ATLANTA- Georgia Tech's quarterback battle took center stage on Friday as the Jackets three potential starting quarterbacks as well as their position coach and co-offensive coordinator Chris Weinke spoke to the media for the first time during fall camp.

The Jackets were in shells on Friday during a warm afternoon practice session and Weinke said the evaluation process is ongoing for the quarterbacks.

"I feel good about the progress we are making. I'm one of those guys that says it is really hard to ever say we've arrived. What I'm looking for is for us to be a little bit better each day and that is kind of the motto in our room to be disciplined and detailed in everything we do. We play with a sense of urgency, and play fast, but not in a hurry. I'm proud of the way the guys are approaching practice every day. They've been locked in in terms of our installs and I'm excited about all the guys in the room. The challenge is can we sustain that?"



Weinke said he has coached a lot of QBs over the years and he looks at the makeup of the player first and he was excited about what he saw this summer from the guys going into camp and he said it is fun coaching them because it is an open competition. He said it is boring when you don't have that in the QB room because guys get complacent. The heat of the battle raises everyone up and leads to more focus in the QB room, meetings and on the field. That energizes him as a coach as well.

Weinke said historically the QB isn't considered the toughest guy in the room, but that is not what he wants, he wants a physically and mentally tough guy that can be successful at the highest level.

Weinke said they are still in install and he is looking for a functional thinker at QB, are they absorbing information and taking it to the field from the classroom. He said the number one job is for the QB to take the team down the field and score and that is what they are looking for, but he isn't going to sit here and predict how it will play out, he feels like they are in a good position to find their guy though by September 1.

Weinke said they feel like all three can run similar plays and they won't have to wholesale change the offense if they have to make a QB change.

Weinke said they need at least two and hopefully three capable QBs that they can win games with and he feels like they are in a good spot right now with that. He said they will make the decision down the road on who starts.

I asked Weinke about King have to be on a learning curve behind the two Zachs who had a year with him already under their belt and he said that King being here in the spring was huge for him. Weinke said the guys understand him and who he is and that he isn't changing as a coach and they've accepted that. King is wired the right way and understands what it takes to be successful and he has made a good transition into their QB room.

Zach Pyron said that he is feeling better than he did a year ago at this time thanks to the medical staff and the S&C program led by AJ Artis. He feels stronger and more confident out there. He added some good weight as well.

Pyron said he is comfortable not knowing if he will start or not up to game time. He practices each day as if he is going to be the starting QB. That's the expectation that Weinke sets in the QB room and no matter where you are on the depth chart you have to be ready. He aims to get 1% better everyday and push himself to be in a position to perform when called upon.

Pyron said he worked on ball accuracy and placement this offseason to fit throws into tighter windows and making himself more of a pro. He is studying the game more as well. He isn't at the point where he can focus on just one thing to make himself better and he works with Coach Weinke and Coach Faulkner in the room to get better and they work collectively.

Pyron said he really credits Coach AJ Artis for his stronger arm along with some better mechanics throwing the ball and some maturing as well. He feels like he put a lot of extra work in with weights and that has made him stronger.

Pyron said that he likes what Coach Geep Wade has done upfront on the OL and he likes the new staff and the way the OL looks. He likes Coach McKenize and the RB room led by Dontae Smith and all the younger guys there. He said the team is working really hard and trying to set a standard and build a new identity under coach Key.

I asked him about being a younger leader and how he was nervous to do that last year, but has embraced it this year. He said that if is the starter or not, he wants to be a great leader and that is what you need from the QB room. He said the QBs set the energy every day in practice and influence the team with that energy. His job as a leader is to bring people along to where they didn't know they could go and have the same end goals of winning a lot of games this year. He said Coach Weinke and Coach Key are really wanting that from the QB room.

Haynes King said the transition to GT has been very fun. It was weird coming from smaller towns to the big city, but the team helped him feel at home and made the transition so much more enjoyable and he always has someone to go eat with or they go bowling as a team or whatever and he is starting to build some camaraderie with the team.

