I thought they always had a scrimmage on Saturday's? Just surprised only two updates have been provided during the first week of practice, was hoping for more.

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech football dodged bad weather for the last practice before spring break begins on the Flats with a two-hour Friday morning session outside. Light rain fell across the city, but Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key and his players powered through the rain before a 10-day break. After practice, new Jackets' defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci made his media debut and talked about his new defensive and his linebacker position group.

Santucci described his new defensive scheme.

"We play with five DBs, two high safeties, a nickel and two corners. We play with two linebackers, a buck linebacker and a Mike linebacker and then we play with four defensive linemen, one is a rush, one is a tackle, one is a nose and one is an end," Santucci said. "We have the personnel that we need here and we have the right body types and we have the right people, we just have to continue to grow."

In his room, Santucci has three new players, two transfers and a true freshman, E.J. Lightsey (UGA transfer), Jackson Hamilton (Louisville transfer) and Tah'j Butler (true freshman) and he is excited about all three players.

"Jackson Hamilton has done some really good things on the field in the first three days. I think he has the ability to use his hands really well. He has short-area quickness and has explosion in his body. He has to continue to grow," Santucci said.

Lightsey has been recovering from an injury and limited so far in camp, but they are expecting him back later in camp.

"E.J. is slowly coming back and we will continue to work him making sure that we are urgent getting him back, but we don't rush him so he can get some quality reps this spring so he hasn't really been on the field yet," he said.

Butler has already impressed the new defensive staff in his first few practices out of high school.

"Tah'j is fun to coach. He is a fun kid to be around and he is running with the twos at times right now. I think he is picking it up and if even if he doesn't know what he is doing, he is going hard and he is going fast. He shows up to meetings and learns and gets a little better every day," he said.



Santucci said that the installation of the defense is a systematic process and is built around the players and they are in the infancy stages of it right now. He said the emphasis right now is how they go about their business, how they attend meetings and the intent when they approach things and cross the lines. How they play together and swarm to the football is critically important and the foundation of the defense. This is what we are doing and this is why we are doing it. He said right now his focus is on how they practice and how they pay attention in meetings and how they communicate with one another both visually and verbally. He wants to gather small wins in the things they are doing right now and putting guys into positions to have success.

Santucci said his initial conversations with Key were about the fact that he needed someone to run the defense, but also someone he felt comfortable with and foundationally they believe in a lot of the same things about what a football team is about. That is being tough, creating bonds that are meaningful for the rest of these kids' lives and coaches having bonds with each other too. He knew that Georgia Tech was near and dear to Coach Key's heart and that all combined brought him to GT.

On run defense, he said he is not sure what happened here a year ago other than you see things statistically, but to him, he starts everyone at square one and they have no preconceived notions on anyone or anything. He wants to build it from square one and they can't skip steps and can't cheat steps and they want to get it done in a timely manner. "It all starts with how they play, our effort that we play with and how we communicate, how we treat one another and how we care about one another and if we do those things I feel like we'll get to where we need to get to and hopefully that helps that problem," he said.

Santucci said the guys are eager to be coached and are willing to show up each and every day and be coached. They want to know the why and asked them why are they doing this? Those are his favorite guys to be around and the guys have shown up every day and not relented and that is all he can aks from day one. They are asking for some blind faith from the players and are getting it. They give them clear explanation and they understand it and take it and run with it.

Santucci said building relationships is a key piece of this and he has been working on that since January. Being around the guys at practice, at dinner or going to class to get on them or whatever. Coach Simpson (DL), Coach Pope (OLB/Rush), Coach Peoples (DB) and Coach Brumfield (CB/SPC) have a revolving open door to build experiences and relationships and just being present during voluntary honors so they see them around. He said that is critically important at this stage.

Santucci said that there is a lot of stress put on the LBs in this defense and they are starting to understand that and how important it is to communicate on the field. He said they need to learn quick and if you learn slow it can take you a while to catch up. Tren Tatum had a good two or three days and it is good to have him back and Kyle Efford back and they will continue to work.

