Georgia Tech held the second scrimmage of 2024 on Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium running around 120 plays. Head football coach Brent Key had the team simulate for a full half of football to open the scrimmage before moving to some situational football as the Jackets' prepare for the annual spring game next Saturday.

"It was the second scrimmage today and I was pleased with it. I was pleased with some of the improvements we've made over the course of a week," Key said. "That's really what we are looking at right now, were are not looking at the overall course of the spring or where will be at in the fall, we are improving each day, every week and we can sit down and access every Monday morning where we were the past week and if we improved individually to improve collectively."

The second scrimmage is traditionally a stronger scrimmage for the defensive side of the ball and that held true again on Saturday according to Key.

"I felt that it was a good effort by the defense out there and a lot more people tackling around the ball and a lot more guys showing up," Key said. "We basically played a half of football played the first and second quarter on the clock with a true clock to work on clock management and we finished that off with a two-minute thing. We got 13 drives in the first half total and of the 13 series we ran we had two touchdowns, three field goals, an interception and seven punts. I think that shows the strides the defense made this week in preparation and cleaning things up from the previous week. We still have a lot of things to clean up as far as run fits and penalties that extended some drives for the offense. We had two defensive holding penalties that you don't want, but when you are in spring practice and guys are playing the right way and guarding guys and you've got good receivers on the other side of the football that happens."


Key said other than the penalties it was a very solid half of football for the defense making some plays and getting some stops. Then they went into the red area and did some drives from the 35, 30 and 25 going in and six three-series from there with three TDs, two FGs and an interception that was really big. They worked on two-minute drives as well.

Key said that Josh Robinson had a really big scrimmage for them and they are very proud of how he is developing this spring. He is a great example of how guys can continue to develop even in year four or five and he has does his job every day and has been very consistent this spring.

Anthony Carrie at RB had a big day including a 70-yard touchdown run and he has really good vision and balance and made some good cuts per Key. He has been running the ball well and they just need to work on his pass pro and he thinks that goes across the board at RB.

Trey Cooley also had a good scrimmage and Key was extra impressed because Cooley was out last week getting a root canal and then played through that which he said is pretty impressive given how painful that is and he had a good week.

TE Jackson Hawes had another good scrimmage, Key said he was banged up week one, but has come back and played the first scrimmage and he is a big target in the red area at 6'5" 260+ sounds and when he catches the ball he always falls forward for extra yardage.

Key said Ahmari Harvey showed up again and is playing with a lot of confidence right now and he did a good job today and that is something Key has personally been working with him on, playing with the right emotion and focusing that energy on the field. He got his hands on several passes today.

Key shouted Omar Daniels at the nickel spot who made some good plays.

Key was pleased with newly minted Edge Jacob Cruz who they moved a week ago to that spot and he is starting to flash and make some big plays and show his length and speed. Key said he will be a guy who can help them this year at the Edge spot.

Two other guys he was really excited about today were Tah'j Butler and E.J. Lightsey at linebacker. This was Lightsey's first scrimmage at GT and he was around the ball a lot and is an impressive dude. A source told me he really stood out during the scrimmage and looks like he will be a weapon on defense. Key said that Lightsey is a big imposing guy out there than can run and bring people down and stop them in their tracks.

Tren Tatum also had a good scrimmage including sacking Haynes King per sources. Key said he has been pleased seeing his progression and how he is around the ball more.

They used music as crowd noise today stress communication work and test the helmet comms system again and some penalties showed up from that especially when they had some of the younger guys in the game on the O-line and the call was a little late coming in. He said they've got to get that into a seamless transition and defensively they still are giving up too many explosives for his liking, but the offense is also pretty good. They need to be able to pressure better on third and longs, but sometimes a misfit run or missed assignment leads to big play and Buster Faulkner uses a lot of eye candy that makes it hard on the D and that is why they work this stuff so hard in the spring so it is second nature during the season.

Next week they will practice Tuesday and Wednesday and a walk-through on Friday and then play the spring game on Saturday.

Key said that he likes what Coach Simpson and Coach Pope are doing with the D-line coaching and they have some really good players up front and they are playing with good technique now and understanding the big picture better and the understanding is important, they understand what the O-line is trying to do and different tweaks and are playing within the scheme. Key said the players really respect Simpson and Pope and the relationships they've built with that group already is great and they have fun together, but can coach them hard too. The response has been exactly what they wanted.