King said the tempo is a little different and faster than A&M, but that also means the calls are simpler as well and that makes it easier on the QB in some ways when you play with tempo. He said they even have a play clock going now during practice and he knows that Faulkner has a number in mind he is shooting for when they'd snap the ball tempo wise.

King said the QB room has a tight bond going and the conversations are very smooth and the competition is great. They are trying to raise the roof of the QB room with their play.

King said he can play in multiple offenses and he learned a pro-style in HS, but his dad would throw in triple option or RPOs or power-I in games so he has al to of experience running different types of plays and that has given him a strong base knowledge of the game. He also said he can run and knows how to pick up key yards but he isn't going to force the run and take a bunch of unnecessary hits by leaving the pocket too soon. He said his job in this offense is to distribute the ball to playmakers.

King said he has a great bond with Chase Lane at WR, he said he is really savvy as a receiver and he knows his movement patterns and when he will make his move out of breaks from that repetition, but he said they did a good job of having a ton of player-led throwing this offseason so he could learn other players work too.

Zach Gibson said he has been aware of the narrative of the other two QBs being ahead of him and his dad shares with him all these things to help drive him even though he doesn't want him to send them to him. He said he is simply focused on getting better and what is ahead for him. He said he had some really bad moments and some really good ones last year and that was last year and this is a new year and a new offense. It is a 12 game season and he wouldn't be shocked to see all three QBs play so he is preparing to compete and play.

Gibson said he is used to being the underdog guy and has been every season in college as a backup QB so he is familiar with the spot and knows how to prepare himself and that he has to push himself as nothing is given to him.

Gibson said he is working a lot on his running and he was topping out last year at 17.5 mph and he is up to 19.49 mph now and that is really significant improvement. He has a fast-twitch trainer he works with.

Gibson said they have good mojo in the QB room and all three have strengths and weaknesses that are different. They are just trying to push each other the best they can. If one screws up the other is quick to correct them.

Gibson said the offense kept a lot of terminology and some plays from the previous one so that has made it easier. He said it is simpler than the offense last year as well. He said it doesn't really feel like a transition like it is not like going from the triple option with Coach Paul Johnson to what Coach Collins had them run as an example, it has been very smooth with how Coach Buster and Coach Weinke set it up. That has put less stress on the players.

Gibson said the OL looks a lot strong and faster than they did a year ago and they are more experienced as well and it is going well. He said he is really happy with how the OL looks.

Chris Weinke

Zach Gibson

Haynes King

Zach Pyron (via Chad) since I screwed up recording it live.

What say you?

Fire away

Defensive Coordinator Andrew Thacker

He gave the longest answer to a question in quite some time via the AJC's new beat writer. It was a story about the VT game and was interesting.

click here

Let's do this. I will go for the next hour. Please remember that this is a Q&A for me, not KQ so please be mindful when asking questions.

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I think I like this Faulkner guy

Just some random clips from early parts of practice this week.

use this thread for the spring portal window for discussion and info on transfer portal news.

Follow along with the Portal Tracker here: https://n.rivals.com/transfer_tracker/football/2023

Now that the Q&A has ended, a follow up question-

Who/what is Def Lep? Did he mean Def Jam?

Curious minds want to know.

Well, last year really might be! This new look would not have happened if the Jackets did not go to Carolina and Win!
I really think this game cemented Keys entrance into the head coaching job! Watching again makes me feel good about the future. The defense played its ass off, as did Gibson.

Disregard. I can only upload the audio file in google drive.

It was an AI voice of Scooter addressing this guys kids on their first day of school.

Several former Jackets on the Browns team. Hassan Hall was the kick returner on opening kickoff and dropped in. 😭

Good night to watch some football and former Jackets. I believe it's Hall, Charlie Thomas, and Malachai Carter.

ATLANTA- Mother Nature offered some relief from the warm weather for Georgia Tech's third practice via a heavy rainstorm over the city of Atlanta during the afternoon session. After practice, defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker spoke to the media for the first time since spring ball and updated the depth chart for the defense as it stands early in camp, and offered some thoughts on seeing his unit in shells for the first time this fall.

