As we reported about a month ago..

From GT Athletics-

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech baseball will return to Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium this fall to host Kennesaw State and UAB for a pair of exhibition games.

The Yellow Jackets will play the Owls for a fall edition of the I-75 Challenge on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. before hosting the Blazers on Friday, Oct. 27 at 5:30 p.m.

Fall exhibitions will be open and free to the public. There will not be concessions available during each contest, but fans are welcome to bring their own snacks and drinks.

The fall games will be fans first chance of catching this year’s new-look team in action. Tech recently announced its 2023 class of 26 newcomers that is buoyed by a freshman recruiting class that has been ranked as high as top 5 in the country.

This guy is so smooth. I haven't seen that here in a while.....

My brother and I are coming over from Birmingham for the game this weekend. We are wanting to watch the noon games at a bar or brewery near the stadium. Any suggestions? I couldn’t think of any close by but figured some on here would know better than I. Thanks in advance.

I’ll avoid a Deion question.. yes you all can relax now…

How tight is Thackers leash? When would a change be made and could it be made at all during the season?

KQ- Some of you have really no clue how all this goes. Thacker was named by a few people this week as one of the national coordinators of the week. Folks need to look at the why instead of trying to just blame a coordinator every time the D or the O isn't playing as well as expected. Go back and look at the Couch Coach from last week and you will see it was really bad calls by Thacker but a lack of execution in the Ole Miss game that got them. The scheme isn't the problem.

In the last mailbag you said pushing games costs money and that’s why cash-strapped GT allowed the Ole Miss series to be played finally.

1) Any idea how much Ole Miss paid GT to repeatedly push the series multiple times when they didn’t want to play against Paul?
2) Could GT in theory at any point have said “No, we refuse to postpone” and have forced Ole Miss to either play the games as scheduled or buy their way out of the series entirely?

I’m just curious how those contracts work.

KQ- I really can't remember what they got paid to bump the game if I ever knew. Usually, there is a clause in the contract for that and you have to pay X to move the game by a certain date and more the closer to the date of the game being played. It was free money and they were games they wanted to play at the time. Ole Miss wasn't exactly great and the Alabama deal I think pre-dates Saban and is an old rival so they wanted that series. That was all done before the Notre Dame series.

I’m so ready for the Paul Johnson thoughts on the program since his retirement!!! Hope you will post it here and please don’t withhold anything back from you or him? Hope you will post it on Oct 29 after the unc game weekend?

KQ- Ha, I'm sure he would love to share his thoughts as well.

What are your thoughts on the new ACC Football schedules? I'm guessing they go with the 8-8 scenario so everyone gets to play home & away in all stadiums in 4 years.

KQ- I haven't thought about it at all. Just too busy in the season to think about stuff like that. I would like a trip to all three new schools before anything happens to the ACC good or bad.

Do scheduled opponents (not just GT, any school) invest in Rivals' message boards to glean any practice or injury intel?

KQ- Yes, everyone does opponent research. I also hold stuff back until about 90 minutes before kickoff for that reason most of the time. I'm not going to burn my sources and help give someone a tactical advantage over the school I cover at the same time.

Would it be okay if I created a injury thread? granted I would names to be effective. Also time tables would be nice.

KQ- You can create whatever you want, but I'm not going to update it for you and I think you are acting against the better interests of the program you love by doing so.

Are our coaches struggling to make halftime adjustments or are the opposing teams making better adjustments?

KQ- There have been a few adjustments here and there, but I think for whatever reason GT has not looked sharp out of the half. I thought Buster came out too aggressive on offense against Wake in the third quarter, but you are always going to get a team's best shot if they get the ball to start the third quarter and they can script something against your D.

What is your take on the playcalling since 2Q vs Louisville?

KQ- You all need to stop asking questions during the ****ing game.

At what point does Key say something about officiating this season being atrocious so far?

KQ- I'm pretty sure he was chewing some ass on the sideline on Saturday. There is nothing much he can do other than file complaints to the league office though.