Key said that they mixed in Zach Pyron with the ones today some replacing Haynes King on some series and then mixed some of the O-line around as well and they gave Tana Alo-Tupuola and Harrison Moore some one reps. Jameson Riggs was the starting left tackle again as Corey Robinson is banged up and he is going to be a player too. With the defense amping things up with more complex calls it put some pressure on the offense when Weston Franklin and Jordan Williams were not in the game. He said they've got to build depth and chemistry on the offensive line because with injuries they could be in a spot where those young men need to play in a game.

I was told that King didn't have a great scrimmage, a lot of tipped balls and pressure on him. He reverted back a little bit to 2023 King with some throws into coverage and some overthrows on deep balls. Pyron had a good day considering the O-line he was working with when with the twos and was solid when he got one reps. King as better in scrimmage one.

Key said the secondary has been banged up but Warren Burrell has really impressed him at CB at 6'+ and 195 pounds and he is a true cover corner.

Key said that D.J. Moore has had a really good camp so far and he got banged up today on a tackle, but he has impressed them.

Key said at safety Clayton Powell-Lee has had the most improvement of anyone on the back end this spring and he made some impressive tackles today in space and some behind the line of scrimmage as well on some of the different calls they had.

Key was asked about the RB depth and he said they limited Jamal Haynes to a few reps today because they know what he can do and the younger guys need those reps and they need to be 5 deep in that room because you are a helmet on an ankle away from having your third guy be a starter in a game. He said they still need to improve on pass pro in that run.

Key said that Kyle Efford has been an overall leader on defense not just the LB room and football means a lot to him. When the alarm clock goes off he is thinking about ball and when his head hits the pillow he is thinking about ball. They repped the other guys today because they wanted to see Lightsey today get some work and Kyle took a lot of the plays early and then as it went on they sat him and let other guys get reps. He feels like they have a good group at LB with Kyle, Tren, Jackson Hamilton, EJ and Tah'j in there.

As posted elsewhere Jackson Long tore his ACL, Key said he was having a really good camp and it was tough having that happen. So far that is the only serious injury. They held out a lot of guys like Leo Blackburn today who had minor bumps and bruises coming off the first scrimmage, but if it was a game they would've played.

I asked about the hirings of Tim Salem and Allen Mogridge on the support staff and he said you can't replace experience and it is good to have some gray hair out there, they are good men and good fathers and in Tim's case grandfathers. They bring some wisdom and experience that is not replaceable. Both are really good coaches and they are tremendous recruiters. It big to have them in the building with the relationships they can build with kids in the program.

Key said this is a fun group to coach and they practice long and hard, but they are a good group that he is excited about. He thought they were a little sluggish on Tuesday, but by Thursday and Friday they turned it up and the energy is good and they are fun to coach and be around as is the coaching staff and they all work and that is what he is looking for.

Goodbye Kenny Payne, you managed to make Sidney Lowe, Jeff Bzdelik and Jim Christian look like winners in comparison.

12-53, somehow two of his wins came against GT, 18.5% winning percentage.

To put that in perspective, the worst coach in GT history from a winning percentage was Joe Bean (1920-21) who had a 28.6% win percentage.

Login to view embedded media

I forgot to post earlier this week and I’m having insomnia in a hotel so fire away.

Georgia Tech giving Logan McGuire the ball tomorrow night against the Eagles of Georgia Southern.

Ramblings column in the works detailing the game and looking back at the Pitt series.

Not a ton of action for GT here

Login to view embedded media
Visited GT recently for the first time. Brumfield on him hard. He is from Wichita, KS so he is not a typical Florida kid. Has offers from everywhere but was impressed by Gt.

Login to view embedded media
Early offer from Gt. Probably a C-list guy at this point but he loves Weinke and would commit late if they take a second QB for some reason though I don’t expect them to take two QBs this cycle.

Logan McGuire no longer in the rotation, neither is Cam Hill.

FRI- Aeden Finateri
SAT- Cam Jones
SUN- Tate McKee

This is the type of series, just like last week, that GT should be able to handle with ease. Full preview to come..

At the ER. Possible appendicitis.

Hoping it isn’t… don’t want emergency surgery. I have Braves tickets for next week.

Selling 2 tickets

425 | Row 5 | Seat 12, 13

$15 total for tickets only. JOL discount.