The biggest area of concern on paper comes from the linebacker position for the Yellow Jackets. Ayinde Eley and Charlie Thomas combined for 230 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks last season as well as six takeaways. Thacker said those two left big shoes to fill, but he likes the variety of options they have brought into the mix to fill that void plus a returning face last year's third linebacker Treniylas Tatum.

"Kevin Sherrer (linebacker coach) is doing a phenomenal job with that position group and really taking ownership there. The one who gave himself an advantage through spring practice was Trenilyas Tatum. Number one was availability which is a pretty thing to play the linebacker position and he was available for all 15 practices and I thought he was a better version of himself than last year," Thacker said. "If you remember last year Charlie Thomas had two targeting non-starts this past season and so Trenilyas has some starts under his belt to have some real experience, but last year we really relied on Charlie and Ace Eley. Trenilyas got his feet wet but he hasn't made it through a season as the guy."

Tech added a trio of transfers, Braelen Oliver (Minnesota) and Andre White (Texas A&M) this spring and this summer Paul Moala (Idaho/Notre Dame) via the portal to create competition and depth according to Thacker.

"The worst case scenario is we feel like we have competition and depth with Andre White, Braelen Oliver and then we brought in Paul Moala after spring practice and we have a small sample size of what they can do here at Georgia Tech," he said. "All of those guys have played real downs at their previous universities. We have seen what it looks like when they make plays and we value that and we brought them here, but (Oliver and White) had limited action in the spring and we are on day three here and coach (Key) surprised us with shoulder pads after two days in just underwear so I'll have to watch some tape to get more context on them."

Behind Tatum and the three senior transfers the Jackets have a few other players that could fit into the mix like redshirt freshman Kyle Efford, true freshman early enrollee Ashton Heflin and veteran Tyson Meiguez who was healthy for the first time last season and limited to mainly special teams.

"Other guys of note in that position group are Kyle Efford and Ashton Heflin as a freshman of note and then Tyson Meiguez has been around for some time and they should be able to compete at that position.

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I asked him about looking at some 3 LB sets now that they have more depth and he mentioned they showed that look some last year with Tatum at the SAM with Thomas and Eley and now they have Paul Moala who played a ton of SAM/Overhang LB and Braelen Oliver who was playing pretty much that spot at Minnesota as well and they can both play WLB (Money LB) as well so they can be more creative when they face teams with bigger personal due to the LB depth and then they have a lot of options for third down with dime packages or pass rush packages due to the depth on the defense.

On the DL, Thacker said that Marco Coleman and Brian Baker are doing a great job there and they finally have some P5 sized DTs with Zeek Biggers and Horace Lockett fulfilling his long term plan there plus very experienced guys like D'Quan Douse and Makius Scott from last year and even Jason Moore is back so the have 5-deep at DT at the moment and he mentioned that Moore even had a key sack against UNC despite being a walk-on at the time.

Thacker said at the rush end spot all three guys have started games, Kyle Kennard, Noah Collins and Kevin Harris and they have depth there and need more production. He said at the field end spot Sylvain Yondjouen will aim to replace Keion White and he is really excited about Eddie Kelly the transfer from USF and ET (Etinosa Reuben) the Clemson transfer and what they bring along with Josh Robinson who has now played a lot of football. He feels like they have some options to mix and match and size up at DE as well with two bigger ends or two small ends depending on the package.

Thacker gave a long anecdotal story about the VT game and how that was a key moment for this defense last year and what he wants to see more of as they got the turnover in the red zone that led to the comeback win on the road with a true freshman Zach Pyron starting. I suggest listening to it. It's 7 solid minutes.

I asked Thacker how they plan to use the three starting safety types, LaMiles Brooks, Clayton Powell-Lee and Jaylon King and he said that LaMiles cross-trains from FS to SS, to nickel and Powell-Lee from strong to free and King is anchored more as the FS in the D and is also the free safety in their dime package and other subpackages. They will have a rotation in the game for them and he likes the relationships they all have and there will be a need for some level of humility from them on who starts, but they will all play.