Santucci said working at ND, Wake and Duke has helped him understand Georgia Tech and the type of athletes attracted to the school and also who to target in recruiting and you want the right type of kids at a place like this that is a top public university in the country academically and they can't shy away from that and are pretty frank when talking to kids and even the players on the team about their challenges academically and how they can help them or if they need extra time with tutors or whatever. Academics are very important to the players at GT and he wants to make sure they have the right experience so they can have a successful life not only a football career.

With the nickel, they have a lot of different shapes and sizes and it is their job to figure it out with the players. They are looking for short area quickness, good top end speed, good strength, the ability to fit the run and down the field ability on the ball in the air. They are looking for all of those things because it is a hybrid skill set where they play some corner, some safety, get down and play slot corner and get their nose in the run.

6 starts and 5 missed cuts.

Shot 2-over today at The Players Championship and will need to go very low tomorrow to make the cut.

Only other Jacket playing this week is Chesson Hadley. And he shot 3-over today

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The following recruits from Jonesboro (Ga.) are there as well-

2025 DL Jeremiah Ticket
2026 DB Jontavius Wyman
2026 DB Jamar Owens
2026 LB Jerimia Collier
2026 DB Cortez Redding

FRI- TBD
SAT- Aeden Finateri
SUN- Logan McGuire

Full preview coming in Ramblings, along with a weekend preview for recruiting.

Now is the time to cut them loose from the ACC altogether.
CFP going to 14 teams

Tyler Santucci

Zeek Biggers

I didn't have time to fool with this yesterday or until now due to travel and some family stuff and an unexpected internet outage (thanks Xfinity).

A not particularly riveting media session with Buster Faulkner on Wednesday. I missed it due to excess capacity at the Washington airport.

Faulkner was asked what the next step for the offense is and he said winning and competing for an ACC Championship. He said they have a lot of guys back and early enrollees so they have 38 of the 43 guys expected to be on scholarship in the fall already on campus right now to build continuity. It is a new season, what they did last year doesn't matter and they are looking to improve and be more explosive in the passing game and run effectively.

With the install, Faulkner said the extra 15 practices in the bowl game helped keep the guys sharp and helped with retention and that has been really high. They retained the info he gave them last fall and now they've added to it and different tweaks and put guys in different positions to them on the field. Fundamentals are big as well.

On having Haynes King back, it is huge, you've got an experienced quarterback that had some success back and everything runs through the eyes of the QB. It is the same thing with Zach Pyron as well, he has a guy who got a bunch of reps last year in practice and both those guys are really smart and work with Coach Weinke on a daily basis and their retention is high and they are highly competitive kids. That is a huge part of it all. Haynes mid-summer last year really took on a leadership role and that has continued to grow and it has been great in the offseason and the rest of the guys look to him as well. He is established now and they've got a year under their belt with him at QB now to know what his strengths and weaknesses are as well as them now knowing the receivers' and running backs' strengths and weaknesses and how to use that information.

On if they have the pieces to be more explosive in the passing game, last year we were explosive in the passing game, but that goes hand in hand with all 11. It is not just the QB, not just the receiver, the O-line, the TEs and the protection and the RBs as well. "Do we have the pieces? Yes I believe we have the pieces, but that is not just the pieces on the perimeter it is the pieces up front and then also in the backfield and at tight end so to make it go we need all 11," Faulkner said.

On the two freshmen QBs, Aaron Philo and Graham Knowles, it is big then arrived in January and you are seeing that across CFB now at every position, but it all started with QBs enrolling early so they can learn the offense to compete for the job. The best thing for those two kids and their first is they don't have to play right now. They can bring them along slowly to continue to develop them and get them as many reps as they can. In college often the older you are the better you are and those kids don't have to play right now. We excited they are here and we look forward to developing them and it is good they are getting the extra 15 practices and don't have to wait until the summer to get here because they can compete now. Both have bright futures.

On position changes in camp, nothing like Jamal Haynes last year to RB. It is more about finding different roles for guys to get on the field more. He thinks they are very deep in the WR room so they want to find ways to get multiple guys on the field from that room so they are experimenting with some things right now.

