ATLANTA- Georgia Tech scaled things back on Thursday with a practice in shells as first-year head coach Brent Key prepares his team for a big scrimmage on Saturday afternoon in Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Jackets will have one more session on Friday before going for 100+ plays on Saturday. Among the groups of interest in that scrimmage are the running backs. That position is physical and the live reps should help create a little separation on the depth chart for first-year running backs coach Norval McKenzie.

McKenzie spoke to the media after practice on Thursday and shared his thoughts on how his group is progressing through the first week and a half of camp and the first live periods of tackling to the ground on Wednesday.

"It has been good. For a running back and an offensive lineman they work together, we joke around about how can I tell about the productivity when you can't get tackled," McKenzie said. " Having live segments proved to be beneficial for us. Can we make the play? Can we make somebody miss? Are we able to make contact and two or three yards after contact? Those are the things that we measure in those live settings and I feel like we are doing a really good job of it."

The presumed starter senior Dontae Smith was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List for the second straight season. McKenzie has big expectations for his senior running back.

"Dontae has been great. The one thing about Dontae I think he is a solid contributor and he is not a kid that is going to have mental mistakes and he is going to practice hard. He has been battle-tested in the past so you feel confident that he can go out there and due to his experience have some success," McKenzie said. "I think right now he is in a good spot. Of course, we lean on him as a leader in the room in terms of the age gap and in terms of the experience gap. I'm hoping for a big fall from him as well."

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McKenize said that Jamie Felix is having a good camp and Jamal Haynes has done a great job of switching over from slot receiver to RB.

He said Haynes has done a nice job of narrowing the learning curve and his prior experience playing RB at Grayson HS has helped, but he has picked up the pass pro really well and that was the biggest concern they had with making the switch and he gives them a nice changeup guy in that RB room and he has the attitude and mentality he is looking for in there.

McKenzie said preparation leads to performance and he is trying to teach his guys to get mental reps even when they don't get the actual rep so they get 120 reps instead of 20, but the other 100 are mental. He wants all of them to prepare like they are the starter as well.

McKenzie said like Coach Faulkner he is a Georgia kid, who grew up here and he is really excited about the talent in this state and the coaching and the future for Georgia Tech and the way they are building relationships in this state for the future.

McKenzie said his time with Faulkner at Arkansas State has helped them have a smooth transition to working together and they kind of picked up where they left off.

McKenzie said the staff will meet tomorrow and decide how to split the workload for the scrimmage position by position.

Dontae Smith said he found out at practice from the SID that he was on the Doak Walker Watch List again, but he said he is not worried about that, he is worried about winning and things like that will come if they win.

Smith said like Coach Key his focus is on winning and putting everything he can into his final season and building on everything they've done up to this point so they can show the world and surprise people this fall. Their goal is to win every game one week at a time. They are not looking ahead at the schedule trying to figure out which games are wins and losses.

Smith said he has the same mindset he had as a third-string guy, he plans like he is starting and practices that way and always has. That way if they call his number he won't be surprised and will be ready to go.

Smith said he focused on pass-catching this offseason because of how much Faulkner likes to use his backs in the passing game and trying to make himself a better all-around back.

Smith said about the offense this year, "the number one thing is we are going to score a lot of points and that is as basic as I can put it. As simply as I can put it. We are going to score a lot of points." He said the plays have been there in the past and they haven't done it and it comes down to executing on every play and they are doing a good job at that and they have freshmen receivers who are developing extremely fast and the depth is there across the offense to score. They've worked all spring, summer and now in camp to do that one goal.

Smith said that he is using all the losing as a motivation and like Coach Key he is burning to win games, but it isn't a pressure thing, the goal is to win championships and graduate from Georgia Tech and if it isn't about either of those two things it doesn't matter to the team.

