Highly recommend watching this series on Netflix. I wanted to watch it tonight and now the wife is invested. She doesn't know about the Gators of the late 2000s. Their little run was during my high school years. My best friend got offered a scholarship by Urban a few days after they won their last national championship. He ultimately ended up going to Ohio to play RB, but that was a cool experience.

The intense workouts the Gators put together during this time span is nuts. The leadership they had in Tebow and Siler was huge. Brandon Spikes learning what it takes to be great is a cool story.


Definitely worth the watch.

Also, I am curious how much this translates to the GT program in 2023. Tebow has the right mindset, winning is everything.

I figured I'd tackle the other stuff Key talked about separately and we were out at practice briefly this morning. I was late thanks to a combination of parking being eliminated due to construction causing a lack of parking spaces on that part of campus and overall ATL traffic and being up with a toddler with mosquito bites from my in-laws who have turned hippie on spraying their yard because they are way into having gardens.

Key said that they will start introducing Louisville Thursday as I pointed out last week since they are both on a compressed timeline and you want a little jump especially with so much ground to cover with a new HC and QB plus 20+ transfers on the Cards squad.

I asked Key how many of the transfers in will be in the two-deep when they drop it next week and he said a lot of guys would be including the transfer receivers, Brett Seither and the three LB transfers. They expect all of them to play a role and they may go 6-8 deep at WR, 4 deep at TE, 4-5 RBs. He said the RB position will be a committee approach and could change even week to week. Key said all the RBs are back full speed today after having some out with bumps and bruises recently.

I asked Key about how he changed his way of watching practice or games from being an OL coach to being the HC now. He said that he always had to watch everything on the defense because it informs so much of what the OL has to do and you have to have an overall understanding of things, so it changed a little but not as much as you'd think in a game. Obviously, he is watching the defense and special teams now during the game instead of working on offensive line adjustments or whatever on the sideline. He said practice is the biggest difference because he has to set up how he wants to use his time each day and making sure he gets around to see everything he can. He said he still will mark off a little time every couple of practices to work with the OL during Indy periods as Geep's assistant.

Key said he is very excited about starting up the season. They have a plan all the way until the weekend after Thanksgiving lined up and every minute of the day is planned out until then for him and the team/staff.

Five #GaTech players make the Senior Bowl Watch List, LaMiles Brooks, Dylan Leonard, Kenyatta Watson II, Jordan Williams and Sylvain Yondjouen.

We are into the mode of players on Wednesdays now and those days I probably will not do my notebook notes and quotes and instead try to write features on a couple of the guys. I'll do one on Haynes King today and maybe Makius Scott tomorrow.

Just FYI


I was not out at practice today because I slept in after dealing with two extra kids sleeping over at my house last night. J Batt was at practice and they didn't see much anyway, but just passing along what is going on.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech swimming and diving announced Wednesday the addition of two-time all-American swimmer Temarie Tomley to its coaching staff.



Tomley joins the Yellow Jackets after spending two years as an assistant coach for the swimming and diving program at George Washington University.



“We’re thrilled to be able to add Temarie to our coaching staff,” Toni M. and Richard L. Bergmark Swimming and Diving Head Coach Courtney Shealy Hart said. “She brings a tremendous amount of success from her time in the pool at Alabama and as a top-30 qualifier for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, and from her time as a coach at George Washington where she helped lead them to back-to-back conference championships. I’m excited for the impact she’ll have on our entire team.”




White at George Washington, the men's and women's teams both were conference champions each of the two years Tomley was on staff. While assisting with the 50, 100, and 200 sprint specialties, GW had two student-athletes that competed in the NCAA Championships her first and second year. In addition to her work in the pool, she also assisted with women's recruiting, business operations, volunteer management, technology and filming, adidas partnerships, social media, and more.



Last season, she helped the team achieve 21 program records, 10 conference records, and helped 80 percent of student-athletes achieve personal best times at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships.



“I am so excited and so grateful to Courtney for the opportunity to coach alongside a prestigious staff and a high-achieving group of student-athletes,” Tomley said. “I can’t wait to start helping build the Yellow Jackets to new heights.”