On the WRs coming off significant injuries last year, Chase Lane, Leo Blackburn and James BlackStrain, Chase was our leading receiver at the time when eh went down last year and he came back game eight or nine but he was ever 100% and whenever that injury happens it takes long than you think, but he was able to get a bunch of reps in bowl practice and kind of get back. He looks great. He has had an unbelievable offseason and probably looks faster and more explosive than he did a year ago.

On Leo, he got three maybe four practices last year and you saw flashes of a guy that can be really good. The one thing he brings is some size in that room. They are bringing him back slowly and being smart with him since it is not even a year out. They want his confidence to get really high and they are going to be smart with the way they rep him, but he expects him to have a really good season.

He skipped over BlackStrain, the media didn't ask for him to follow up on it.

On Haynes King's leadership, the biggest thing is he will get in front of the team now and it is easier for him to do that and rally the group and then go throw. Haynes understands what comes with the position and all of the things including the way you act off the field and the way you carry yourself. He speaks to everybody in the building, he is awesome and they are glad he is here and his leadership is getting better and better.

On Isiah Canion, he tore his labrum late in his senior season and he had surgery on it so he won't practice with us much other than some routes on air and non-contact stuff. He looks very explosive and he can catch the ball. You can watch his high school film and see what he was able to do.

On Trent McKnight, he as a history of developing receivers and building great relationships with his guys and a great track record of evaluating and recruiting within the state of Georga so that is a big hire for them and he was a guy who obviously called plays well so he sees it in several different way and he is glad he is here and the WRs have done a great job of taking to him and Faulkner expects big things out of that room.

ATLANTA, Ga. – Georgia Tech future Yellow JacketDanielle Carnegie has been named the 2023-24 Gatorade Georgia Girls Basketball Player of the Year, as the list of prestigious award winners were announced on Thursday. Carnegie, who signed a national letter of intent with Georgia Tech in November, is the first honoree to be chosen from Grayson High School.

In its 39th year, the award celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishing Carnegie as Georgia’s best high school girls basketball player.

Carnegie helped lead Grayson High School to a 32-0 record and the Class 7A state championship this past season. The Loganville, Ga., native averaged 21.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.9 steals per game. In the state final game against North Paulding High School, Carnegie produced 21 points and eight rebounds to help propel the Rams to a 65-44 victory.

The 5-9 guard is a three-time Regional Player of the Year and 2022 Class 6A State Player of the Year. She is ranked the nation’s No. 47 recruit in the Class of 2024 by Prospects Nation.

In the community, Carnegie has volunteered locally as a youth basketball coach and donated her time at her school’s Special Education prom. Carnegie success carries over to the classroom where she has maintained a weighted 3.79 GPA.

Carnegie is part of Tech’s No. 19-ranked recruiting class by ESPN that consists of four locals to the Atlanta area – Carnegie, Gabbie Grooms(Sharpsburg, Ga./Landmark Christian), Tianna Thompson (Mableton, Ga./The Galloway School) andChazadi “Chit Chat” Wright (Decatur, Ga./Wesleyan).

It is going to be a busy weekend for the talented PG, who is in the semi-finals of the playoffs at OTE.

Davis and RWE have a game at 9pm tonight and 7pm tomorrow, but he’ll be on the Georgia Tech campus this weekend as well.

Davis will also be on an official visit this weekend, per sources at OTE.
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Inserting a bit of a plug here, but figured it wouldn’t hurt. I’ve received emails from the GT marching band director asking for gift donations to help the Band offset some of the costs of taking the Band to Dublin next season. With having college game day present there, I think it would be beneficial to have the full marching band there (versus the possibility of having a limited size band) to promote the excellence of the school and the support behind the program. If anyone is feeling generous, please consider dropping a few funds their way. I would hope this is being blasted to all alumni and fans, but just in case:

Donation link.
In special purpose field, put “Music - GT Band Trip – Ireland”.

Go Jackets

Buster Faulkner
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Haynes King
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Just checked and GT hosts VT the weekend of the spring game. Just random or do they plan it that way? FSU on purpose avoids having the spring game when baseball is home. It blows me away how dumb that is. Its such a great chance to get more interest in baesball from new fans.

Is Alberts sick of the circus or does A&M just pay that much more?