Smith talked about Morgan Burnett speaking to the team about Demaryius Thomas and his big takeaway from it was Demaryius would do anything to help the team win and he was extremely unselfish as a player and that was part of his leadership method. He knows he has to be a leader now on this team with these younger guys and he took away to not make it about himself but do like Demaryius and make it about the team and helping others and lifting them up.

We also spoke to another one of my favorite kids, Jamal Haynes

Haynes said his move to RB came after an offseason meeting with the coaches. He had a great spring at the slot but with Malik Rutherford and Christian Leary ahead of him they wanted to find a way to get his skillset on the field and Faulkner wanted to try him at RB where he played some in HS.

Haynes said that they have a great RB room and they welcomed him with open arms and are quick to help him if he misses an assignment or makes a mistake.

Haynes said that he likes playing RB because he loves feeding off a crowd and that is one of the spots where fans really get into it especially when you make a move and get into open space.

Haynes said he might be smaller than some RBs, but he isn't afraid to run and he has been doing the same thing all his life, he looks at the holes and uses his vision and ability to make plays.

Haynes said he worked hard with the S&C staff this offseason to put weight on and he is up to 185 now.

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.




Sitting outside the gates to the Rose Bowl Field practice area on Tuesday, I remarked to a colleague that it was "Techno Tuesday" and where was the music. The former Georgia Tech football coach had music as a regular part of his practices throughout his tenure although it slowed down during his final season to just parts of the practice instead of going the entire time like a 24-hour Fitness.

You probably won't see videos of "Thursday Races" or guys posting their catapult numbers under Brent Key. Key and his staff are all about the fundamentals of old football coaching.

There is music during flex and it sounds like the shuffle off Key's phone with rock and country music rather than the newest rap song or club tune. There is no DJ. No pictures of famous people on sticks running at quarterbacks and no pool noodles wielded by strength coaches.

It is all about the business of coaching guys up and improving.

In Collins' first year, he ran three huddles on two different fields at breakneck tempos with a mix of coaches all over trying to max out reps. They didn't bother correcting guys on the spot when they did something wrong because they wanted to max out the number of reps they got in and they'd correct them in the film room Collins told the media at the time. During a Key practice if you screw up, you are doing it again and the coach is correcting you on the spot almost every time. Yes, they will run huddles on two fields, but the coaches bounce around and the players rotate and there are eyes on players making corrections at all times.

The cool morning practices are a thing of the past as well. Key if he had his way would probably send the team to South Georgia or LA (Lower Alabama) to train if he could to instill toughness through fighting through the heat. It is not punishment though and they are very focused on hydration throughout practice. They have breaks and the ability to cool off in ice boxes and there are even guys walking around misting players with cold water on the sidelines.

Key is trying to bring mental toughness back to the Flats. I had a player who played under all three most recent Tech coaches say that it reminded him of what it was like under Paul Johnson and it was meant as a compliment.

Whether this turns into wins this year or not, it seems like the adults are in charge and Tech is back to being a program that will be known for being physical and tough to beat like they were throughout the Ross, O'Leary, Gailey and Johnson eras.

The Tech staff also may have found some real gems like Eric Singleton Jr. who is a bigger version of Ahmarean Brown (but can also play outside receiver) with better hands and a few other interesting signings that were not high profile through their own scouting and connections.

There is hope for the product on the field and the days of getting beat in back-to-back games 100-0 are hopefully a distant sad memory for the Yellow Jacket faithful under the new administration. No one will work harder than Key to return GT to previous glories and hopefully higher. Time will tell if/how he pulls it off and how quickly it comes together.

It wasn't great, but worth watching nonetheless. I think they needed more than 1 hour 12 minutes to tell the entire story - there seemed to be some gaps, unanswered questions, etc.

I doubt he would have behaved any better if the money came legitimately through NIL. Just crazy - he had no guardrails whatsoever.

Yeah this kid is a 5 ⭐️

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Norval McKenzie

Jamal Haynes

Dontae Smith

To talk about the stadium deal.