Also selling parking pass if interested. Good deal for that too.

A very happy Brent Key today

click here

To Cass DB Ian Williams, who has really started to gain momentum on the recruiting front recently.

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

Hearing a couple of potential transfer portal targets could make the trip as well.

Any Ideas, cause football isn’t the reason, Basketball isn’t doing anything for them either. Academics? That doesn’t look right either as we are both AAU.

Georgia Tech football continued preparing for the annual spring game with practice on Thursday just eight days away from the annual spring game on April 13th in Bobby Dodd Stadium. After practice the defensive line took the spotlight with the first media appearances by new defensive line coach Jess Simpson and edge/outside linebacker coach Kyle Pope as well as veteran defensive linemen Zeek Biggers, Kevin Harris, and Makius Scott taking questions.

Simpson who was the first hire on the defensive side of the ball Key made in the offseason even before hiring defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci explained his decision to join the Yellow Jackets' program.

"There are a lot of reasons why I wanted to come to Georgia Tech starting with this place. This is a special place. One is the opportunities that guys I have known my whole life and what Georgia Tech has done for them that came here and were able to get a degree. Certainly growing up just up the road from here, I was well aware of this institution. This degree, this football program and the tradition here is very special and goes way back," Simpson said. "Coach Key and his vision and the excitement he is creating being a Georgia Tech man, anytime a place has one of their own people seem more excited and more invested. You can feel the energy. The arrow is up and this place is doing football right."

Also it was a personal thing for Simpson, a Georgia native to return home and be close to family after working at Duke or Miami in recent years around his stint with the Atlanta Falcons.

"What's really special on top of this is I was born and raised in Marietta, Georgia. I spent most of my coaching life here in the state of Georgia as a high school coach, I spent three years with the Falcons here in Atlanta as well. I've been down in Florida for a little bit and in North Carolina, but getting to come back home, I have four kids, they are all within in 20 minutes to an hour of here. I've got a new grandbaby in January up in Duluth and my mom in in Marietta now and being able to help her and take care of her, for me professional and personal reasons this is a no-brainer for me and my family," he said.


Simpson was very cool and I can see why the kids love him. He said that he is the luckiest guy in the world because he gets to roll out of bed every day and do what he loves, teaching ball and coaching young men. They are hungry to build relationships and to grow. He said he asked for a leap of faith from the young men to trust him and trust is consistency over time and as a leader, husband, man, teach, he wanted to pour what he has into them and their response has been great and the relationship is growing with each young man in his room.

Simpsons said that Zeek, Horace and Makius Scott have been the bell cows of the DT room even with Horace being a little younger. They are growing every day and fighting complacency and they are not satisfied with where they are at. They are smart kids who care about football and he is excited about where they are going with the process.

Simpson said on the recruiting front, he understands what he is selling at Georgia Tech and the type of young men he is looking for. He joked he is just an old HS D-line coach working at this level who is lucky enough to coach at GT now and he is very honest with everyone he deals with and those relationships have led to some success on the recruiting trail.

Simpson said that Scott has been a bell cow inside this spring for them and he is 290 pounds with position flexibility to play the nose, three-tech or five-tech (DE) on first and second downs. He said his greatest value right now is inside and he has done a really good job. Simpson said he recruited Scott out of HS at Miami and then he was a ball boy for the Falcons when he was there and he got to know him really well during summer training camps there. He said it is incredible to reconnect with him.

Simpson said the DTs are all crosstrained for 3-tech and he wants them to know both positions and he also gives them reps at DE or Rush to get to experience that so they have an understanding of how the whole D-line works and he will move DEs inside for a rack and that helps the togetherness of the D-line room. He said the football knowledge rises from that like I am an inside shade or an outside shade or I'm playing head up, backfield sets, tight end alignments and I'm expecting these blocks, he said that the best players in the world make great plays because they know and when you can look at the big picture of what is in front of you and get a vision of what will happen before the snap, then you can make plays. That is something he is trying to develop this spring and summer. The roles will tighten up closer to the season.

I asked him about Ayo Tifase and he said he is very raw, but has some really tools and real power. When he goes you feel him and right now it is about him learning what to do and how to be consistent with what you do.

Coach Pope said that his connection with Key obviously came from working together at Bama and they had a really good relationship there and that gave him something to build upon when Coach Key wanted to bring him in. He is very excited about working him again and getting Georgia Tech going again.

