost an entirely new staff except for QB coach Chris Weinke and kept part of the defensive staff that helped him win games as the interim head coach. The overhaul of the offense worked and the defense fell apart early before evening out some under interim DC Kevin Sherrer in the back half of the schedule. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't always fun to watch, but the Jackets got to a bowl game and finished on the plus side of .500 for the first time since 2018, Paul Johnson's last season. Key got the Jackets back to what he said should be the bare minimum floor for the program.

The offense found ways to use players like Jamal Haynes and Haynes King with short resumes and turned them into an All-ACC level performers. Key will now overhaul the defensive side of the ball this coming offseason.

Stoudamire's squad minus one of his best players Lance Terry this season and with Miles Kelly mired in a horrendous shooting slump nearly won the Diamond Head Classic, upset two top 25 teams already and sit at 8-4 going into ACC play next week at Florida State. That ties for the best start for the Jackets since 2016-17 Pastner's first season at Tech when he won ACC COY guiding another mismatched team to the NIT Championship.

The Jackets are likely to have a similar finish to Pastner's squad in the ACC, clawing through a gauntlet of a schedule with hopefully a NIT bid at the end of the road.

The football team reached a third-tier bowl and avenged a loss to UCF last year that got GC3 fired.

Both teams are loaded with young talent and have top recruiting classes coming in for 2024.

Both teams have young stars who need to develop and refine their game but are getting the attention of national media now in Eric Singleton Jr. and Kyle Efford on the football side with Baye Ndongo and Nait George on the hoops side.

Stoudamire resurrected the career of Kowacie Reeves just like Key did with King who was also a high-profile HS recruit who hadn't lived up to the hype at their previous school.

Where this all leads to I have no idea, but it is encouraging and interesting to see some of the early parallels between football and hoops. Things are trending the right way. Sustaining that success and building them up is important as well.

Anyway, enjoy the holidays. I'll be traveling to California tomorrow so that means there will be tons of breaking news for the Jackets.

I didn’t know he was retiring, but here’s his farewell column.

Login to view embedded media

How about a YouTube episode on what/who Key is searching for? We won't hold your opinions against you, except for @Russell Johnson --- we hold everything against him.

Is Key looking for a scheme & then a coach to implement it? Does he have guys in mind? Who do you think he is waiting on to finish bowl season? Is there a timeline?

Will there be any holdovers? Clean slate? Are we falling behind Texas State? Is Sherrer going to be full time DC? Will Thacker & Tillman pull a Felix and exit the coaches' portal? 😁

Thanks in advance @Kelly Quinlan and if it can't be done we know whose fault it is. 😁

Login to view embedded media
Incredible. This was one of those sports records that seemed set in stone. Very cool to see LeBron break it, especially with Kareem there.

but at least he ain't Trae Young. Couldn't throw the ball in the ocean against the Bulls tonight.

How many more dudes do we need from the portal? Seems like a lot.

I could see at least 1 slot, 1 RB, 2 Edge, 1 OLB, and 2 DBs.

Offense seems pretty set and deep and solid. Defense still seems VERY non-competitive when you have no defensive starters returning reaching an all-ACC level. Douse, Lockett, and Biggers flash but are still kind of average, Efford improved but is still average and slow, Tren struggled to tackle, CPL, Sims, and Harvey can be solid but are still not at all special. I hate to say it but we had more defensive talent under CPJ. Today we are either slow or small.

Prices in the portal have been steep. Any insight into our plans and how we afford talent? I like the idea of productive 1AA players that are mature and proven and even SEC guys with size and speed but are just young (like Lightsey) and need seasoning. However, we need help NOW and I do not see how our RS-Fr backups are going to close that distance by the fall.

I was out of the country over the holidays and wasn't able to watch the bowl until last night's replay on ESPNU. Despite knowing the outcome, I winced a number of times seeing King take hard hits when running the ball. The kid is a warrior, but I'm worried an injury could derail a potentially great season next year. What can we do to maximize his all-around ability and mitigate the risk of a serious injury?

I hinted at this earlier

tip-off not too far away. Big opportunity to turn some heads with a strong performance on ESPN.

Charlotte, N.C. – After earning a spot on the all-tournament team at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic with three stellar performances, Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for the third time this season.

It is the first time that a Yellow Jacket has won the honor as many as three times since the 2016-17 season, when current NBA player Josh Okogie did so.

Ndongo averaged 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds in the tournament, helping Tech reach the championship game with wins over Massachusetts and host Hawai’i. He was No. 5 in the tournament in scoring average, No. 2 in rebound average and No. 1 in field goal percentage. The 6-9 forward missed only four shot attempts in the entire event, connecting on 23-of-26 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the foul line. He added three blocked shots and two steals.

He started out with a solid 12-point, 8-rebound performance in Tech’s 73-70 comeback win over UMass in which he made all six of his field goal attempts. In the Jackets’ 73-68 semifinal win over the Rainbow Warriors, Ndongo posted his second double-double this season with 22 points and 12 rebounds, hitting 10-of-12 from the floor. He scored 20 points (7-8 FG) with eight rebounds in Tech’s 72-64 championship game loss to Nevada.