Georgia Tech is tomorrow. Airs at 7PM on ACCN

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I've put together a good setup to have TV at my tailgate. Trying to figure out the best way to stream to the TV. I've tried streaming from my phone before which can be difficult. Any help on the best way to do this would be appreciated. Is the wifi around campus strong enough to hook up and stream it through a smart tv or Roku? Or is nothing short of getting a portable dish and satellite subscription going to do it? Thanks

First 2 time transfer I've seen so far get a waiver denied. Actually haven't even heard of any waiver applications or approvals, just heard of folks transferring more than once and never having to sit. This marks the first one I've seen that actually will have to sit a year:

One of the great songwriters of the 70s and a hugely influential player and producer.

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And a great cover of a Marvin Gaye song arranged by him

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Of course they got famous backing Dylan

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...for pointing out facts.

Good morning.

Was trying to post this yesterday, but fell asleep after getting off the phone with a source before I got to my computer and lost track of time chasing the kids around.

Communication has slowed down significantly between Georgia Tech and OL Tyler West in the last 10 or so days..

From talking to sources, Georgia Tech may only have one OL spot remaining and don’t seem to be in nearly as much of a rush to close out the class.

Said one source: “if they (GT) had more spots, West would already be in the class. They want to keep their options open.”

As a result, West seems to have only one other top option (NC State) and could be closing in on a commitment there at any time.

Ricky Brumfield

Dylan Leonard

Gavin Stewart

David Shanahan

THE FLATS – For the second-straight season, Georgia Tech’sDontae Smith (Spring Hill, Tenn./Spring Hill H.S.) is on the official watch list for the Doak Walker Award. Presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, the Doak Walker Award annually honors college football’s top running back.



Entering his final collegiate campaign, Smith has rushed for 1,159 yards as a Yellow Jacket, which ranks 47th in Georgia Tech’s 130-year football history. He has led the Jackets in yards per rush each of the past three seasons (6.9, 5.6 and 4.8 yards per carry, respectively) and has scored 12 touchdowns in just 208 career carries, good for one score every 17.3 rushes. He’s compiled the impressive numbers while splitting carries with current NFL running backs Jahmyr Gibbs (Detroit Lions), Hassan Hall (Cleveland Browns) and Jordan Mason (San Francisco 49ers) since his arrival at Tech in 2018.



As a redshirt junior last season, Smith ran for 420 yards and five touchdowns on 87 carries, all career highs. He also caught 19 passes for 125 yards, which were also career bests.



Smith is one of 75 initial candidates for the 2023 Doak Walker Award. The list will be trimmed to 10 semifinalists and three finalists in November. The award’s national selection committee, which is comprised of past recipients, former All-Pro and All-America running backs, media members and special representatives, will vote for the winner, which will be announced live during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December.

Saw this on LinkedIn from the VP-Ticketing, Premium & Annual Giving:

"We have officially surpassed 2,000 NEW season tickets here at Georgia Tech, more than doubling the number from 2022! "

Interesting.

GT will face UMass in the opening game in Honolulu in December 21st. I had planned to go with my family as a surprise Christmas trip/tax write-off for me, but with stuff with my parents that isn't likely to happen now.

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Found this interesting for a number of reasons…

Exclusive story: https://georgiatech.rivals.com/news...commits-to-georgia-tech-over-miami-msu-others
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I did not realize he made the switch to LB.... I know it was being talked about.

https://www.packers.com/news/tariq-carpenter-seizes-his-moment-at-family-night

Georgia Tech football continued padded practice on Tuesday with another two-hour-plus session as head coach Brent Key aims to instill toughness in his team with afternoon work. Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer and a pair of his older linebackers, Trenilyas Tatum and transfer Paul Moala (Notre Dame/Idaho) spoke to the media following practice.