Pope said he is excited to work with Kevin Harris and he is working hard and has the natural athletic ability you look for in a rush and he wants to get the most out of his ability. He said he is very coachable and wants to learn and he is able to lean on him and he has done well so far.

Pope said his philosophy as a coach is keeping it simple, fast and violent. That is how they attack the field every day and when you turn on the film and see the guys coming off the edge you want to say they play fast and play violent and that is the mantra.

Pope said he is excited about his DE/OLB group and they love to work and love to be pushed and he is blessed to be the guy working with them.

Pope said they haven't looked at moving anyone else over to OLB/Rush, they have Harris, Jordan Boyd and Jacob Cruz on the scholarship side as pure rush/OLB types plus the other DEs that can flex over.

Pope said Jordan Boyd shows a lot of flashes and you look at his GPS numbers and you can forget that he should be in a HS math class right now and not on a college football practice field. He has a lot of potential and a very nice future ahead of him, but he is still a kid and makes new guy mistakes, but the effort is there and he has the willingness to learn to make up for that.

Pope said the chemistry with Coach Simpson is great and Pope has coached the whole D-line in the past and it has been a lot of fun with Simpson having the inside and him having the ends/edge guys because they can work together and he can learn from him. They are like-minded and both have the same outcome in mind for guys to be the best they can be. He has enjoyed working with Simpson every day.

Pope said he likes the end position guys like Eddie Kelly for example, all of them are hungry and determined and he likes the whole front of the D-line right now and it is a great group and they've got some flexilbity with the D-line and some ideas going into the summer now.

This is a really good hire. Loved this dude at USF and he is a grinder.

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media
There will be several recruits on campus this weekend, and some other news could drop as well.

I'll share that as I get it.

Brief story from the fast-rising defender.

Penson is about to blow up, but GT has cemented themselves as a serious contender if not the outright leader.
Login to view embedded media

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

So with the Masters 1 week away, I have started a Tradition (until one of these years I get selected for tickets) where I immerse myself in the 1st round of the Masters...where the TV is on and I'm following multiple screens on Masters.com.

It got me to thinking that there aren't many major sporting events that envelope a Thursday like that. I've listed the ones I can think of, but what do you think?

I've been up late watching basketball, but wanted to give you all some updates on what is going on with the portal, GT, and other things.

Login to view embedded media
Little Pippen is looking at other OVs still, Cal is one of the schools hoping to get an OV maybe this weekend (I haven't been able to confirm) and Florida is a dark horse that has gotten involved late. Scottie Pippen is pretty heavily involved and Scottie and Damon Stoudamire were teammates for four years in Portland so there is a level of trust and comfort with GT which is why I put in a FC for Pippen earlier this week. It is not done, but I feel like they are in a good spot with him. Scottie was on the OV with Justin and had a blast and apparently was very cool with everyone at GT and laid back like Stoudamire.

Looking at the portal, there hasn't been much action in terms of guys leaving yet. Georgia Tech was on spring break this week and some players went out of town. GT isn't shut down or anything so they could process the requests, but the kids are not in a rush to jump into the portal. To be honest, it is often better to wait a little bit and not get caught in the wave of kids jumping in immediately anyway. Some are trying to focus on finishing school strong or whatever else is going on, but Stoudamire knows where guys stand and obviously, there are still poaching attempts going on as well that they have to deal with as is the norm in the portal age.

They know what their number is going to be and the space they have for the portal. That lack of space is probably going to make GT very picky with the portal as well. They will jump in on obvious guys like Clifford Omoruyi (Rutgers) who everyone thinks is going to St. John's and is probably not in play, but Karl Hobbs will at least make that guy say no. I've seen some Rutgers people suggest that Mawot Mag is in play, but he is not a good fit for what they need at the moment as a tweener forward type who doesn't shoot well as long as guys like Kowacie Reeves and Tafara Gapare stick around. Hobbs knows all the Rutgers guys who went in and Rutgers fans hate Georgia Tech over Baye Ndongo and Jose Alvarado who they believe GT stole from them (they stole Baye, but Jose has told me himself he never wanted to go to Rutgers and this is a message board fantasy on their site). So keep that in mind when you see the connections. Everyone is going to try to be the first to guess where a portal target is going.

What GT needs primarily is a skilled big man who can start along side Ndongo. That is goal #1.