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Updated D1 Baseball Top 25
6. Duke
7. Wake
10. Clemson
13. NC State (3 at home this weekend)
15. UNC
17. UVA
18. Auburn

Of note, Florida State is undefeated against a pretty weak slate so far.

1 - Surprised there’s not a thread already.
2 - They played Northeastern better than us in game 2 of their 2 game series and played Okie St tight.
3 - How about Ballard!
4 - I assume Busse is injured?

Baye Ndongo said it was extremely difficult playing through his fast. He said he felt like he had no power today.

Miles Kelly said he has not made a decision about next year yet, whether he will come back or pursue going pro or anything else. He said he will discuss it with some trusted people when the time is right. Kelly did say he really likes the duo of Nait George and Baye Ndongo and what coach Stoudamire is building.

I talked to Deebo Coleman as well. He also declined to indicate his intentions. He was pretty upset about the outcome of the game.

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With everything going on I pushed this back until I was in my hotel in DC able to focus on it a little more.

83 FBS teams have at least 1 2025 commit. 13 ACC teams have at least 1 2025 commit. 22 teams have at least 5 commits. On a scale of 1-10, how concerning is it that we have no 2025 commits?

KQ- Not very. If you look at the lower end of the league you'll see some very average commits and guys GT would be able to get if they offered for example. Some schools like to load up early and hang on like Dave Clawson at Wake who has 7 right now. I think Key also decided to let his new staff get in place and let them do evals before they jumped into pushing for commits from too many targets. They just replaced exactly 1/2 of the on-the-field staff and all but one person in the recruiting office.

I wasn't on JOL during the MaChelle Joseph saga. Can you shed some light on what happened there and the result? According to LinkedIn, it looks like she is a realtor now.

KQ- This is always a hot topic for like 2-3 people on here so essentially it boiled down to Joseph being accused of inappropriate behavior toward her players namely abusing them verbally and bullying them. ADTS fired her and then the NCAA hit GT over the whole saga as well during covid.

Here is Ken's story on it, it is not paywalled.


What’s the best College Football Environment and Basketball Environment you ever been at?

KQ- CFB was probably LSU at night for an SEC game of consequence back in the early or mid-2000s. For basketball, I mean it is Duke with Coach K and GT having a decent team. I sat on the court taking pictures for one of those games about 10 feet away from the Duke bench and that was pretty intense. Rupp Arena is pretty impressive for hoops as well.

Through the years we’ve had some really good coaches pass through The Flats. A few duds but more good than not. Some great recruiters, some excellent with development. a few great motivators, and a handful brilliant tacticians. I’m not qualified to judge, but that doesn’t prevent me.

Great recruiter? If a staff had Choice, McWhorter, MCCollum and Giff Smith they’d own the Jmmys and Joes market. Worst recruiter? Steve Spurrier edges out Buddy Geiss. Excellent developer? D’Alasandris (sp?) always impressed me. Motivator? Well he frequently lapsed into being sanctimonious but Bill Curry could get his players, just as importantly, his coaches, to run through a wall. Brilliant tactician? “The Silver Fox” was a gamer but also had a mystique which caused other coaches to choke. And we had a HC who never played the game, an awkward guy from west Carolina, give our opponents fits with his game day tactics.

Which coaches are in the KQ HOF?

KQ- So are you asking me who are the HOF recruiters in GT history? Sorry I got a little confused with the question.

Will Leo be back for the spring or is he still having problems?

KQ- What problems was he having other than his two ACL injuries that were both fluke plays? Leo is back and 100%.

Who should tell Gapare to never venture out to the 3 point line and attempt a three?

KQ- The issue is that is part of the scheme and you'll see Ty Claude or Baye go out there as well, though Baye is shooting like 4-10 from three or 5-12 or something not terrible. That is probably something Damon will have to look at when he works on the offense, however Gapare has and can hit that three, he is short arming them in games for some reason.

What are the names of five players you think well of who you think coukd have a standout spring and claim, for now, a place in the two deep?