I just read your pre game comments on Brooks…What has happened to him??? He was an absolute ball hawk last year. I really enjoyed watching him play and was looking for bigger and better things for him. Never saw this..,

KQ- He is not 100%, perhaps you've missed the five times he had to be helped off the field with a shoulder deal. He is now the dime back on the defense and playing limited to reps to protect his body and let him hopefully heal up some.

What’s the temperature from CBK on the ridiculous penalty disparity against Wake?

Do we unload on the ACC Refs after the game just sending the cuts up? Like the PI call from the other side of the field? The lack of holds called on their O line.

KQ- I'm sure he was pissed off, but there were also some stupid penalties as well. They did not play super clean, but about five of the flags were bad calls or should've been non-calls.

We spoke to Jaylon King, Kyle Kennard and Ethan Mackenny (his first time with us) on Wednesday.

Jay King on winning ACC DB of the Week coming off his serious injury last year,

"the main thing I took away from that was just being appreciative of being able to play again. After breaking my leg last year, I didn't know if I was going to play a football game. That was a decision I made after a couple of months of thinking if I;d actually do it again. So just thankful for the ability to still play football and being able to play at a high level on Saturday. (The award) really just made me feel appreciative of having the chance to play again and taking that opportunity to play."

King said it was very satisfying to see complimentary football being played on defense throughout the day last Saturday with the DL, LBs and secondary all making plays. The DL got great pressure, the LBs were filling their gaps and the DBs were covering and making plays on the perimeter so he thinks that is a confidence booster.

King said they practice the tip drills all the time so it was great to get a pick that way and Coach Key really emphasizes getting those tipped balls or tipping the ball to a teammate so they can secure the pick. When it happens they are prepared.

King said the new rotation at safety wasn't a big deal because he goes in with the mindset of playing the whole game each time or being subbed out some, it doesn't change his approach.

King said that Bowling Green is solid all-around and they have some playmakers and they have to be prepared for that.

King said the DBs are supposed to fill the alley and clean up things, but on certain calls they have to secure the edge as well and force everything back inside and that was a big emphasis in practice this week, securing the edge and letting the mid-field safety and the LBs fill the alleys and fit the run.

I asked him about some of the bad G5 games GT played under Collins and if he mentions that to the team this week to keep them focused and King said they always try to focus on themselves and not worry about the level of the competition. They've won these types of games and lost him during his time here so he is trying to keep everyone on an even keel coming off a big win last week and focus on getting better with what they struggled with last week.

Kyle Kennard said his penalties definitely hurt the team and he has to be better about channeling his aggression and use it more with his on-the-field production instead of unnecessary things after the play.

Kennard said it was satisfying to final rack up some sacks, but he has the same mentality every week and that game it just worked for him and things were freeing up for him and he made the plays.

Kennard said they have to watch a lot of film each week to prep for the tendencies of each type of offense as they keep seeing something different each week this season. He is looking at the OL for tells in particular and you just look at what they do well or like to do.

Kennard said the improvement of the GT OL has been very helpful for the DL and they help them get ready each week, but the big thing is they know the DLs tendencies as well so they are forcing them out of those habits because they can shut them down if they lean too hard on those things.

Kennard said the interior DLs had a big hand in his sacks last week because they pushed in the inside and got Mitch Griffis off his spot.

Last we had Ethan Mackenny making his GT media debut.

He said the first game was definitely an eye-opener as he wasn't expecting to play much and then he was called in for Corey Robinson and Corey has been a great mentor for him and helped him a lot. He said he went in during the first QT and he looked around and said to himself, "let's do this." He was good after that moment and he settled his nerves and focused on doing his job and really made it about the guy in front of him.

Mackenny said he likes the way they are running ball this year and they've done a phenomenal job with the coaches learning the right landmarks and run spots over fall camp and the summer and he had to learn pretty fast how Geep Wade wants to do things. He loves Geep and he has helped him figure out his role in the run game and there is still plenty of room for improvement with run blocking and he thinks they will continue to improve.

I asked him about his relationship with Key which dates back to a GT camp as a sophomore in HS. Mackenny said he showed up at that GT camp at 236 pounds as a smaller tackle and Key pulled him aside and told him to focus on adding weight and that he had a chance to be special if he did. He showed up the next year at 260 at the camp and got the GT offer. He is up to 292 now. He said that his relationship is a little different with Key because he has been in the same shoes that Mackenny was as a true freshman playing CFB at GT and he will pull him aside during practice and tell him to calm down because his head is on a swivel and he has taught him a lot during pass pro drills in practice.