Tatum and Moala are two of the candidates to replace the production of current NFL linebackers Ayinde Eley and Charlie Thomas who were two of the most productive linebackers in all of college football in 2022. Sherrer said the one thing his group does have is some depth and numbers something that has been in short supply at the linebacker position the last four or five years on the Flats.

"(The depth) has been really good because as we get out there they are working through and trying to learn techniques or whatever and if it is not right we will fire them and put the other guy in there so it creates that competition which obviously makes people better," Sherrer said. "It has been good to have them all out there.

Only three linebackers return for last season with Tatum who was the third linebacker and in the rotation back plus Tyson Meiguez and Kyle Efford who played some on special teams back. Moala joins transfers Braelen Oliver (Minnesota) and Andre White (Texas A&M) as new veteran faces along with walk-on Austin Dean (Rutgers) who was with the program in the spring. Freshmen Ashton Heflin enrolled early and went through spring ball with Sherrer and the Jackets added Nacari Ashley and Jacob Cruz to the mix this summer as true freshmen giving the Jackets a deeper linebacker room.

Sherrer expects to have a better feel for his group and what the rotation will look like after the first scrimmage this Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium.

"I think you really don't get a true assessment until at least the first scrimmage where it is more full contact. We do a lot of thud and tag off and things like that to protect both sides of the ball. So there are plays (you see in practice) where you go I think he would make it or I'm not sure. You definitely know if they make it in a scrimmage. Sometimes we will hold our complete reservation on our decision or thought process until we get past that."

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Sherrer said because they have so many new guys and he is a new coach everyone got a clean slate to work with and they have been learning how he works and he is learning how each guy works as well and the techniques he wants to teach them and the things they have to know to see the field playing LB for him.

I asked him about Paul Moala and he said that they love that he is such a mature guy and is really gifted athletically even after his injuries. He is learning their way of doing things and is starting to show comfort in what they are asking him to do. He feels like they have four, five or maybe six guys in the room they could play and he wants them to sort it out on the field.

Sherrer said that Tatum has had a camp so far and had a good spring and he has to continue maturing and make sure he takes care of his body and maintains his weight and doesn't get too big or too small. He said over the last six to eight months Tatum has matured a ton.

Sherrer said with Tyson Meiguez he had all those injuries before he got to GT and he has been healthy for him so he came in with an open mind and he has done a nice job so far and he is curious to see how he looks in the scrimmage.

I asked Sherrer if we will see more 3-LB sets and some SAM LB stuff that they showed at times last year with them having more numbers and he said that they do have some options now especially with body types to look at that, but it really be matchup based and packages more than any major changes.

I asked about load management with White and Oliver and to a lesser extent Moala who have played or practiced a lot and have older bodies and he said they really use a lot of technology to monitor the players and keep an eye on workload and they meet as a staff to work on that.

Sherrer said he didn't know Key that well, had met him a few times but the connection was Chris Weinke that helped bring him to GT. He said that one of the reasons he came here was that he felt like he was very similar to Coach Key after they talked no the phone and you want to be around people like that if you are going to spend more time with them than you do your family and the huge commitment coaching in college is made him really focus on his priorities and what he was looking for and he saw a good fit here. He really likes the rest of the staff as well and they have great families and that was evident to him and was something that was clearly important to Coach Key in building up the staff.

I asked about Bill Stewart and how the veteran coaching minds help out. Sherrer joked that Stewart could probably coach LBs better than he can and how his pathway into college coaching was similar just in a different stage of life than Stewart is in. He was a young guy and started as an analyst and worked his way up. He said he has a great football mind and more energy than he does and he has done an outstanding job helping the defense.

Tatum said he learned a lot playing last year especially the few starts when Thomas was out for targeting. He said that gave him a lot of time to prepare and learn things about preparing differently for different roles.

Tatum said watching Eley and Thomas last year was big for him in helping him learn that had to be more mature even though he still feels like a young guy. He said they both acted like pros in the way they handled their business and took care of their bodies and it is a big responsibility to play that position and be a leader as well.