I think goal #2 is the best possible other player they can get in the portal that can help, hopefully, someone who can shoot threes and spread the floor or create their own shots.

So Dishon Jackson (Charlotte) fits the primary need, very solid center who played in the Pac 12 and in the AAC and had a great year and would be an upgrade over Ty Claude and what they got out of Ebenezer this year. Jackson was a 11.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 BPG in 26 MPG player. Shot 55% and 72% from the line. He is a California kid so I'm not sure if he wants to go back out that way, but that is a logical name to target.

Some guys who we think will be in the portal eventually are not in yet because their team is still playing like center Lynn Kidd at Virginia Tech. The Hokies won their NIT game and will play again. Some guys will be very hard to get like guard Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford) who already has interest from Indiana and Gonzaga and GT has a crowded backcourt.

Something else to keep in mind is every kid who says GT has been in contact with him could be talking to a coach or they could be talking to an intern or a support staff person who is just taking their temperature in case the staff likes them. So what we are watching for official visits and in-home visits.

It should be an interesting next two months. Stoudamire has some proof of concept to sell after taking down some big teams with a makeshift roster in year one and the development of two very good freshmen in Baye Ndongo and Nait George to show the coaching/development piece so that will help and I also think whatever tweaks to game style and how they are going to play moving ahead are now apparent to Stoudamire as well. He was coming in cold having never coached in the ACC or really even seeing the teams as a coach against them elsewhere as an assistant or head coach so there was a learning curve coming from the NBA at play.

2024 PWO commit Andrew Nelms, who I have recently learned is also a pretty good baseball player at Pope.

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media
Also visiting is 2026 Carrollton LB CJ Gamble, who does not yet have a profile.

DL coach Jess Simpson

DE coach Kyle Pope

Zeek Biggers

Kevin Harris

Makius Scott

I've been on daddy duty all day with my oldest on spring break, my wife in Miami for work and my youngest missing his mommy so I'm a little late getting this up.

Thoughts on Pat Kelsey at Louisville?
- With how quickly things moved leading to Damon’s hire, was Kelsey ever realistically close to getting the job here at any point in the process?
- Would you say he was the runner-up or was it Bob Richey?

KQ- I'm not sure what really happened with Kelsey or Richey with the GT job. Batt really liked Damon and that turned everything over very quickly. I think Kelsey or Richey would've done fine at GT, I think Damon is out recruiting them and the real question will be sustaining that and how his coaching looks when he has the type of roster from top to bottom built to run his system. It was cobbled together for year one with some guys who were not great man defenders or not good enough shooters or just inexperienced guys. The player development piece will be something to really watch going into year two with Damon. I think Kelsey should do fine at Louisville. He will have probably the third-largest NIL budget in the ACC next year to work with.


@Russell Johnson Considering how the baseball program is run, I can’t see Danny retiring without it being announced in advance in preseason so that he gets a retirement tour and gets his flowers on the way out. As this did not happen before the 2024 season, I can only assume he has no plans to leave. How bad would this have to get to fore it? His contract runs through 2025, so I assume he is getting next season no matter what.
KQ- Paging RJ

Is the current weight room being moved to the new Fanning Building.

KQ- Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I think it is moving but over to the East stands area. I really can't remember, but I'll try to ask tomorrow when I'm down there if I'm right about that.

Same song, upteenth verse with Baseball. Do you hear rumblings in your inner circles at the AA that this may be it for D Hall after this season if we keep sputtering along ?

KQ- There is a lot of smoke building to a large brush fire with each loss. They wanted to equip Danny Hall with the tools to win, that has been done and they still are not winning so I think the end is near, but it is baseball, they could snap and go on a run and have some grand finish.

who looks most ready to start among the freshmen? How about the transfers?

KQ- Keyland Rutledge even though he isn't out there is really an impressive looking OL for the portal guys, EJ Lightsey at LB portal, Warren Burrell portal guy, Jackson Hawes portal guy. Out of the freshmen, Jordan Floyd, Jordan Boyd, Anthony Carrie and Trelain Maddox are the most physically impressive off the top of my head.

1) who amongst the freshman looks like this years Eric Singleton? Any standing out in terms of athleticism?

KQ- The two freaks are Anthony Carrie at RB and Jordan Boyd at DE. Both are freaky athletes.

2) any early standouts from spring practices? Any players poised to make a big jump this upcoming season?