The Mboro, Senegal native is Tech’s leading rebounder this season and ranks in the top 10 of the ACC at 9.1 per game, and is the Yellow Jackets’ second-leading scorer at 11.9 points per game. Ndongo first won ACC Rookie of the Week honors Dec. 4 after leading Tech to a 72-68 victory over Duke with 21 points with five rebounds and four blocked shots, then won the honor again Dec. 18 after scoring 12 points with 19 boards in the Jackets’ 82-81 overtime win over Penn State.

Tech returns to action Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. EST, traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., to resume ACC play at Florida State. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.

Upfront, Q's Take will come at some point on Tuesday. I flip-flopped these.

What’s the route for next season’s championship parade? I kid,
Efford seemed to improve greatly the last quarter of the season—even so that Wes and Hasselbeck pointed it out, what’s the biggest reason for that?

KQ- Game reps and also the staff are getting a better feel for what he does well and doesn't For example, his blitzing is not the best so they had Moala handle more of that role and had him play more in coverage in those situations. I think the game reps is a real thing and we saw that with guys like Charlie Thomas or Ayinde Eley or even Tren Tatum. Managing both the amount of snaps played and having the chemistry do make a difference at the LB position where you have to do so many different things.

Did we only play 2 LB tonight? I never saw Tatum, White or Oliver.

KQ- They played 65 snaps on defense. Tatum was injured. Here is the main thing, UCF had 11 drives in the game, only three of those drives were 7 plays or more. Only one of those happened after the first quarter. The defense got off the field. They didn't need to sub. UCF also was going to tempo so there wasn't a lot of room to sub.

Curious what Key’s rationale was on playing portal players. Was there something they had to do to earn that right?

KQ- The only guy who played in the game in the portal that I saw was Jason Moore and he was the only one who played on defense or offense and he is a grad transfer who has certainly earned his opportunities and has Key's blessing to go somewhere to play. They had Etinosa on the list as playing, but he didn't play a defensive snap. No one else in the portal played. They had some guys dressed and some guys got to come as a reward for their hard work. Key said it was his call if the guys played or didn't. I think the context of why someone was/is leaving was a huge factor as well. Most of them have handled their deals well like the Gibson brothers or Heflin or Jason Moore.

What was the deal with Blaylock?

KQ- Georgia Tech said he was out with an injury. That was announced before the game.

What does a bowl win do for recruiting and is this the most momentum a GT team has had since going from the 08 to the 09 season? I can’t remember this many key pieces coming back in quite some time.

KQ- It will be interesting, with the offense having so many pieces back and some new ones that will be interesting like Big Red who could be an upgrade for a few solid Connor Scaglione and some nice RB options to replace Dontae Smith, I think there is a lot to be excited about. Recruiting could also get a bump via the portal depending on the defensive staff hires.

Defense stepped up in the 2nd half tonight, but obviously there is a lot of work to do to even be average next year. Best guess as to how many pieces will still be added on that side of the ball either in February or the post-spring portal window?

KQ- No clue, I don't know what scheme they will be running or how the current pieces fit into it. Just a real honest answer to that.

How do we top this? What should the next objective for next fall be? 8-4?

KQ- Winning all the ones you should win and getting the upsets and that is how you get to 8-4 or some better seasons and bowl games and rebuild the fan base.

When was the last time GT fans could celebrate a week as good as this past one?

KQ- It was probably the 2016 FB season rolling into the hoops upset of UNC in Pastner's first year at GT. They beat UGA in dramatic fashion and then thumped a very cocky UK team in the Gator Bowl silencing one of the more annoying bandwagon fan bases. Then they beat #9 UNC at home in basketball by 12 at basically the same time as the bowl game. It was a pretty awesome day for GT fans on the last day of 2016.

Any whispers of Baye’s NBA stock?

KQ- He has a lot of room to grow his game, let's pump the brakes some. He has a lot he can add to his game with another full year of college ball. He needs to work on his shot and his ball skills away from the hoop because the NBA has limited roles for dudes like him unless he can be much more consistent. He has NBA skills though. I want to see how he holds up to playing the ACC schedule too.

Is this the best you’ve felt about GT footballs’s future since you’ve been covering for them?

KQ- I mean no, my first season they won the ACC Championship and played in the Orange Bowl and had one of the top classes at that time in school history coming in. That class ended up having a lot of bad things happen like 4-star DT Denzel McCoy medical DQ and some guys never turn into anything due to injuries or player development, but other than the QB situation at that time I was pretty excited about the future under CPJ at the time.

What’s the timeline for new defensive staff hired? Will Key take a break now that were truly in the off season and the holidays are coming up or is the pressure still on?

KQ- The only pressure is from GT fans wanting him to make a hire. The interview process should spool up this week. Everything up to this point has just been informal conversations and zooms and stuff like that. I know everyone wants the inside scoop but there really isn't much to share. Brent had to really hustle to close the class, raise NIL money and keep top guys on the team from going into the portal as well as prepare for a bowl game.