Tatum said he has taken the younger guys under his wing to help them with alignment and he is trying to be a good teammate for them and repeating what the older guys did for him.

Tatum said that White and Oliver had the same mindset as Thomas and Eley as older guys and handling their business. Moala gave them a lot of depth and experience and he knows what he is doing and he comes in with a pro mindset. They have a real young room behind them so that helps a lot.

Tatum said it feels weird for him to be a leader and an older guy in the room because he feels so young at heart. He said he really focuses on trying to be a good teammate.

Tatum said that Coach Sherrer brings it every day and he is very aggressive as a coach and they know every day they are coming to work and they have to bring that same aggression.

Moala said his decision to come here was mostly about wanting to have one last chance at big time CFB. He said that after his two Achilles injuries had graduated from Notre Dame and they needed his scholarship for someone else so Idaho took a chance on him and it worked out and then he wanted one more shot at P5 football and he had a bunch of offers after entering the portal and he decided on GT. He said he liked the way they used Charlie Thomas and he could see himself in that role in this defense.

Moala said the biggest difference for him now is he is taking everything very seriously because he only gets one shot at this now. He said the by the grace of God he ended up here with this opportunity and that opened his eyes and he is going to take it as far as his body will let him.

I joked with him about how different things are practicing in Atlanta at 2 pm versus Moscow, Idaho or South Bend. He said they went in the mornings at those places and he understands why Key has them going in the afternoon and the mental toughness it takes to practice through that.

ACC Coaches Talk Anonymously

I haven’t seen this posted anywhere, and this is one of my favorite off-season topics of discussion. Here’s what other coaches are saying about our Yellow Jackets:

Georgia Tech​

“Brent [Key] is a great offensive line coach and a great human being, but it’s gonna as tough on him at that place as it was on [former head coach Geoff] Collins."

"I think the difference is that Brent is an OL coach, and he won’t draw much attention to himself or that place."

"They have all the same recruiting problems, and they can’t work the portal as much as other teams because of academics."

"The positives there are that they played their asses off and won a few games because teams assumed the worst. That’s a backhanded compliment, but it’s the truth."

"It’s smart that he kept [defensive coordinator Andrew] Thacker; he gained a lot of respect for hanging on to that core who didn’t quit and job search when Collins got fired."

"This is still the same program with the same problems."

"It’s likely they hang on to Brent while the new AD figures out their long-term plans.”

I think we’re going to surprise the hell out of the ACC this year. What say you?

Tech finished with the No. 18 transfer class, while the 2023 recruiting class finished 64th…

“Rivals.com is proud to now feature the Comprehensive Team Recruiting Rankings. This new tool gives readers and subscribers a metric by which to rank and evaluate how college football programs around the country did recruiting from the high school ranks and from the transfer portal in each recruiting cycle.
The Comprehensive Team Rankings include elements from the Recruiting Team Rankingsand the Transfer Team Rankings. You can find explanations for both of those rankings formulas below:
RECRUITING TEAM RANKINGS FAQ
TRANSFER PORTAL TEAM RANKINGS FAQ

WHAT IS THE FORMULA FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS?​

The 25 highest rated players by Rivals Rating or Rivals Transfer Rating of ALL the team's commits/signees + ALL Rivals250 Bonus Points + ALL Top 100 Transfer Ranking Bonus Points = Total Points.”

Kevin Sherrer

Trenilyas Tatum

Paul Moala

As more and more lots fill up with new buildings. Does anyone use season parking through the GTAA and do they usually have openings? We never did it before because we usually "saved" money not doing so. BUT last year the lot below the Varsity got some balls and started charging up to $60 to park, with a minimum of like $40 on the season. I'd much rather that money go to GT. We do tailgate so we would require a place to grill and throw up or pop-up. My ticket rep says there will be parking, but I don't have faith haha.