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Be there or be square. Drop your questions in here. I’ll recap the ACC Kickoff and preview camp a little bit.

NM

Looks like playing @ Cincy this year with a return trip next season. That’ll be a good test. I know some other schedule pieces have been announced as well. Login to view embedded media

Brent spoke for a little over 20 minutes, here are some highlights.

They had a roundtable with Jeff Brohm, Mario Cristobal and Key for coaches coaching at their alma mater and it was a pretty cool event. He is close with Mario from working at Bama.

Brent said that the past is the past and he lives every day as if it was a new one and this is a new season and what happened last year doesn't matter. He said that Coach Saban summed it up by telling his staff that more people die coming down from Mt. Everest than going up. Just because you had success doesn't mean it will continue and you have to improve and grow, but you can gain momentum and ride a wave, but you have to establish everything in your program for that to even work and it is hard to sustain.

Key said there is an amount of adversity in any locker room and GT is a little different due to the academics so there is a shared adversity that is a little different on a daily basis and also living in Atlanta is different so he said his experience as a student and then coach at GT helps him navigate that differently than others maybe could like when to pull back on practice because it is midterm week or certain days might be tougher academically for kids so let's adjust things or meetings to help with that. He said those little things will help the kids be the best they can be.

Key said he feels like the buy in is there with the team, but he will see what happens when adversity strikes. That is when you really find out about your team, when they are in the hardest position possible. His job is to prepare them for those situations in the offseason so in the fourth quarter of the first game or the third quarter of the fifth game they are not thrown.

Key said he has an open door policy and he will take criticism or thoughts from anyone on the staff about how he can improve himself and if he is being different. He said he respects the heck out of his staff because they are able to have those frank conversations with him and he has confidence in himself as a leader to have people around him who will be critical of an idea or a decision he might make. He wants to have input and he wants it to be educated and at the end of the day he has the final call. He doesn't want a bunch of Yes men. He also needs to be man enough to admit he is wrong and you can't be blind about the fact he will make mistakes running this program.

Key said that Sylvain's journey is what makes America the greatest country in the world. He came to the US and made an opportunity for himself and he has turned himself into a really good football player and he is just scratching the surface of what he can be.

On what he learned from coaches he worked for, Key said when they got to UCF it was a hot mess and they go out in spring ball and do two hours of just goal line with no passing, 200 players from the three-yard line and they had guys lined up in different spots and that was his way of setting the expectation of toughness. He said that Nick Saban found a way to squeeze every second out of every day and from 7:30 am until 10 pm during the season they would work on every detail. Key said they watched every HS game of every HS kid they have committed, the full game to learn more about them as people and players and where they come from and character evaluations and school fit and other things all play into it. So he is trying to create his own way of doing things and mixing what he learned from others as well.

I asked him about toughness and how he defines that.

"if I can envision a measuring stick for it, I wouldn't be sitting here. That's the question how do you how do you observe it on tape? How do you see it? You've heard me say before, you know how do you how do you run the ball when everybody knows you got to run it. How are you gonna stop the run when everybody knows that they're about to run it? How do you cover kicks? How do you run down the field? How do you tackle the defense? How do you swim to the ball? When you fall down? How do you get back up? I've actually got a list I think I'm about 30 things right now. That map to me over the years are signs of toughness. You know, can you take hard coaching can you make a mistake and admit that mistake Can you help a teammate up? Are you the first to the football, do you sprint to the ball every play?

I mean there's a bunch of them that we just kind of compiled over the years, that are all really signs of toughness, and it's not. And when I say toughness, you know there's nothing about, you know, bowing your chest up and going and that's false bravado, that's fake. That's fake toughness. And that's not what we're looking for. We're not looking for that we're looking for guys that you know because first it's got to be mental toughness. You got to develop the mental toughness. We're practicing two o'clock every day. All right. You know, do you have to practice it to acclimate to the heat? No, you can go stand outside for two hours to acclimate to the heat. But when you walk from our building to Rose Bowl, and it's two blocks down the street, two blocks and you think in your head at two o'clock, it's 103 degrees out here, and you're walking down there knowing about what you're about to go through That's a mental block you've got to overcome. Alright, so all of our processes in the day from seven o'clock in the morning, until we start a practice at two o'clock every day is going to be about fueling their body hydration, recovery all those things to allow them to go through those practices. is about acclamation. Yeah, we're gonna play in. Science shows you the mental toughness. We've got to continue to develop."