KQ- So off the top of my head from guys who didn't play last year a meaningful role, Ben Galloway at guard as he jumped into the two-deep by the final five games of the season and should get a ton of reps at RG with Keylan Rutledge out for at least most of the spring ball. Next would be someone like Taye Seymore who the staff loved and he was sort of stuck because of the three-headed monster at safety last year. I expect he will play more this fall. I would not be surprised to see Anthony Carrie crack the two deep at RB and Isiah Canion at WR either. Jackson Long the R-So who came last year from USF is another one I'm really curious about because they were pretty high on him early on and then he was not dressing after the first few games of the season.

Can you provide any more insight to the DJ Moore move to DB? I recall last year speculation that he could see the field as a freshman at wide receiver. Is our wide receiver room that good or we lacking DB talent and he could be in the two deep there?

KQ- Brent talked about it last season when I asked him about it probably around the final couple of games of the season. Key said that he got hurt and fell behind in the WR room and they liked his ball skills watching him on scout team play some DB and he moves well and is fluid and isn't afraid of contact so they've tried him there and he has taken to the position and is performing better there than he was at WR so he has stayed and they ended up flipping Justin Brown back from safety to WR instead of Moore for camp.

Considering how well Dukes defense did last year, can you compare our front seven with their talent wise? Are they that much better or could we assume an improved defense in the front seven.

KQ- Brother you are giving me way too much credit thinking I watch that much ACC football. I watched two full Duke games last year just watching because they were playing and I was home and it was game on, one was Clemson and the other may have been UNC. GT didn't play them so I wasn't following too closely, but maybe post-spring when I have some quieter time I'll take a look at that.

What are some position battles you'll be looking at for Spring?

KQ- That'll be something I write about during spring break week where GT will be off mid-spring ball, but I think RB#2, the X position at WR and the TEs are the main ones I'm looking at one on offense and defensively, the LB rotation and the nickel spot are two I'm focused on over there.

- Why does Georgia Tech University continue to be a thing?

KQ- GTU forever! So kids couldn't tell you what the mascot of Ohio State is, so you are surprised you'll see a GTU?

Several of the incoming freshman look like they have the talent to compete for playing time this year. How many of the incoming class will have the physical attributes (weight, strength, speed, etc) to realistically compete for playing time this season?

KQ- I mean I look at Carrie at RB, the two young WRs who are in spring ball and Tah'j Butler as being the four guys who have the best shot out of the box. Jordan Floyd looks like a NFL vet out there, but those guys typically take longer to see the field.

What does the media availability look like for spring practice?

KQ- I have no idea, they gave us a one-day schedule so far and that was just Monday. WIth basketball overlapping, they are holding back on doing something on Wednesday and Friday is Pro Day, so we haven't received anything else. The added issue of the Edge Building being torn down complicates everything I'm sure as well.

O/U 1.5 games won in DC this week for basketball?

KQ- My take has been the same for over a week. I think they will either beat Notre Dame and Wake or they will lose to ND and be done. I think that is how they play.

We have 2 LB coming into Spring with game reps - Tatum & Efforts - are you hearing who may provide depth/competition from the Spring Roster?
Lightsey, Hamilton, Dean - transfers
Meiguez, Cruz, Ashley. - roster
Butler, Pritchett - Frosh

KQ- Tatum and Efford have extensive experience, I expect that EJ Lightsey, Jackson Hamilton and Tah'j Butler will play. The big question is how much can Jacob Cruz or Nacari Ashley help. I don't see Tyson Meiguez playing much of a role, he has been on the team forever. I'm not sure who Pritchett is, the Pritchett that signed is a safety who will be here in the summer time. Caleb Dozier the other LB signee is not in spring camp, he also comes this summer.

I think the staff expect Tatum, Efford, Lightsey and either Hamilton or Butler to make up the core LB depth. Anything else is a bonus at this point, but it is a new staff so it is a clean slate for guys like Cruz or Ashley.

Current chances in your estimation of landing:

- Davis?
- Pippen?
- Onwuchekwa?

KQ- I really don't know, I don't think the staff knows yet either. Some coaching movement may sort it out for GT after this week as guys get fired or get another year.

Tomorrow there will be practice and media with Buster and Haynes King. I will not be there because I couldn’t get my flight changed to the morning (had to hedge on GT winning at least one game in DC) but I’ll break listen to it and give updates.

Friday we get Santucci for the first time and a I think Zeek plus Gt will have Pro Day so I’ll be on the Flats for most of the day.