Did Sherrer win the job last night? After 2 series that defense shutdown a solid offense.

KQ- No, Key is going to handle this just like he handled his other searches, it will be very thorough but Kevin is in the mix, I just think he is going to make an outside hire based on everything I've heard.

How many people signed up for The Tech Way in Tampa?

KQ- No clue, I actually have time set up to talk to someone there soon about something so I can ask how that is going.

In terms of recruits/portal what kind of names watched that last night and said, I want to be a part of that!!

KQ- Again we will find out in the coming days as we talk to the kids. They aren't blowing up RJ or myself being like, "hey man did you see that GT game I want in." That is not how this works. lol

Watching the game last night it just seems to be a very different relationship between CBK and the players than with that other guy. Do you have any feeling on that or was it just the glow of a Bowl win and a good finish to the season >

KQ- I'm really confused by this question. Did you watch the final eight games of the 2022 season? When you have guys playing their hearts out for you all the time as Key has now in 21 games over what 16-17 months, that is not some good vibes bullshit. Those kids believe in what he is doing and it is crystal clear.

Noticed Carter Murphy has been absent from the bench. I know he hasn’t carved out much of role and is a walk on, but given the uniqueness of his situation is it possible that he graduated a couple weeks ago and moved on?

KQ- No clue, I am fairly certain I saw him on the bench and warm up in Manhattan which would've been after finals and all that jazz. I enjoy a good conspiracy theory, but my guess is he is sick and got left behind when they flew out to Hawaii until I hear otherwise. Remember he is also a walk-on paying his own way through school. I also think it would be crazy to pass on a week in Hawaii and quit mid-year not knowing what could happen with injuries and other things.

Any word on Noah Collins' injury? It was hard to tell what happened live, but he looked to be in considerable pain.

KQ- It is Christmas, no. The season is over and that was certainly not a career-ending injury so I'm not going to hassle anyone to find out what is wrong and if the guy will miss spring or if he was going to portal or something and now won't or if he is just fine.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s allotment of tickets to the 2023 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl versus UCF on Friday, Dec. 22 in Tampa, Fla. are sold out, Tech athletics announced on Monday.



The sellout of Tech’s allotment of tickets is a result of fans’ enthusiasm for the Yellow Jackets’ first bowl appearance in five seasons. All fans that ordered tickets from Georgia Tech prior to Monday’s announcement are guaranteed tickets, which will be allocated beginning Monday. Allocation of Tech’s tickets will be made in the following order:



1) Current Alexander-Tharpe Donors (based on A-T Fund Priority Points as of Wednesday, Dec. 6);

2) 2023 Football Season Ticket Members

3) 2024 New Football Season Ticket Members

4) Order Date



Demand remains high for the Yellow Jackets’ Gasparilla Bowl showdown versus UCF. Tickets can still be purchased directly through the Gasparilla Bowl website at gasparillabowl.com/tickets.

Let’s give some more props to the big man! Go Jackets!

What, in your opinion, are the five biggest recruiting wins (any sport) for GT during 2023?

Some contenders-

Anthony Carrie
Jaeden Mustaf
Baye Ndongo
Keylan Rutledge
Isiah Canion
Darrion Sutton
Paul Moala
Eddie Kelly
Kowacie Reeves
Christian Leary (flipped from UCF)
Cam Jones (two-way baseball commit, ranked as No. 25 player in portal)

Years from now GT Alum will look back and see J.Batts statue on campus. Great hire.

Not surprising. Should be a grad transfer

I’m seriously considering getting season tickets and I’m sure a lot more people are now too. Does anyone know if they have a payment structure or is it just all due up front?

Georgia Tech makes the cut..

Christmas Eve Dinner: Feast of the Seven Fishes, pasta style. Homemade marinara sauce with crab legs, shrimp, fish, lobster, mussels, scallops, and calamari. Garlic bread.

Christmas Day Breakfast: Biscuits and gravy, and a blueberry breakfast casserole.

Christmas Day late afternoon lunch/dinner: Prime Rib, roasted potatoes and root veggie assortment, roasted green beans

Santa’s Treat: German Chocolate cake and Lagavulin 16….potentially a 69 if things go well

Just stopping by tonight as I work on some recruiting content to check in and see if there would be a lot of interest in a 2023 JacketsOnline Fantasy Football league?

Unsure on what the buy in would be, what site to use, or anything like that. I know @GTonTop88 is down, but who else would have interest?

Let me know your thoughts, and if there is enough interest to fill a league I will set something up later this week

- RJ

We needed a thread for Christmas. I am very grateful for many of you on here 😇. <>
But I truly am grateful for you all.

Things are looking up for our Yellow Jackets. There is nothing like being optimistic this season!

We also learn so much, scotch vs bourbon, cutting the cord, recruits, team insights, etc.

May all of you have a great Christmas Season and Happy New Year!

They did a great job representing GT. Dylan is comfortable in front of the camera…the “old man” Login to view embedded media

Fire away.