Mackenny said he needs to improve his pass pro and he knows that and certain things in the run game as well and develop himself more in the weight room. He said the biggest thing right now is his pass pro, working with his feet and learning to hit the right spots at tackle.

On playing as a true freshman, "it has been a great opportunity for me and a great challenge too. I wasn't expecting this challenge, but when I was presented the opportunity I tried to do my best to do my part and do my role as left tackle.."

He said he couldn't have done it without the coaches, his teammates and the rest of the OL.

Mackenny said Joe Fusile has been huge for him and really helped him constantly and if he screws something up, JOe is quick to help him and in the film room with film study he has helped him a lot as well especially if he is confused by something.

Have some other content coming your way, but wanted to get this up ASAP..
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Hopefully CBK retires on his own after an amazing 25 year run.

Kyle Kennard

Jaylon King

Ethan Mackenny

I'm going to talk about the WF game, Bowling Green, the ACC basketball schedule release and our media session with Damon Stoudamire.

Drop your questions below.

Mayo is horrible regardless but here’s another reason to never buy Hellmans.

Jaylon King video interview from yesterday is below…interestingly has his Civil Engineering degree. He talks about the time going quick, but his body feels every bit of it.

For those who have not checked out the revamped ACCPM this year, it is far improved from last year. It is completely different with Pack having various ACCN (Lugenbill, Manuel, Royal, MacLain, Herzlich etc) and ABC/ESPN national analysts (Desmond Howard, Greg McElroy, Rece Davis, Sam Acho, Herm Edwards, etc) daily. They also have been doing a lot of remotes. Completely different energy and a lot of different takes. Taylor Tannenbaum still cohosting 2-3 days per week, Lugenbill one day…Tre Boston not with the program any longer.

Lots of good talk about GTFB also.

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A lot of people hated the triple option as an offensive strategy for various reasons. If I had to watch the slow mesh week after week, I would (figuratively) gouge my eyes out. As a running back, most want to be gaining speed and velocity as they hit the line. The slow mesh assumes a hole will open up, the RB will see it and the line will continue to hold their blocks. When the Deacs had Sam Hartman, they had a legit passer as well. Things will get tougher for the Deacs, in my opinion, as GT has shown how to stifle that offense.

Key said they are excited to get back to playing in Bobby Dodd Stadium after back-to-back road night games. He said the team is excited to be home again after some long weeks and they want to play in front of GT fans again. Key said he hopes they have a really good crowd this weekend.

Key said they addressed the good and bad from the Wake Forest game on Sunday and he thinks they are seeing the recipe for success this team and it is taking shape and it comes down to individual accountability, unit accountability and within the whole team. He said a great example of this came on a third down and the defense told him to go for it on fourth down at the WF35 and if they didn’t get they’d have the offense’s back and get a stop. He said it was the first time this year he heard that from the D and it wasn’t like there were negative things happening earlier in this year, but they really rallied around each other and he said it gives him goosebumps just talking about it. He said it was a major step in building the football program and that is why they were able to win that game in the fourth quarter.

Key said that Bowling Green QB is very talented and they have a good running back #7 that is good at bouncing it outside and run inside as well so they have to keep being disruptive on defense and contain the edges. He said that Scot Loffler is a helluva coach and they gave Michigan a run for their money in the first half of that game. He said defensively BG likes to zone blitz and fire zone blitz and they will bring pressure from all over with six so you have to have a hat on right players as an offense against them. He said the issues he has seen with BG are untimely turnovers.

Key said practice was very spirited today.

Key said the pass protection has been very good by the OL and they are making a lot of strides there but the run blocking needs work and they had some issues picking up some stunts and twists with guys shooting the gaps. He said this isn’t old football where you line up and push the guy in front of you man on man, you have to be able to pick up the right guy and sustain the block. They need to run better as well so they can run more play-action and complimentary plays that come especially when the safeties are cheating up or trying to double different guys (aka Singleton). He said he spends a lot of his time in self-scouting mode on Sunday night and Monday to see if they are showing tendencies or tells. He said most good teams have tendencies because you are doing something good but you need to be able to look at things through the lens of the opposing team to make adjustments.