Prior to George Washington, she was the director of aquatics and competitive swimming at the Country Club of Mobile, where she was responsible for leading the aquatics division and roster of 100-plus athletes, and was assistant director of annual giving and special events in the athletics department at the University of New Mexico for two years. She also previously coached at the Bronze Medal Club, CMSA, in Mobile, Ala. for a summer as well.



A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Tomley was a three-time NCAA participant as a sprinter at Alabama, competing in relays at the national meet in 2015, 2016 and 2018. She competed at the SEC Championships all four years and made three trips to the U.S. Open, in addition to her appearance at the Olympic Trials following her sophomore season. Her personal-best swims in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free still rank among her alma mater’s all-time top 10.



An education in exercise and sports science major, Tomley was twice honored as a CSCAA First-Team Academic All-American and also recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-American during her time with the Crimson Tide. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2018 summa cum laude, she earned a master’s in business administration the following year, as well.

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Sad, his dad was killed in the accident.

I feel like I keep seeing more videos/stories about this lately.

Are gasses building up in the house or something?

drop your questions here

Do you have a couple of CFB teams that you feel are trending up and trending down. You have been pretty good with this in the past

KQ- On the down side, I'd be weary of Miss State as they are moving away from the Air Raid and their coach is a first-time coach thrust into this due to the tragic death of Mike Leach. Arnett is a strange cat and I'm not buying what he is selling. I'd also be concerned about the Florida Gators who have a very difficult schedule and could hit a win total as low as 3 if things go really wrong. In the ACC, bet hard on UVA being shitty again. They could start off 1-3 or 0-4 based on their first four games, Tenn in Nashville, JMU, at Maryland and NC State. I'm also still selling on UNC until Grandpa Mack shows they can actually play some D. I'm selling on Nebraska. I love Jeff Sims as a person, but I have a hard time believing he will be upright enough to survive half that season. I hope I am wrong because I'm pulling for him.

Teams I like, NC State with a real QB and a soft schedule, Kentucky has a chance to be better than people think and despite Stoops being a giant A-hole, they have a weak opening slate so if they start 4-0 they have a chance to win 8 games or more if their offense is any good again. Charlotte in the AAC may win 1-2 games. I think people are overestimating the Deion Sanders effect and I think Colorado will finish in the basement of the Pac-10(12/8/4 whatever it is) as well.

UNC is always mentioned in expansion talks as being highly coveted. Why?

KQ- UNC basketball is a national brand and unlike Kansas they are consistently competitive in football and draw well in that sport and are good in most sports. The brand is sort of the Raiders of college sports as you see lots of folks wearing their stuff across the country who have no ties to the school. I went to UGA and there were tons of UGA football fans that were students, but they were UNC hoops fans including one of my roommates and another close friend as well. It was pretty common so they have a lot of eyeballs. UNC is the most valued brand overall in the ACC if you were to assign dollar amounts based on every factor.

What is the first non-revenue sport that J Batt will eliminate in order to shift more resource into the football and men’s bball programs? And when do you think that might happen?

KQ- I don't see anything being cut mainly because of both Title IX and the fact that they are going to likely need to add another women's sport in the near future if Title IX remains a thing. Gun to my head something like Cross Country would be the easiest to get rid of if you wanted to make a cut. Most of those sports are not huge money vacuums though.

After the scrimmage this weekend, I'd imagine starters and depth will be set as we get into Louisville prep to include the QB's correct? And yes, while I know we won't know who the QB is, internally I'd imagine they will.

KQ- Sure they will have a QB, my thought has remained the last few weeks both QBs play against Louisville unless the first one is just playing lights out in which case that is great for GT.

Have you ever had the chance to be on the Bill Shanks Show in middle Ga? I know he has Rod Mackenzie and that other 247 sports guy on every week and also Wally Ballard but I prefer to listen to you over rod any day!!!