Thacker said the safeties did such a great job getting them out of bad defensive calls with checks last year and communicating with the rest of the defense and that is a key aspect that is overlooked and the way Buster Faulkner runs the offense tests them all the time.

Thacker said Ahmari Harvey has been the top CB so far through three days and he grew up a lot this spring and they acknowledged him after practice for his performance thus far through camp. He had some immature moments last year, but he is learning to be a better version of himself and it is showing up on the field. He has the most football disruptions (INTs, FF, FR, PBUs, punchouts) of any player through three days.

Overall at CB, he said that Kenan Johnson had a great spring and stayed healthy which was the biggest thing holding him back in the past and he is poised to have a big season. They have Myles SIms back who has played the most downs at CB and Kenyatta Watson has come on as well in that rotation. They also moved Rodney Shelley to CB this fall and he is cross-trained at the nickel spot as well and they are excited about his position flexibility.

Chad asked Thacker about being a native Georgian and what that means to him at GT and he told a very interesting story about the nature of his business and family. His kids have the rare opportunity to be in the same school since they started school and they haven't had to move. His son is now starting Kindergarten and has the same teacher as his sister who is in the third grade which is rare in the coaching profession and he talked about how much he loves Georgia and his stepdad was a long-time coach at Cass HS. He said that he really believes in what Brent Key is doing to turn things around here and change perceptions of Georgia Tech and then turn that into a reality and he understands the responsibility that Key gave him in that and he has a ton of respect for Georgia Tech and he hopes they can capitalize on that with great performances on the field.

So one of my older AirPods went missing. Found it later in bits/pieces in my mutt’s poop pile. Question: Do I pay the $70 to get a single replacement for old technology or is there a 3rd party compatible that is reliable and cost effective. I don’t want to pay $200 or whatever for new Apple’s. And I’m not gonna pay a lot for this muffler.

THE FLATS – Details are complete for First Saturday on The Flats presented by Georgia’s Own Credit Union – Georgia Tech football’s annual Fan Day event – which will be held from 11 a.m-1 p.m. on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.



PARKING

FREE parking (including ADA accessible spaces) is available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Peters (E52) and Klaus (E40) parking decks and McCamish Lot (E65). Click HERE for a Georgia Tech campus parking map.



ADMISSION AND ENTRANCE

Admission to First Saturday on the Flats is FREE. Fans will enter the stadium through the field-level northwest tunnel, located at located at Callaway Plaza on the north end of the stadium (off Bobby Dodd Way), between Gates 6 and 6A. Gates open at 11 a.m.



AUTOGRAPHS

Head coach Brent Key and Georgia Tech football student-athletes will sign autographs from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., courtesy of The Tech Way.



Student-athlete will sign autographs in Bobby Dodd Stadium’s Club Lounge. Lines for student-athlete autographs will begin in the end zone near the tunnel at the southwest corner of the field. There will be separate lines for offensive student-athletes and defensive student-athletes. Fans that complete one line must return to the southwest tunnel to enter the other line.



Coach Key will sign autographs in the Georgia Tech locker room. The line for Coach Key autographs will be in the end zone near the tunnel at the northwest corner of the field.



Autographs are limited to one from each student-athlete (plus Coach Key) per fan. FREE 2023 Georgia Tech football posters will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.



OTHER ACTIVITIES

First Saturday on The Flats will feature a plethora of other interactive on-field activities for the whole family, including the opportunity to run out of the Georgia Tech tunnel onto the field like the Yellow Jackets do on gameday, a football toss, ladder drills, combine and tailgate games, an agility course, field goal kicking, a uniform station, 360-degree photo booth and more. For a full map of where activities will be located, click HERE.