Key on the penalties said they addressed that on Sunday with the team and it is on him and he may have got the team too amped up leading up to the Wake Forest game and that spilled over into some of that because the emotional stability of young adults is easy to slip to one side and become too emotional. He challenged them hard last week especially the defense to affect the QB and he said they talked about not becoming too emotional when they have success doing that. He said they watched 20-25 plays on Sunday night of the things they are not supposed to do at Georgia Tech.

Key said that Dontae Smith is back at full speed after being banged up and missing the last couple of games and he would like to see them rotate a little more at RB. He said it was hard to stick Dontae in when he was limited in practice because he is concerned about ball security when you haven’t been hit lately. He ducked a question about Jamie Felix also being injured (he isn’t) that Rod threw in with Dontae.

Key said he had a long talk with Kyle Kennard about his penalties on Sunday and Monday and that he reminded him he can both help and hurt his team at the same time when he does something like commit the penalties he did in the WF game. He said Kennard has matured tremendously and he is extremely proud of him for the maturity he has shown in the last year and he had a lot of remorse for the mistakes he made in the WF game but he wasn’t doing anything intentionally to hurt the team but the outcome was what it was and they have to have those conversations and he has been playing very well the last several games and he has to continue to play like that. He said the GT OL has been playing well all preseason and Kennard was getting sacks and he can be a factor in disrupting the run game as well.

I asked about moving Makius Scott to field end for some possessions and he said that they did it a little in the Ole Miss game as well and Makius has the ability to jump in and play that spot, the nose or the 3-tech DT position and when they put him at end it makes them very stout against the run game. He said they are trying to be more multiple upfront overall and they had packages with Kennard and Kevin Harris on the field together as well and Zeek in the middle as a three-down package. He said that also will cause the opposing team to not be so set on seeing certain personnel coming on the field because they are giving them multiple alignments with the same personnel and that makes it harder on the playcaller.

Key said that Horace Lockett is a massive person and he moves extremely well for a man his size and he played a little against Louisville and then a few more each game since then up to 30-35 plays against Wake Forest. He said when they have him and Zeek in the game together that is a big DT package. He said that both Marco and himself have been on Lockett to push him in practice and now he is seeing the rewards in the game. He is not just a guy they want to fill a spot for a few plays a game. He is 6’5” 340 pounds and moves like a dancing bear and now he is learning how to strain, how to finish, how to run to the ball, how to use his hands to get off blockers and they are very excited about him. He has a tremendous future but he has to continue progressing.

Key said having Haynes King who can be a factor in the run game is a huge bonus and it makes life easier on the OL and harder on the DC putting in pass rush and blitzes when the QB isn’t a statue back there. King does a good job of moving the pocket and breaking contain and he keeps his head up and that keeps defenders locked in place on their coverage responsibilities so they like for King to run it 9-10 times a game and he can break down the defense that way. He said that will open up things for the RBs as well. He also noted that on Jamal Haynes long run against Wake, King had two blocks down field for him on a triple-option type play. Haynes has done a good job of running and taking what the defense is giving him on the plays.

Key was amused that I asked him about the anniversary of him taking over for Geoff Collins and he said he is happy every day that he is alive and he has the opportunity to coach these young men and he has a tremendous staff and they are building a successful football program at Tech where the players graduate. He wants to be successful on Saturdays and left it at that.

I know there was talk a while back about how to handle UGA tickets to keep the red out as much as possible. Any idea what the AA is doing different, if anything?

I’d also encourage everyone to do your part here. Don’t sell to UGA fans, no exceptions. If you hear of someone selling, tell them the same….heck, buy from them if you have to and then make sure Gold is in the seat.

Nothing for Kennard


CO-DEFENSIVE BACK – Renardo Green, Florida State, CB, Orlando, Fla.

Green finished with seven tackles, one tackle-for-loss and one pass breakup in the Seminoles’ overtime win at Clemson. The tackle-for-loss came on third-and-1 in overtime with Clemson trying to tie the game. The Noles forced an incompletion on fourth down to secure their first win versus Clemson since 2014.