KQ- That's Rod's gig, I don't try to take away something from another person just like the Lunch Bunch thing. I know Bill a little bit and I have been on there once or twice. I don't really seek out those radio things because I've found they don't really generate new subscribers or followers or anything in the GT market. I do the ones I've always done and kind of leave it at that.

Everybody’s looking at our Oline. Some say they are still too inexperienced and that they aren’t talented enough to make up for it. Others point to depth we’ve never had and that while young, they got a lot of experience last year and will be good this year.

To your mind, does the needle tilt more in one direction than the other?

KQ- They have back the starting five from the final stretch run of the season that was playing really well with Joe Fusile in there regularly instead of alternating with Pierce Quick. The offense played 834 snaps that counted last year.

Jordan Williams played 777
Corey Robinson played 735
Weston Frankliln played 695
Joe Fusile played 486
Jakiah Leftwich played 347

They lost Pierce who played 510 and Paula Vaipulu who was their worst OL last year who played 355, but added Connor Scaglione who played 1,500+ career snaps at Princeton. The team is in good shape and the guys generally got better as they shifted into the correct positions and combinations last year. I'm pretty bullish on them having a decent OL for the first time since 2016 on the Flats.

How do you think will start at the linebacker position? I know you have good confidence in one starter, but you said the three transfers were indistinguishable from each other.

KQ- First off, don't confuse what I say and what Key says. Key said after the first scrimmage he was looking for the transfer LBs to separate themselves not me. I've said from the jump my expectation was by game five or six it would be Trenilyas Tatum and Paul Moala starting if both are healthy with the two other transfers being rotated into the game. If Tren and Paul are both ready to go they may be ahead of that projection. I've thought that Moala and Tatum fit what made Thacker's defense hum last year, guys who can run and cover ground. Dre White and Braelen Oliver are both really experienced guys and they will need all of them this year. Also when they play certain teams it may make more sense to play Dre or Braelen or go 4-3 more. That is something that works well with Oliver as a SAM LB.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech redshirt-senior defensive back Jaylon King (La Vergne, Tenn./Ensworth H.S.) is one of 100 college football student-athletes on the official watch list for the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year award, which is administered by the College Sports Communicators organization, in association with the Associated Press and Fiesta Bowl.



King started the first five games of last season at strong safety for the Yellow Jackets. He amassed 32 tackles (including 1.5 for loss), an interception, a forced fumble and a pass breakup before sustaining a serious leg injury that required season-ending surgery. He finished 11th on the team in tackles despite playing less than half the season.



King returned to action for fall camp and is poised to be a key contributor for a defense that returns seven starters from last season’s unit. For his career, King has played in 40 games and made eight starts at safety, racking up 91 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and four passes defended (an interception and three breakups).



Since 2018, the Comeback Player of the Year award has recognized college football student-athletes that have overcome injury, illness or other circumstances. At the conclusion of the season, three recipients will be selected by a panel of college football writers, editors and sports information directors. The winners will be honored at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.



King and the Yellow Jackets open the 2023 campaign on Friday, Sept. 1 when they host Atlantic Coast Conference rival Louisville in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Atlanta United has dropped a new kit: the 404 kit. I think it needs more denim. What say you?
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Thanks to our new sponsor Inteleca for helping bring back Q's Take my weekly look at things around GT and college sports from my vantage.




Brent Key threw a breadcrumb intentionally or unintentionally on Saturday when he dropped his line about two quarterbacks after sticking with the three scholarship quarterbacks line for most of the spring. Everyone expects and everything I've heard from sources about it being a two-horse race between Zach Pyron or Haynes King with Zach Gibson being the odd man out for now.

So let's focus on that. You have a small sample size from Zach Pyron a true freshman last year where he played with a lot of guts and made some great plays and had a few freshman blunders. King spent the last three years at Texas A&M not playing any significant snaps until last year when he started five of six games played including opening the season as the Aggies starting QB before benched last season. He actually won the job there in 2021 as well but an injury in week two against Colorado ended his R-Fr. year after just 79 plays that season.