Key said his favorite play last year was the third and long when Hassan Hall ran for seven yards on 3rd and 10 and the OL and his teammates pushed him for another nine yards down the field to get the first down and more.

Key joked that they are going to play with two quarterbacks to settle the QB debate and they will line up with one RB in the diamond formation.

Key said part of why he picked Buster Faulkner was their long history together, but an even bigger thing was his relationship with Chris Weinke and how they hit it off and worked together. Key said he wanted to have a QB-only coach and a separate OC and not everyone he interviewed was cool with that and Weinke is a very strong personality and Buster handles it perfectly and he is very excited about how they work together and what Buster is doing with the offense.

Key said he has not had any significant issues with the Hill in terms of admitting transfer kids or even HS kids if they qualify, he said that the admin trusts he can pick kids who can survive and thrive at GT and so he has to use what he knows about GT and make judgment calls. He said he doesn't want to be a team built entirely on free agents like a NFL team built for one year success, he wants to build something sustainable and they have to sign HS kids and develop them and if someone leaves early for the draft or if there is a hole then they will use the portal to fill that. He wants to take 20 to 25 HS kids per year.

Anyone else get their lottery for tickets to the masters rejection email? I applied for the drive chip and putt, womens and Masters tourney tickets and got none.. a tradition unlike any other lol. Anyone have any luck?

Both left with offers.
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If you look at the passing records. Under Completion Percentage & Passing Efficiency. My Dad ( Jimmy Southard) is still listed in the top 10 in both categories 73 years later ..

Wow …

Per GT Athletics..

THE FLATS – Former Atlanta Braves assistant pitching coordinator and Georgia State pitching coach Matt Taylor will join Georgia Tech baseball as its pitching coach, head coach Danny Hall announced Thursday.



“Matt is a terrific baseball talent and his vision for what he wants to do on the mound and defensively here at Georgia Tech is exactly what we were looking for,” Hall said. “In addition to his coaching ability and energy, he also has extensive knowledge and experience scouting and recruiting the state of Georgia, as well as the greater Southeast, as a native Georgian. Matt will be a huge asset for Georgia Tech and we are thrilled to have him join our staff.”



Taylor joins the Yellow Jackets after earning an opportunity to be the minor league pitching coordinator for the Atlanta Braves following three years as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at nearby Georgia State.



“It’s a tremendous opportunity to work under one of the winningest head coaches in the history of our sport,” Taylor said. “Being born in Atlanta and growing up in the state of Georgia, I understand the significance of Georgia Tech Baseball and I’m excited to work with Coach Hall, Ramsey and the rest of the staff!”



In three seasons at Georgia State, Taylor’s time in downtown Atlanta culminated in 2022 when he helped coach the Panthers to their first 30-win season in seven seasons as his staff had a 5.21 ERA (4.67 ERA in Sun Belt Conference play), a program-record 505 strikeouts and 17 saves – good for second-most in program history.



In 2021, Taylor’s staff pitched against one of the nation’s most challenging non-conference schedules (25th nationally), resulting in the highest-ranked win in program history, a 4-2 victory in at then-No. 2 Vanderbilt. This just a year after inheriting a pitching staff in 2020 with only two upperclassmen, which, despite a shortened season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, allowed just a .227 batting average against and a 5.73 ERA.



From the moment he arrived at Georgia State, Taylor made an unmistakable impact directing recruiting for the Panthers. A Georgia native, he helped the program assemble two of the best ever recruiting classes in its history, including its highest-ranked class in 2022 (No. 37).



