Feel free to delete this if we have something, but no thread for the Natty seems like it needs to change. Let’s go Huskies!

Chad and I spoke to Damon Stoudamire this morning ahead of the ND game tomorrow night late at McCamish 9 pm tipoff

Damon said it is a big game for his team and they've got to start finishing games and stop blowing big first half leads which they've done in two of the last four games they've played (Hawaii and BC). He said blowing the lead was the most disappointing part of the loss on Saturday.

Damon said the blown leads are a function of not playing defense and getting stops more than stagnant offense or anything else (i.e. refs) in those games. He said human nature is to let up after you miss a shot on offense and the players are letting their offensive struggles impact their effort on defense. He said he isn't worried about making or missing shots on offense, but everyone being accountable on D. He also said they had an error in their scouting on one of the BC players and that led to a couple of easy threes, and they got away with some mistakes in the first half they didn't hit but got burned in the second half on bad switches.

He said that they have to run and get in space to win and he wants his guys to understand that starts with D and even if teams leak back like FSU did, they can still score in transition by pushing the ball.

Damon Stoudamire said that Carter Murphy is getting healthy (ankle) and they've missed him a little, he feels like could helped them in Hawaii and in the BC game.

Both Amaree Abram and Ibrahim Souare were back at practice after missing several days with the flu.

This is one that GT is in a very good place with currently. They will get him if they want him imo
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Amaree Abram and Ibrahim Souare both practiced today per Stoudamire. Carter Murphy is still out with an ankle injury but is getting closer.

wild that it was actually done on Sunday.

Another one I’ve been expecting.
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Anyone received any information on football 🏈 season tickets? Long time season ticket holder and I haven’t received any updates!

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech student-athletes put together one of the most successful academic semesters on record for Tech athletics last fall, highlighted by a 3.14 mean grade point average.



The Yellow Jackets’ 3.14 grade point average during the Fall 2023 semester is the second-highest mean GPA on record for Georgia Tech student-athletes, surpassed only by a 3.23 GPA posted during the Covid-19-intetrruped Spring 2020 term. The 3.14 GPA marks the 10th time in the last 11 semesters that Tech student-athletes have compiled a GPA of 3.0 or higher and is an impressive 9% improvement over the Fall 2022 term (the Jackets had a 3.08 GPA during the Spring 2023 semester).



“We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes for achieving one of the most successful academic semesters in Georgia Tech athletics history,” director of athletics J Batt said. “Their drive and talent in the classroom will not only lead to great success in life beyond athletics, but also directly correlates to success on the fields and courts.



“In addition, I’d like to thank and congratulate our coaches and staff – including our outstanding academic support team – for providing our student-athletes with resources and motivation to achieve their academic goals.”



Ten of Georgia Tech’s 13 programs* - baseball, men’s cross country/track and field, women’s cross country/track and field, golf, softball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball – had team GPAs of 3.0 or higher in the spring semester, led by golf (3.68 – top overall team GPA) and women’s tennis (3.45 – top women’s team GPA).



Additionally, nine teams – baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country/track and field, football, golf, softball, men’s swimming and diving, and volleyball – improved their team GPAs from the spring semester, led by men’s basketball (up 20% from spring), softball (up 12%) and golf (up 10%). Golf’s, softball’s (3.41) and men’s cross country/track and field’s (3.40) team GPAs were program records, while football posted its highest GPA on record for a fall (in-season) semester and was a whopping 28% higher than the previous fall term (2022).



Individually, 64% of Tech’s student-athletes compiled a 3.0 GPA or higher in the spring semester and 51% earned Dean’s List or Faculty Honors designation. The Yellow Jackets’ first-year student-athletes combined to earn a 3.12 GPA during the spring semester, while student-athletes pursuing graduate certificates, master’s degrees or a Ph.D. had a mean GPA of 3.73.



Georgia Tech student-athletes continue to achieve great academic success while pursuing valuable, yet challenging, majors, with 83% of its 417 student-athletes majoring in engineering, business, sciences or computing during the fall semester.



Georgia Tech athletics also boasts a 92% graduation success rate in the latest data provided by the NCAA last month. The 92% NCAA GSR is an all-time high for Tech, which had never achieved a GSR above 85% prior to 2016. Ten of the Yellow Jackets’ 13 teams – women’s basketball, men’s cross country/track and field, women’s cross country/track and field, football, golf, softball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis and volleyball – have individual team GSRs equal to or higher than the national average in their respective sports.