King was brought in by this staff to compete for the job. Pyron was signed by an offensive coordinator who was fired in December of 2021 and the Jackets are now two more OCs removed from that guy with Buster Faulkner running the show. Pyron has less experience but he has improved in every aspect of his game since a season-ending collarbone injury ended his campaign in the Miami game.

Neither guy lit it up in their opportunities at the helm. This is King's third bite at the apple. He was 104/187 for 1,220 yards and 7 TDs and 6 INTs last year, but in FBS games that dropped to 84/156 for 856 with 3 TDs and 4 INTs. 5.48 yards per pass attempt last year.

Pyron had a much smaller sample size with three games and two starts last year. He was 49/82 all against ACC teams throwing for 565 yards with 3 TDs and 3 INTs (the third was on the play after he broke his collarbone and I kind of want to give him a pass on that, but King could have one of those that I'm unaware of so I left it in). 6.9 yards per pass attempt for his lone season.

None of that means much though. Chris Weinke, Buster Faulkner and Key will have to make the call on how they want to handle it and this will be the first big test of their tenure right out of the gate. This isn't Jeff Sims going against James Graham back in 2020 where it was painfully obvious that Graham was ill-suited for the system Dave Patenaude ran. Both of King and Pyron should be capable of winning games in the ACC and even Gibson has shown he is capable of it if you give him a game plan that makes sense with his skillset.

That doesn't make any of this easier to decode. My gut feeling going into camp was that Pyron would win the job and he had the edge in leadership despite his age and that under Key would give him the keys to the offense out of the gate. The other side of my brain wonders if the guy that Buster and Weinke both recruited at other places, King who also is more experienced might gain an edge if all things are equal.

I really have no idea how it is going to play out and the reality of it for me is I've seen HOF-level coaches screw this up badly like Mark Richt at Georgia (he once picked Joe T III as his starter over a freshman Matt Stafford. Joe T III made Tevin Washington look like Lamar Jackson and that was a legit 4 QB race) so it is far from an exact science. What those coaches do is pivot and adjust based on the performance on the field. The one position on the field where you really can't go live anymore is the quarterback and so it may take seeing live reps to really know which guy is ready for prime time and which one isn't.

For GT's sake, I hope the coaches get it right on the first take, but historically the data is all over the place and even the last two OCs Chip Long and Patenaude screwed up QB picks whether they were their choice or not at the prior stops (Temple and ND) before coming to GT so you just never know.

This is not a challenge I envy for the staff and even in the last five or six seasons at GT we've seen some interesting QB battles shake out in ways that were unexpected like TaQuon Marshall's big jump in 2017 from third-string in the spring to starter in the fall. Jeff Sims was sort of a talented throw-in for that 2020 class after he and FSU parted ways and he jumped the guy Patenaude told me was the next great GT QB, Tucker Gleason now at Toldeo.

Chances are they will need both King and Pyron to win games this fall IMO just based on history and the way CFB is these days with QBs. Hopefully they are both ready and both play lights out, but either way I think this will get sorted out in the Benz, BDS and probably Oxford, MS before we know for sure.

That's my thoughts on the QB thing, folks have been asking so here you go.

Coach Key mentioned both quarterbacks getting exposed to special situations in the 80 play scrimmage Saturday.

Hmmmm

Heard something may be coming Re: sexual assault involving the football team and Kirby may be in trouble. Not for anything he did but for cover up.

Am I missing something, has anyone got their season tickets yet? Louisville?
Thanks
SkyBuzz🤔

Hello.

My apologies I thought I was going to be able to get this up before church.

My kids had other ideas, including a daddy ponytail, burnt eggs, and many other adventures as we got ready this morning.

Anyways, prior to leaving MBS late last night, I spent some time talking with four-star LB Ashton Woods. Coming off an impressive performance on both sides of the ball, I caught up with Woods to talk about his recruitment and the picture of him in GT gear from last week.

“I’m 100 percent committed to UNC,” said Woods. “I’ll be going to some Georgia Tech games this fall, but that’s not for recruiting purposes, that’s to support Dom (Blaylock) and his career. I love (Coach Kevin) Sherrer, but my recruitment is shut down.”