The team is then off for 10 days for spring break. That’s when I’ll focus on a lot of spring football analysis stuff that folks have been asking about. I knew that break was looming.

Georgia Tech began spring football practice Monday with a two-hour session on the Rose Bowl practice fields. Second-year head football coach Brent Key spoke with the media after practice and detailed his five new assistant coach hires including his all-new defensive staff.

Key said that new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci was the first person he spoke to about the open defensive coordinator position when he decided to move on from the previous defensive staff and several weeks later he hired him to lead the Jackets defense.

"You go through the process of talking to people for different spots and we were really lucky to hire Tyler for defensive coordinator," Key said. "He was the very first person I talked to and fast forward 4-5-6 weeks later, he ends up being the guy that we were fortunate enough to be able to get."

Santucci is only 35 years old but Key said he coaches like an experienced veteran coach twice his age.

"He is a wise past his years. You forget a lot of the time what his age actually is especially when you see the energy he coaches with but also the detail he coaches with and the toughness he coaches with. He has been around really good coaches in his career and the outstanding thing about him is when you look at what he has been able to do and what he did at the last place he was at (Duke), he had a group of guys that played cohesive and played together," Key said. Yeah, they were good statistically, but that is because of the way they were coached and the expectations demanded of them."

Prior to hiring Santucci, Key brought in Jess Simpson who happened to be Santucci's defensive line coach at Duke. The former Buford HS coach and Atlanta Falcons assistant was a priority hire for Key because of the boxes he checked."Jess is a guy I've known for a long time. He is as respected as anyone there is out there as a defensive line coach. It is just the relationships that he is able to have with those players in the room and when you have those relationships you are able to push them to do a lot of things with them to push them out of their comfort zones. I thought that is what we needed but he is also a very detailed coach and very technique-driven to (make his guys) strong technicians. He has coached at every level and had success at every level," Key said of Simpson.

Working alongside Simpson, Key hired Kyle Pope who was the defensive line GA at Alabama when Key was the offensive line coach under Nick Saban. Pope was most recently at Memphis prior to coming to the Flats. Key said he likes the chemistry between Simpson who coaches the defensive line and Pope who will coach the edge rushers and outside linebackers in subpackages.

"Kyle was a graduate assistant in Tuscaloosa with us and just the energy he had at a young age then as a coach and a recruiter was impressive. He goes about it the same way every day and the recruiting part is huge as well all know. He has proven to be a very successful recruiter working at a couple of different places and has improved upon what he was doing as a GA six or seven years ago and he developed that and has become an even better coach. I'm really excited about having him working with edges and outside backers if we go into a 3-4 mode. Kyle and Jess working together is a really good pairing and they feed off each other and I really expect big things out of those two guys."

New secondary coach Cory Peoples came to Tech from Georgia State to round out the new on-the-field hires on the defensive side of the ball.

"Corey was right down the road and he was one of the first people I talked to at that position and the relationships he had with people in the area were big. When you talk to people whether it be local high school coaches or former players that he coached, everything was super positive. Cory was able to do a lot with the guys he brought into his last place and his relationships with coaches in the area were very important," Key said of the Peoples hire.

Key also added to the plate of special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield putting him in charge of the cornerback positions."Ricky who has been here for a year already coaching special teams, adding corners with him allows him to affect things in a different way with another position group and allows him to use his recruiting skill even more than we were able to last year," Key said.

On the offensive side, the only change was the hiring of Trent McKnight as receivers coach. McKnight joined the staff late last month after the sudden departure of McKnight's former boss Shawn Elliott from Georgia State started a ripple effect with Dell McGee getting hired to be the head coach of the Panthers from UGA and UGA hiring Josh Crawford away from the Jackets to replace him as the running backs coach flipping him from being a long-time receivers coach.

"Trent we hired two weeks ago I believe, you are able to see him out there for the first time with the guys and I'm excited to able to watch him," Key said. "I'm looking for him to coach receivers and be able to recruit his area and his position at a high level as well."

Key said he contacted former players, high school coaches, and fellow college coaches to vet all of his new hires.

Seeing as FOS has over 250,000 followers on Instagram.

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