* for academic reporting purposes, Tech’s cross country/indoor track and field/outdoor track and field teams are compiled as one men’s and one women’s program

I know everyone has been plotting conspiracies, wondering about X, Y, Z, and so forth. I've been laughing my ass off at some of the conjecture from posters on here about what is going on.

This week is the first real week of serious interviews and whatnot. Key has cast a wide net and my top list of candidates was pretty dead on per a very highly placed source who was impressed with how many I nailed. There are two others in play that would be big names as well. Key hasn't been shy about reaching out and making the ask to gauge interest from DCs. I am holding back putting those names out until I confirm they actually had a serious interview because it usually just causes a shitstorm and burns sources if it is not serious. As an example, he talked to Sean Lewis in the last cycle during his OC search and he was the hottest name at the time in CFB. Key isn't afraid to interview people or make the ask. It worked out great with Buster Faulkner and that was a long process to make that decision. Key isn't going to be rushed into a hire.

The AFCA convention is this weekend as well and that is typically the time when a lot of business gets done.

Out of my initial list of serious candidates, I would scratch Kevin Sherrer off the list. I think he may stick around in some capacity, but I just don't see him being the DC hire.

As others have noted, there hasn't been a hire. Key didn't hire Jess Simpson because he is hiring Tyler Santucci. That is not really how DC hires work. Nick Saban hired his entire staff and put Kevin Steele in. CPJ did the same thing with each of his DCs with Nate Woody being the only one who even added an assistant (Shiel Wood in his case) from his own tree. Offense is more predicated on chemistry and experience working together and most defensive staffs are based on specific positions as the schemes are not exactly rocket science to teach.

Key is exploring every avenue per my sources and putting his GT brain to work. The program is run with Key as the CEO and he is not trying to coach the offense or the defense, but instead run the ship and make the big calls and build the personnel to fit within what he wants. He also understands his own coaching limitations something others who have been in charge here didn't.

Another thing to note is Key is keeping this very quiet, unlike the OC search. I think he is really trying to hit a home run here like he did with the Simpson hire and doesn't want to create drama or get much leaked out until he has it wrapped up.

People are going to ask about UNC and LSU openings and if that impacts things. I'm not sure. LSU is after the Mizzou DC, if the Mizzou DC takes it then they'll promote from within to replace him. UNC, I have no clue. He hired Chizik out of retirement and before that Jay Bateman from Army at the time. I'm not sure a lot of guys are going to line up for Mack Brown at the moment given how poorly that has gone for several guys.

figured it was worth doing a combo story. As Russell said, I expected both to go through spring ball and then enter.

GaTech lost some depth with the departures of veterans Jakiah Leftwich (OL) and Tyson Meiguez (LB) as grad transfers on Monday. https://georgiatech.rivals.com/news...eiguez-headed-to-the-portal-as-grad-transfers

With talk about how we will scheme defense next year, I’ve been checking out lots of different options including 3-3-5, cover 4/6 stuff, sim pressure stuff, etc.

Minter @ Michigan does damn near everything. Here’s a great article with Minter going into detail.

Check it out.



Michigan's defense tends to play in either a 4-2-5 or a 2-4-5 depending on if you consider the EDGE rushers linebackers or defensive ends. More importantly, they use 5 defensive backs a lot.

Will enter the portal as a grad transfer.
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Thanks to our sponsor Inteleca for helping bring back Q's Take my weekly look at things around GT and college sports from my vantage.




I've enjoyed reading the DC search thread at times (minus the infighting) and seeing some of the funny names that have popped up as people put on tinfoil hats. The truth is Brent Key is keeping this intentionally under wraps. There are a lot of balls in the air and this week was the first serious week of interviews and vetting done by Key. He veered outside of my list as well in those interviews as I expected just like he did with his OC search. Key is not afraid to shoot his shot and he did the same thing before a really intensive search landed him with Buster Faulkner last year. I believe he interviewed 14 different OCs in person before going with Faulkner. I can count on one hand how many people Key has interviewed so far in person for the DC gig so this may take some time.

Some people have other jobs and the majority of the targets are not unemployed DCs.

Key is not going to rush into making a hire to satisfy anyone or speed up his process and he showed it with the OC hire. Key was named HC coach on Nov. 29, 2022, and he hired Buster almost two full weeks later despite the early signing period and not having to coach a bowl game or have holidays or guys still coaching games brushing against the search.

This one is different because some guys are on vacation, some guys are working currently elsewhere and some guys have multiple job offers as well they are mulling over. Key does not have $2.5 million to drop on a DC like Brian Kelly at LSU. When you can cut a check like that, you can move really fast if you want to.

GT has a budget, a decent one, but still a budget.