Don’t expect GT to stop recruiting him, but definitely does not seem like an easy path to a flip.

If you’ll remember, earlier in the summer when I saw him he talked about how excited he was to get out of Atlanta.

Finished up the last practice session of preseason camp and got a lot accomplished this week and a lot for the coaches. We found out a lot about the football team. We hit the nail on the head with 80 plays live scrimmage and all phases of the kicking game and simulated a game out there. Today was 80 plays last week just under 150 and this week we got 60 live plays in during the week. We worked situational football and move the field. Get it on film and practice and get improvement and see where they’ve improved from each scrimmage or live opportunity and you want to see improvement each time. You want to see the corrections in each team period and segments. That is how you build a football team. Now it is over and school starts on Monday. We will have meetings and workouts on Monday no practice, Tuesday we will practice, corrections made from today and Wednesday we will introduce our opponent, getting ready for the first opponent and I’m excited to move to the next opponent.

12 series some move the field and some situational and red area. Some backup from -2 yard line and today was the first day we had crowd noise and loud music and static and noise, it was a test for the guys on our team and their communication and different situations and environments. We hope BDS will be the loudest stadium we play in this year, but we want that noise in there. Both QBs handled it well and we went 6-7 times with different rhythms and cadences.

We will come in as a staff tomorrow and we will grade it as O and D staff and then we will talk depth chart. Tomorrow night the players will watch the scrimmage and we will address the depth chart before Louisville prep

We rolled the young WRs in and got to see them and that’s why we were live. Different than getting hit in HS, ball security was good today, Christian did some good things, Brett did some good things from the TE spot, RBs had some good runs after catches and some good tough yards running. Defensively guys stepped up and the DL front controlled the line of scrimmage. Makius has had solid couple of weeks of practice and did live reps on Wednesday and today. Zeek has been solid in camp and Taye Seymore was a young guy out there on the young side on D that did some things, excited about the guys who made plays.

OL wise, if you have 8 guys who can play winning football you are in a good place, that would be exciting if we get there. It is a long season, we got 7-8 guys that can play winning football, how that settles out with the depth. We have four guys capable of playing center, Weston Franklin has had a good camp and continuation of spring, Brandon Best and Gabe Fortson had great camps and Best has been playing very solid at center and guard. Gabe as a T-Fr has been really impressive and is a good football player. Joe Fusile got some live reps today at center, you want to have him ready, you are a helmet or an ankle away from putting one in and that might be 4th and 1 on the goal line to win the game.

On Louisville, we had opponent studies in the summer, but if they are not wearing white, gold or blue I haven’t thought about it. Tuesday afternoon I’ll start to get into that. Anytime you go against a new HC, you look at their film at their old school or a new OC or DC, then they have 26 transfers so you have to look at them. The scheme is driven by the players, the strengths and weaknesses of those players will drive it.

The only comfort is being comfortable and you have to be uncomfortable and that is how you callus your mind. To find a comfort level as a program is not something I want. I want my guys constantly uncomfortable and expanding things and making it bigger. It is not about doing the easy thing, it is about doing what is hard.

On the LBs, once we watch film, we will get to the depth chart, but Paul Moala has had an outstanding camp, Dre and Braelen got a ton of reps today. There are only two guys out there and we are working to develop 8 guys and there are two freshmen Narcari Ashley and Jacob Cruz we are running out there to get some depth. They are long and can run and could be ready maybe later in the year like by Oct 1, development never stops, we aren’t throwing guys on the shelf and putting them away after preseason camp and saying wait until next year. That is not how we roll. Our evaluations never stop and we have to keep developing guys all year. We want guys who can help us and want to become better players.

On the QBs, everyone in the program has to know where they stand and the is the #1 thing you’ve got to know why you are playing or why you are not and my job is to eliminate that and that will be determined as we go through the process and once we have a decision you guys will know.

On Coach Curry, great man and a great player and great coach, having him with his experience in both life and football is really good, I think there are things that we can take away from that.