WAIVER

All fans that wish to participate in on-field activities must complete a waiver. Fans ages 18 and older must sign their own waiver, while fans under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian. For fans’ convenience, the waiver can be filled out in advance and emailed to bwhite@athletics.gatech.edu (click HERE to download a waiver). Waivers will also be available at the entrance, as well as at the marketing table (located at the 50 yard line) and each activity station on Saturday. Fans that email their waivers in advance or complete one in person on Saturday will be given a wristband at the marketing table, which will allow wearers to participate in on-field activities. Fans that email waivers in advance can also pick up their wristband at the stadium entrance.



2023 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS

Georgia Tech football season tickets, which guarantee the best seats and value for all of the exciting action of Tech’s seven home games in 2023 – including the Aflac Game versus Louisville on Sept. 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Nov. 25 regular-season finale versus archrival Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium – are on sale now, starting at just $225. For more information and to purchase season tickets online, click HERE.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech junior defensive back LaMiles Brooks (Jacksonville, Fla./Trinity Christian Academy) is one of 110 student-athletes on the official watch list for the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy, which was released on Thursday. Established in 2005, the Wuerffel Trophy honors college football players who serve others, celebrates their impact and inspires greater service across the nation.



Brooks is one of Georgia Tech’s most active student-athletes in the community across all sports. His long list of volunteer activities includes:

• Jackets Without Borders – international service trip to Villa del Rio, Puerto Rico, in May 2022 to help rebuild houses that were destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017;
• For Others – organization that helps prevent vulnerable children from being placed in the foster care system;
• Michael Isenhour Toy Drive – annual service project spearheaded by Georgia Tech’s Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) to collect and deliver toys to the Atlanta Children’s Shelter during the holiday season;
• Children’s Health Care of Atlanta – was one of several Yellow Jackets that recently visited Children’s Scottish Rite to spend time with patients.

Brooks is also an active member Tech’s SAAB and this summer has represented Georgia Tech at the 2023 Black Student-Athlete Summit in Los Angeles and the Atlantic Coast Conference Unity Tour in Washington, D.C.



Earlier this summer, Brooks was named one of 76 NCAA Division I FBS nominees for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which similarly honors college football student-athletes for their service to the community.



Semifinalists for the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy will be announced on November 2 and finalists will be announced on November 28. The formal announcement of the 2023 recipient is scheduled to be made on December 7 or 8 during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN, and the presentation of the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy will take place on February 17, 2024, at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta, less than a mile from Georgia Tech’s campus.

Not a duplicate to the Pee-wee Herman thread. But in honor of his song tequila let’s discuss tequilas. I know we’re outlying whiskey drinkers but when you’re grilling on the deck and it’s 90° outside bourbon and scotch neat is pretty tough. So I switch to tequila in the summer times. Right now drinking a Don Pilar extra Anejo.

Anyone a tequila sipper? No patron silver chilled shots allowed.

I'm up in Chapel Hill for the week for work. We are putting in a new UPS facility over in Mebane. I thought heck, might as well stay in Chapel Hill while in town. We are at The Graduate and it's pretty cool. One of the hotel rooms is a replica of MJs dorm room. They also have a replica of Roy Williams Court on the 3rd floor with real basketball goals to shoot "pillow" basketballs in.

My wife and I made a beeline for the UNC Men's basketball museum. Got to see a ton of Michael Jordan memorabilia. Including Dean Smiths recruitment letter to MJ. Coach K's letter to MJ saying he was sorry to hear he wouldn't be attending Duke. Also, some letters Smith sent MJ letting him know what to work on during the summer.

While we were touring the campus tonight we were able to walk into Kenan Memorial Stadium. That was pretty cool. Walked down to the 50 yard line.

Pretty cool little town. Smaller than I thought it would be but overall seems pretty safe and everyone's been extremely nice.



(link below) You can click through the comments on my posts where I shared more pictures.

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Just saw on Instagram that Reid Brosnan has committed to Georgia Tech! He's a rising senior right handed pitcher out of Lakeside High School. I've had the privilege of coaching middle school team and fall JV team there for 8 years now and Reid has helped us win a couple of championships. I'm ecstatic right now, this is my first former player to go D1 and he's going to my college team!