KQ- Evan Dickens is having a great spring as is Carrie and even Key has singled them out. Avery Boyd is another guy they are creating a role for in the offense. Defensively, Kyle Efford is responding well and Zeek and Horace could be primed to become a problem inside.

With all the pending legal actions against the ACC, as weak as it may seem, do you think that maybe pushes ESPN to opt out and renegotiate a deal to keep things in tact as a Conference?

KQ- Not really, they are getting all of that on a bargain even without Clemson and FSU down the road. The ACC will just go add USF and Memphis or something like that and be in a good position to be on par with the Big XII who is actually very weak in football when you break it down compared to GT. GT would be the second-best team over the last 20 years in the Big XII and that hasn't exactly been the highest point of GT football for the last six or seven years.

No one knows what is happening. No one knows what tomorrow will bring with CFB. If they make them employees and there is collective bargaining and all that shit then this all will get really interesting because no one wants to be on an even playing field amongst the big two. The whole thing is a giant debacle right now. Anyone telling you what will happen in 2026, 2028, 2030 or whatever is full of shit IMO.

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech football returned to the practice fields on Tuesday after two days off following a long scrimmage last Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium. After practice, offensive assistants Norv McKenzie and Geep Wade spoke to the media along with running back Jamal Haynes and offensive linemen Weston Franklin and Jordan Williams.

"We are not slowing down for the young guys. We can't slow down because are not a base offense with all our motions and shifts we don't slow down and the young guys have picked it up fast. They are football guys and they've picked it up fast. That is what we want, football junkies," Wade said.

Wade said that they've been working Ethan Mackenny at right guard now to build depth and he is rolling with Ben Galloway with the ones and twos at RG. Mackenny has also been learning right tackle.

Keylan is a guy we recruited that I have total belief in and he is a special kid and he is progressing and we are taking time with him. We started out with Ben working there and we made some changes and moved Ethan down to get some different looks, he moved down last Wednesday, this was his third practice at guard. He is a different kid now, it takes time to mature and he will be a special player and Ben is a player I have total faith in too and I feel good there.

Harrison Moore can play all five positions. They started him at center, moved him to tackle and guard and he is a guy they are very excited about because of his position flexibility.

Wade said they've tried to set a standard here since the very first meeting about how they are going to play and the standard for the Jackets on the field and he told every guy when they met for the first time this year, last year was last year and how they played last year doesn't matter and there is a new higher standard for this year. He said he expects the OL to work on their deficiencies just like he works on his deficiencies as a coach to become a better coach. He is holding them to the same standard he holds himself. He has worked really hard and they've worked really hard. They are working to build a culture here and it is never going to be 100% right or perfect, but if you have confidence, play fast and hit someone in the mouth, it'll take care of itself.

Wade said there were games last year where the O-line played bad and some were okay but they've got to be more consistent and it took until the end of the year to finally figure out who they are under Coach Key in his first year and now they have that understanding, they've got to run off the ball and we've got to run our feed on contact so there is always something, he said even on the last Thursday before the bowl game, at that position there is always something to fix.

Wade talked about how Corey Robinson got benched last year after game one and he worked his butt off for eight weeks straight after that and he helped them win games down the stretch as the LT. He has total believe in Corey at LT. He said that Jameson Riggs got to move up to the ones with Corey banged up and Jameson is just a football guy and it comes easy to guys like that. He doesn't look like a freshman out there, but he has some freshmen moments. He thinks when they come back in August, Riggs will really have elevated his game.

Wade said he doesn't care if someone is two inches shorter than they are supposed to be or 10 pounds less, it is more about the mentality and being able to do it on the field. He said that Tana Alo-Tupuola is a great example of that. He is a center at this level making all the calls and he has his moments, but he is wired the right way just like Riggs and he elevates his game every day. He feels great about the depth at center and Tana is with the twos and before spring is over they'll let him get some one reps to take some hits off Weston Franklin. Gabe Fortson has been the third-team center and they've moved him around after starting him out at guard in camp. Harrison Moore was at center for a few practices and did well, but they needed depth at other places and moved him to guard and Gabe back to center. Harrison has the athleticism they want at center. Tana is 314 pounds and is very athletic despite that and they want to get bigger in there at center and try to keep the same athleticism but get bigger.