On CB, Myles is a good football player and he is working on his technique and not relying on being 6’3” and 200 pounds that is who you become a great player, he has to work on it. Ahmari Harvey has really flashed, we need consistency and that is what we are looking for at CB, it is similar to OL on the backend, you have two safeties, two CBs and a nickel and it is like the OL, two OT, two Ogs and a center, an OT might play 70 snaps and all but two are great but they give up a sack on those two and that is all people remember, that is the thing with DBs too, it is about communication. Ahmari had a nice play today and a blocked kick and Kenyatta scooped and scored on it. That is a good thing, Kenan has done good things he was out a couple of days, Rod is another young guy getting valuable reps he was playing Nickel/SAM and now he is at CB, he is a fluid returner and provides value. Omar has played in the backend and multiple positions it is about finding the guys we have to work with and finding the top guys. Some are young and some are older, but the playing time is similar there, the talent is there, but the experience is not so much. Inky spoke to the team and he said talent is the cheapest thing you possession, you have to separate yourself from bad, average to good with your play, am I pleased I’m never pleased, but I think I have a chance to be pleased with the season moving forward.

IRVING, Texas (Aug. 20 2023) - Maxie Baughan, a 1988 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who starred at Georgia Tech from 1957-59, passed away Aug. 19. He was 85.



"Maxie Baughan was a fierce and highly intelligent competitor, establishing himself as the best center in the nation in 1959," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "His passion for the game continued throughout his lifetime, and he mentored countless great players over the years, coaching both in college and the NFL. He became an integral part of our game, and we deeply saddened to learn of his passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."



Born August 3, 1938 in Forkland, Alabama, Baughan attended Bessmer High School before enrolling at Georgia Tech. Playing towards the end of the one platoon era on teams for Hall of Fame Coach Bobby Dodd, he starred at both linebacker and center. In 1959, he produced a stellar season as the Georgia Tech team captain, leading the Yellowjackets to a 6-5 record and an appearance in the Gator Bowl where he claimed MVP honors. He set a Georgia Tech one-season record with 124 tackles. His on-field exploits landed him consensus First Team All-America honors at center and accolades as the Southeastern Conference Lineman of the Year.



Selected 20th overall in the 1960 NFL Draft by the Eagles, he played linebacker in Philadelphia from 1960-65; the Rams in Los Angeles from 1966-70 and in Washington during the 1974 season. He twice earned First Team All-Pro honors, landing Second Team honors another five times, and he was selected to play in nine Pro Bowls.



While still playing he transitioned to coaching as a player-coach in Washington. His coaching career included stints as an assistant with Washington, Baltimore, Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa Bay in the NFL as well as at his alma mater.



He became head football coach at Cornell in 1984, and his 1988 team was co-champion of the Ivy League. It was Cornell's first championship since 1971. He likened Cornell to Georgia Tech: "A fine academic institution. I can remember at Georgia Tech going to classes six days a week. Getting out of a lab at 11 a.m. on a Saturday and suiting up for a game at 1 p.m." He graduated in Industrial Engineering.



He retired from coaching in 1998 after a final tour with the Baltimore Ravens.



Baughan was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1965, and the school later named him to its all-time football team. He has also been inducted into the Alabama Sports, Georgia Sports, Gator Bowl and Philadelphia Eagles halls of fame. The National Eagle Scout Association of the Boy Scouts of America honored him with their Outstanding Eagle Scout Award in 2012.



He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Dianne; three children – Max (wife Jenn), Mark (wife Carolyn), Matt (wife Kelly); and eight grandchildren (Christopher, Connor, Charlie, Hunter, Hailey, Natalie, Cal, Heather).

Played golf with this guy today. Used to work at GT as Events and Facilities Coordinator. Things learned from him today.

- GT tried to pinch pennies at every turn in the AA
- Clemson’s budget is insane
- Stansbury was quiet and hard to get direction from besides “save money”
- Talked to GC3 once and thought he was a used car salesman

Full 2023-24 Schedule

THE FLATS – Coming off an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and an NCAA Championship runner-up finish in 2023, Georgia tech’s golf team will make its first appearance this fall in the annual East Lake Cup this fall, highlighting a 2023 fall schedule which also includes the 17th Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational at its home course in Alpharetta, Ga.