Prior to GSU, Taylor spent two seasons working in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization as a scouting assistant and then area supervisor. In the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the Pirates drafted six players from his Georgia/South Carolina territory, more than any other scout.



Before joining the Pirates organization, Taylor spent one season (2017) in player development with the Baltimore Orioles, the team that selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 draft.



A left-handed pitcher, Taylor played seven seasons in the Orioles system. Among his pro ball highlights, he was the 2013 Delmarva Shorebirds Mountaire Player of the Year and a 2014 Carolina League All-Star. He also played one winter (2015) with the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League.



During his playing career, Taylor worked with Unlimited Potential Inc., a Christian baseball organization, conducting camps in Guatemala and assisting with the Guatemala Junior National Baseball Team.



A native of Columbus, Ga., Taylor was a prep All-American and Georgia Player of the Year at Columbus High School in 2009 and was drafted by the Pirates but did not sign. He played one season at Alabama (2010), helping the Crimson Tide reach the NCAA Super Regional round, and one season at Middle Georgia College (2011), where he earned all-conference honors.



Taylor earned his degree in sociology from Columbus State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2017.

I'm so not surprised by this at all. The dude is allegedly a full-on lunatic by every indication and they cheated in the bowl game with GT in 2018.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech has officially announced its full slate of specialty dates and events – including Homecoming and Family Weekend – for the 2023 football season.



The specialty dates and events for the Yellow Jackets’ seven-game home slate include:



Sept. 1 vs. Louisville – Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

Sept. 9 vs. South Carolina State – Community Day

Sept. 30 vs. Bowling Green – Youth Spirit Day

Oct. 21 vs. Boston College – Family Weekend, Hall of Fame Weekend

Oct. 28 vs. North Carolina – Homecoming, Paul Johnson National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute

Nov. 18 vs. Syracuse – Heroes Day

Nov. 25 vs. Georgia – Senior Day, Michael Isenhour Toy Drive



Details for each date and event will be finalized in the coming weeks.



Georgia Tech football season tickets, which guarantee the best seats and value for all of the exciting action of Tech football home games in 2023, are on sale now starting at just $225. For more information and to purchase season tickets online, click HERE.

Also, some shade was thrown at other ACC programs inadvertently.


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Anybody watching on ACC Network? Holy crap Mark Richt looks 10 years older than he did last season.

Brent Key

LaMiles Brooks

Jordan Williams

Sylvain Yondjouen

I can't go. Anyone interested?

I thought I would start a separate thread for just the GT presser

Brent Key will speak in a couple of minutes.

Catcher - Canes National/Pro5 Academy. PG 9.0 - Ranked 206 in Class of 2024

Aidan Paradine is a 2024 C/OF with a 6-0 192 lb. frame from Bayonne, NJ who attends Pro5 Baseball Academy va. Paradine displays evident lower half strength that clearly reveals itself behind the dish, starting slightly side saddled with explosiveness out of the crouch flashing repeatable effortless mechanics through release. The transfers were quick and fluid, posting a 79 mph velo and 1.79 pop time. On the offensive end, the righty used a compact hand set and slight hover to the leg trigger to pepper both gaps with carry and backspin production. He swings a heavy barrel with balance throughout the stroke, posting an exit velo of 95 mph. Power potential is prominent with even further room to project as he gets older. Ran a 7.29 sixty yard dash. Good student. Named to Top Prospect List.
https://www.perfectgame.org/Players/Playerprofile.aspx?ID=535510

PGA Tour University Pre-Season Ranking

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht, a first-team All-America selection and an All-Atlantic Coast Conference choice for the Yellow Jacket golf team this past spring, debuts at No. 2 among seniors eligible for the PGA Tour University ranking ahead of the 2023-24 academic year.

Lamprecht, who won The Amateur Championship this summer and earned the Silver Medal as low amateur at The Open Championship, sits behind Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen. Vanderbilt’s William Moll, North Florida’s Nick Gabrelcik and Oklahoma’s Ben Lorenz round out the pre-season top 5 five.