Key held out for Buster last time and he is going to trust his instincts and training and make sure he makes the right hire not a fast one.

The process will take as long as it takes. Nick Saban took a full month to hire Tommy Rees as OC last year and about as long hiring Kevin Steele as DC at ALABAMA. They both started after the second NSD.

Everyone is excited about GT football again and that is awesome, but the process will take as long as Key needs it to.

I'll share more after the hire is made like I did when Buster was hired and we will do our best to share what we can. The list is a lot more than unemployed coaches and Key even planted some bad rumors early on to fake some people out that I sniffed out and shot down.

Key values coaching, player development, but personality fit within his organization and that last bit helped put Buster over the top last time. I'm very curious to see how this plays out and my sources indicate Key has worked very hard to cast a huge net through his coaching connections so it isn't just guys he worked with or whatever. I think people are too hung up on that as well. No one he has hired other than Kevin Sherrer actually worked with Key before on the current on-the-field staff for 2024 other than Chris Weinke and that was here under MoBS.

So enjoy the process, feel free to speculate or whatnot and be nice to each other.

Is there any players that didn’t sign on Early Signing Day worth going after, not necessarily J Gibbs quality, just worth persuing. In general how many late signers are available?

KQ- Not any household names on the GT end as of right now. I think GT will focus more on the portal from here out through the start of the 2024 season. They signed 24 HS players that is a lot in this day and age.

Aaron Philo is rated as a 3 star. He broke the all time passing record for the state of Georgia. Why was he not moved up to a 4 star? I’ve read how Rivals determines the rating and it seems they missed on Philo.

KQ- I think there is a decent chance he gets bumped. Production does not equate to star ranking, however.

The All-time leading rusher in state history is Jordan Triplett (2024) RB committed to Air Force.

The All-time leader in receiving yards is Jaden Gibson (2023) signed with UVA, 3-star.

That is not the argument, stats are not the be-all end-all. Philo is a 4-star IMO, however, he played at a smaller school where he had limited eyes on him and he is taking a little knock for his height I think as well, just or unjustly. I think he is a 4-star but not a 250 guy.

Other than defense, in what areas do you think GT football needs to improve in?

KQ- That's like asking Abe Lincoln how the play was before he got shot. The defense is the primary thing, but as I've been clear on all year, they need to be better on offense in middle downs and they were down the stretch. I thought the WR play was not great a lot of the year and I think that is more of a talent/experience thing either Eric Singleton Jr. hitting the freshman wall after he got hurt and not having a lot other than Malik Rutherford the rest of the time. They need something out of Leo Blackburn/Chase Lane/Avery Boyd/James BlackStrain to amp up the play there. Obviously Leo didn't play and Chase Lane tried to play through an injury.

When can we expect to see real results/consequences/movement in FSU vs. The ACC?

KQ- Brother you got me on that one. I have no idea what the hell is going to happen other than I think FSU is stuck in a very tough spot unless the super league happens. I still think we are several years away from that. I'm curious if the ACC punishes them financially or something. It would be an interesting hip check.

what does Haynes King need to work on as a qb? I watched some game film and notice a lot of pass plays have a predetermined read, and can see him staring down his target. Is this something you’ve noticed? How should we think about that?

KQ- He struggled to go through his progressions at times, it was one-read, run a little and either force the ball or move the sticks. He was not as comfortable scanning the field as I expected for some with his many college reps under his belt as I expected. That is the big thing he has to figure out if he wants to play at the next level. He missed a lot of easy throws especially to TEs or RBs trying to force the ball on his initial read key. Go back to the UGA game and look at the pass where Singleton's foot was out of bounds and I think one of the TEs is wide open on the seam for six on what should be his secondary read. Again he played really well, but last year was his first full year playing QB so you hope to see more development in year two with his passing and decision-making in the passing game as well. He had quite a few bad picks throwing into bad coverage.

Watching the Tulane bowl game last week reminded me of Willie Fritz (now of Houston)…… How close were we to him becoming our coach a year ago?

(Good on him for an 11-win season…I don’t recall any animosity towards him when all that seemingly fell apart….)

KQ- It is a long story detailed greatly on here and he was torpedoed.

McDonalds is coming back out with their snack wraps from like over a decade ago. I saw an ad for KFC chicken wraps. Anyone had a chance to try any of the latest fried chicken craze?

Will answer Monday

drop your questions here

Back in McCamish for the first time in nearly a month.

LINK

Im blown away at their takes on him.

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere, but good clip I found on Twitter.

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R-FR Ben Galloway's father passed away yesterday.