On Jordan Williams, Wade said that he has higher expectations than Jordan even has for himself and he was playing at a high level but the end of last season. He needs to elevate his game to the another level and Jordan has played a lot of ball here, but one thing that has really improved with him is playing through minor nicks and dings and he is a different guy now. He thinks the world of Jordan and he can help them win a lot of games.

We spoke to Norv McKenzie and he said the big question is who will be the #2 running back replacing Dontae Smith behind Jamal Haynes going into spring ball and all the guys are pushing for that spot. He has Trey Cooley who played some last year and is in the mix along with Evan Dickens who is having a really strong spring ball and then Chad Alexander and Anthony Carrie who is a mid-year early enrollee and is doing extremely well. He thinks they have a good group of guys who are competing and doing all the little things right.

I asked about how they handle Trelain Maddox as he recovers from his knee injury and he said Trelain is a very mature kid who loves ball and it is pretty easy to keep a kid like that motivated. He is in every meeting and he calls on him in meetings and he is on the sideline taking mental reps and he is always keeping an eye on him to make sure he is doing that and what he loves about Maddox right now is he is playing the game without being able to play the game, he has a mature approach that will be a pro's approach to things. He walked back with him from practice today and they went over some plays that happened and even special teams reps to make sure he was paying attention to everything. He is still staying involved.

I asked about Carrie as well, he said that Carrie is having a good spring ball and you worry about how a freshman grasps the offense and how will they be in pass protection or if they are a physical kid or will they get bullied in pass protection and he is doing really well with the playbook and also doing fine in pass protection as well. He still has some things to learn in terms of where he fits in protection, but when it comes to fitting up on a guy and protecting, he has actually showed that he can and he is more than willing to and that is the biggest thing. Is he a willing blocker? So I'm excited about where he is right now and the progression he has taken from practice one to practice eight. McKenzie isn't worried about Carrie's confidence, he is a very confident kid and he takes to coaching.

McKenzie said he isn't worried about complanicy from Jamal Haynes because he loves ball. He is very competitive. They have a standard and is either above or below and he had a aura about him today because he wasn't up to the standard today and it bothers him. He said that he has a high standard for himself and when he doesn't reach it on a particular play he gets upset with himself. They have a great relationship and he reminds him he has to have short term memory out there and you can't let a bad play lead into another bad play or a bad series or a bad game. That is something they work on with Jamal.

On Trey Cooley, Norv said that he expects him to play like he did in the first two or three games of the season and they saw little glimpses of how he can play, but he wasn't consistent after the first two or three games, that word consistency is big for Trey this spring. He has shown flashes but it is a matter of doing it all the time on 2nd and one or 3rd and one. He is a talented player and they've talked a lot to him about honing in the same details of the run game and the pass game. He has embraced that and worked on it.

I asked McKenzie about more two-back sets and varying the use of the RBs more to get them more involved both in the pass game and unique running plays because of the experience and depth coming back offensively, he said that they were each assigned NFL teams to look at in the offseason and he got the 49ers and to look at what those organizations did well and fine tune things for the offense. He said when you watch NFL film you see a lot of 20 personnel and even plays with guys who have running backs type skills line up in the backfield or a RB flexes out and they had some of that, but it is something they can add more in year two to the offense.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech football’s 2024 White and Gold Game will be played on Saturday, April 13 at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.



Tech football’s annual spring game is the culmination of the Yellow Jackets’ spring practice season, and will be a part of a huge day of action on The Flats. In addition to the White and Gold Game, Georgia Tech men’s tennis hosts Virginia at noon, softball squares off against Louisville at 2 p.m. and baseball takes on Virginia Tech at 4 p.m., all at home.



Admission for the White and Gold Game is FREE. Additional information, including parking and broadcast arrangements, will be finalized in the coming weeks.



The White and Gold Game is the first opportunity for fans to see the 2024 Yellow Jackets in action before they head to Dublin, Ireland for the highly anticipated season opener against defending ACC champion Florida State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on Saturday, Aug. 24. Official Georgia Tech travel and ticket packages are available at gt2ireland.com.



Georgia Tech finished 7-6 overall and 5-3 in ACC play in 2023 (good for a tie for fourth place in the 14-team ACC) and won the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl championship with a 30-17 victory over UCF. The Yellow Jackets return 17 starters, including all-ACC honorees DL Zeek Biggers, OL Joe Fusile, RB Jamal Haynes, QB Haynes King, WR Eric Singleton, Jr. and OL Jordan Williams.