CO-DEFENSIVE BACK – Jaylon King, Georgia Tech, DB, La Vergne, Tenn.

King had two interceptions - tied for the most by an ACC player and the third-most by any NCAA Division I FBS player this season - to help lead Georgia Tech to a 30-16 win at Wake Forest. Both of his interceptions came in GT territory - the first thwarting a Wake Forest scoring threat in the second quarter and helping stake the Yellow Jackets to a commanding 20-3 halftime lead and the second coming at the GT 10-yard line in the waning seconds of the game and ending any possibility of a Wake Forest comeback. King became the first Yellow Jacket with two interceptions against an FBS opponent since A.J. Gray vs. North Carolina in 2017. He also added five tackles and a pass breakup.

Full 2023 Fall Roster



THE FLATS – Highlighted by 11 freshmen ranked in the top 10 for their state and 12 transfers, Georgia Tech baseball announced its 2023 newcomers on Tuesday. The group of true freshmen enter as a highly touted class, having been ranked as high as the No. 5 recruiting class in the country by Perfect Game and Baseball America.



Georgia Tech has now signed top-5 classes in three of the last five years, top-10 classes in four of the last five years, and five-straight top-20 Perfect Game recruiting classes, leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in all categories.



In addition to the nationally ranked freshman class, the Jackets’ roster is also bolstered by 12 transfers, bringing the total number of newcomers to 26 for the 2023-24 year.



Full team practices for the fall offseason begin on Thursday, Sept. 28.

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023-24 GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Tip times and TV for some games still to be finalized

Here are a few gifs i decided to breakdown to give an idea of what happened on field vs. Wake. These are used to give others a different perspective on how to watch football. I don’t do this to disparage players or coaches, but to give insight to GT enthusiast on what I’ve learned as a player and avid football fan.


A great win and great to see guys rise to the occasion. We had guys step up and play with a chip on their shoulders. Thought we did well in all phases, but there is a ton we can improve on

I thought this was an OK day for Haynes King. Like any QB, there are some throws you would like to have back, but i thought he missed a few key reads

Basic RPO. Not sure if the rocking safety influenced his decision but this a light box and should be a give to Haynes. You have 5 defenders vs. 5 blockers. That should be auto run here



The defense and DL, in particular ,came out with a different type of energy and fire that we haven’t seen this season. The biggest difference I’ve seen was the effort having violent hands. Kennard #9 here with a quick dip & rip and finishing getting the ball out of the QBs hand.


Good effort here again. We have EAT stunt. (End first, tackle wrap around) on. #11 Harris drives the Tackle into the guard (bottom of the screen) which allows #8 Scott to wrapping around freely. Kennard (up top) properly attacks the outside half of the OT and gets to the QB. Unfortunately, he gets a face mask in the process


King accuracy has been sight to behold. Here are two great throws on this drive


Got the Switch route vs. Cov 3. This ball is placed right on the ear hole of the covering LB. If the ball is a few inches to the inside this is probably an INT CB



Great corner route by Singleton. He wins at LOS and stacks the DB leaving him in chase mode. Nice throw dropping it in a bucket here by King




A few throws King probably wants back. We definitely got the look we wanted on this play. As @donnie5336 perfectly stated, this throw needs to be closer to the numbers with air than down the middle. Throwing it to the numbers allow Singleton to run under the ball but also takes away the angle from the trailing CB to make a play



Here he appears set on hitting the out to slot but with the safety shading to the outside, the TE in the middle is wide open. Thought he might’ve seen that while going thru his fake




Great job by Haynes recognizing the bust in the coverage for the TD. WF’s CB thought it was Cov 2 with a safety over the top the safety thought is Cov 3

LB play was a mix bag


When you do you assignment, good things tend to happen. Here we have #44 Efford coming the Right edge. He does a good job engaging the blocker, getting his butt parallel with the sideline to keep contain, extending his arm and getting off the block to make the 4th down stop. Textbook work here.