The Yellow Jackets conclude their fall slate with the East Lake Cup, which has been contested every year since 2015 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Due to renovations at the club set to begin following the Tour Championship in late August, this year’s edition will take place Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga. Defending national champion Florida, runner-up Georgia Tech, and semifinalists Florida State and North Carolina will compete for the men’s title in the stroke play/match play event, while 2023 champ Wake Forest, runner-up Southern California, Texas A&M and Stanford will compete for the women’s title. The tournament will be televised live on Golf Channel.

Tech will split its team that weekend and send a group to Pebble Beach, Calif., for the Cypress Point Classic, a match play event in which the Yellow Jackets have competed twice before, winning the championship most recently in 2019.

Two weeks earlier, Tech will once again play host to many of the nation’s best teams from coast to coast at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational, which will be played Oct. 13-15. One of two teams to capture the title twice, most recently in 2012, the Yellow Jackets took a narrow defeat to Stanford for a runner-up finish last fall, while freshman Hiroshi Tai won the individual title.

Eleven of the 13 teams competing at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate played in NCAA regionals last spring, seven of which advanced to the NCAA Championship, including Tech, Duke, East Tennessee State, Pepperdine, Texas, Texas A&M and Virginia.

Tech opens the fall slate at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational Sept. 15-17 at Olympia Fields Country Club in Illinois, the Jackets’ second appearance in the event and first since 2019, when Tech shared the title with Baylor. The Yellow Jackets then make a return trip to Fort Worth, Texas for the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational, Oct. 2-3, at venerable Colonial Country Club.

“We have a busy fall ahead of us with five great events, all of which feature top-notch competition at great venues,” said head coach Bruce Heppler, who in 28 seasons on The Flats has guided the Yellow Jackets to 72 tournament victories, 14 ACC Championships and 25 NCAA appearances. “Everyone on our team will get an opportunity to compete against strong fields. We’re thrilled to again welcome 13 great teams to our home course at the Golf Club of Georgia, and excited to play in the East Lake Cup for the first time.”

All-American Christo Lamprecht (George, South Africa), who ranks No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking after winning The Amateur Championship last summer and finishing as low amateur at The Open Championship, returns for his senior year along with Bartley Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.), a top-100 player in the collegiate rankings last year, and sophomore Hiroshi Tai (Singapore), a two-time winner and the ACC individual runner-up as a freshman.

They headline a group of eight returning letterwinners, and the Jackets add a pair of freshmen ranked among the nation’s top 15 juniors in the class of 2023 in Kale Fontenot (Lafayette, La.) and Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.).



FALL SCHEDULE DETAILS

Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational

• Dates: September 15-17 (stroke play, 18 holes each day)
• Venue: Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, Ill.
• Participating teams (15): Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Purdue, Stanford, Texas

Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational

• Dates: October 2-3 (stroke play, 36 holes first day)
• Venue: Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.
• Participating teams (15): Arizona State, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Pepperdine, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest

Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational

• Dates: October 13-15 (stroke play, 18 holes each day)
• Venue: Golf Club of Georgia (Lakeside Course), Alpharetta, Ga.
• Participating teams (14): Charlotte, Clemson, Duke, East Tennessee State, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Southern California, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington

Cypress Point Classic

• Dates: October 30-31 (match play event)
• Venue: Cypress Point Golf Club, Pebble Beach, Calif.
• Participating teams (8): Arizona State, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Pepperdine, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas

East Lake Cup

• Dates: October 30-November 1 (stroke play/match play event)
• Venue: Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Ga.
• Participating teams (4): Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, North Carolina

I haven't seen this posted anywhere but I saw that the young man released his top 8 and that Tech was one of the four schools recruiting him the hardest. Does Tech have a good shot here @Russell Johnson

Apparently, Russell can't go to bed and I can't spend time with my wife on a Sunday evening.

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