This is what happens when you don’t get you butt outside and lose contain like #13 Moala did here


This is multiple weeks in row it appears Tatum has no idea of how to attack when run is coming to him. A refresher for those who are new, as a LBer, if you see the C-G-T helmet stay low and they all step To my side with the RB taking the handoff coming toward my side, i am pressing the LOS and my assigned gap thinking this is 90% of the time run.


Here on the CB blitz, Tatum, with all the flow coming to his side, inexplicably steps to the inside and not there to minimize the damage from the missed tackle by the CB. We must get better at this base level type stuff here



Glad to see #3 Andre White on the field. If he’s healthy, he needs to be starting. There appears to be no hesitation with him. Just see it, trust your instincts and go. Here on the blitz, White is in man coverage with the back, he sees the RB stays in to block. He instantly blitzes thru the RB (that’s called Green Doggin the back) and get the strip sack. Outstanding LB play


He does the exact same here


WF gameplan was to stop the zone run by slanting very hard away from where the RB lineup. I thought CBF didn’t adapt quick enough to WF over pursuing the run until late. To counter this, i thought we would see numerous bootlegs of the zone or this run type of here that we did often with Gibbs under patenaude . If you want to slant hard, will just push you where you want to go and run in the backside gap that you have vacated. Good job by #75 Leftwich making the key block to spring Haynes. Also good job scoring. I much rather be up 2 scores with WF having 1:45 left and 1 TO. No way i trust snapping the ball 4 times not kicking a FG there

Nell Fortner

Damon Stoudamire

THE FLATS – A day after the official first practice of the 2023-24 season, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced the entire ACC women’s basketball slate for all teams on Tuesday night. Georgia Tech will open the conference season at Florida State on Friday, Dec. 29.

After the trip to Florida State, the Yellow Jackets host Virginia in their ACC home opener on Jan. 4 before playing two of the next three games on the road. Tech visits Pittsburgh (Jan. 7) and Duke (Jan. 14), while splitting the games with a home contest against Clemson (Jan. 11).

Following the opening stretch, the Yellow Jackets will play four of their next five games inside McCamish Pavilion. Tech will host its first back-to-back homestand welcoming North Carolina (Jan. 18) and Boston College (Jan. 21). A quick trip to defending ACC Champion Virginia Tech on Jan. 25 breaks up the stretch before the Jackets return home to play host to Florida State (Jan. 28) and 2023 NCAA Sweet 16 participant, Notre Dame (Feb. 1).

The back half of the ACC schedule begins with a pair of road games at Wake Forest (Feb. 4) and Syracuse (Feb. 8). The Yellow Jackets have a brief stay at home to entertain Miami on Feb. 11 before heading back on the road for two games – visiting Clemson (Feb. 15) and NC State (Feb. 18).

Louisville, a NCAA Elite 8 participant, comes to McCamish Pavilion on Feb. 22 before Tech hosts Senior Day against Wake Forest on Feb. 25. The regular season conference schedule concludes at Miami on March 3.

The 2024 ACC Tournament will be played March 6-10.

Women’s basketball season tickets are currently on sale for just $65, offering fans the best ticket value and a reserved seat for all Georgia Tech women’s basketball home games. Fans can visit online, call 1-888-TECHTIX, or stop by the Georgia Tech ticket office to purchase season tickets or courtside seats.



2023-24 Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball ACC Schedule

From GT press release


THE FLATS – Saturday’s Georgia Tech football game at Wake Forest (6:30 p.m.) will be televised across the nation on The CW. The CW is available in 98% of television households in the United States, including over-the-air coverage in all of the nation’s top 100 television markets. To find The CW in your area, enter your zip code at https://www.cwtv.com/thecw/stations/.



In the Atlanta market, The CW is now available on Peachtree TV (Ch. 17), The CW is currently available on all major cable, digital, satellite and streaming services in the Atlanta market except YouTube TV and Hulu.



For YouTube TV customers in the Atlanta market, while The CW is not yet available on YouTube TV in the Atlanta market, Saturday’s game will be streamed on YouTube TV. To access the broadcast, simply use the search function to search “Georgia Tech.”



For Hulu customers in the Atlanta market, the game will be available over-the-air on Peachtree TV (Ch. 17).



Games on The CW will not be carried on ACC Network Extra via the ESPN app or on The CW app.