The senior from George, South Africa, currently sits No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Ranked No. 6 nationally by Golfstat and No. 8 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index at the end of last spring, Lamprecht had a victory and three runner-up finishes in 2022-23, winning the Inverness Intercollegiate in the fall, and then finishing second at the Watersound Invitational, the Linger Longer Invitational and The Goodwin in the spring. Selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team for the second straight year, Lamprecht led the Yellow Jackets to the program’s 19th ACC Championship, the title at the NCAA Salem Regional and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championship. He was the team’s highest finisher in six of 12 stroke play events. He was a finalist for the Fred Haskins Award and a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award.

In partnership with the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®),PGA TOUR University ranks players based on the last two years of their collegiate careers. Eligible Tournaments include NCAA Division-I men’s team competitions, official PGA TOUR tournaments and select DP World Tour events. The Ranking Period for the Class of 2024 began Week 23/2022 and concludes May 27, 2024, following the final round of stroke play at the NCAA D-I Men’s National Championship.

The No. 1 player in the final PGA TOUR University Ranking next May will earn PGA TOUR membership, while players Nos. 1-5 (fully exempt) and Nos. 6-10 (conditional) will earn Korn Ferry Tour membership. Additionally, players Nos. 6-20 will earn fully exempt membership for the North America Swing of PGA TOUR Americas.

Two seniors on Georgia Tech’s 2022-23 golf team earned status on the Korn Ferry Tour (Ross Steelman) and PGA Tour Canada (Connor Howe) through their final ranking in PGA Tour University.

All I know is has nothing to do with playing UGA or the Benz. At 2:30pm today.

As promised, I'll go until 11pm if you keep the questions coming

As a GT fan, it’s hard not to despise where we are with college football right now.

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Absolutely no parallels to college football. No analogies are to be made here. None of this lack-of-a-real-central-authority-that-enforces-parity reminds me of anything going on here in the US. Nothing in this is foreboding at all for college football.

THE FLATS – First Saturday on The Flats presented by Georgia’s Own Credit Union – Georgia Tech football’s annual Fan Day event – will be held from 11 a.m-1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Tech athletics announced on Monday.



First Saturday on The Flats will feature the opportunity for Tech fans to interact their favorite Yellow Jackets ahead of the highly anticipated 2023 season. Players will sign autographs courtesy of The Tech Way, and the event will also feature a plethora of fun gridiron activities for the whole family, including a DJ, tailgate games and interactive football experiences such as running out of the tunnel onto the field, field-goal kicking and other drills. There will also be giveaways and drawings for great prizes.



Admission and parking for First Saturday on The Flats is FREE and concessions will be available for purchase inside Bobby Dodd Stadium. Fans can enter through the field-level northwest tunnel, located at Callaway Plaza on the north end of the stadium (off Bobby Dodd Way), between Gates 6 and 6A. Parking (including ADA accessible spaces) will be 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.



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 Chick-fil-A Kickoff 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.

Per GT Athletics..

THE FLATS – Ibrahima Sacko, a 6-6 small forward from Guinea considered one of the top three prep prospects in Canada, has signed a grant-in-aid to join the Georgia Tech program, head coach Damon Stoudamire announced.
The 222-pound Sacko, who enrolled at the J. Addison School in Markham, Ontario in 2022, is rated one of the three best prospects to come out of Canada in the 2023 class by recruiting analyst Josh Millican, and the top player last year in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association. He chose Tech over BYU, Oregon and Xavier.
“The biggest thing Ibrahima brings is elite defense,” said Stoudamire. “He has a chance to be one of the best defenders in the country with his size and strength. The way he can defend on or off the ball is something I haven’t seen in someone his age, and he will make an impact on that end from day one. Offensively, he’s a downhill driver who can finish at the rim, but with time he has the potential to score at all three levels.”

Athletic and physical with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, Sacko earned first-team all-star honors and was named the defensive player of the year in 2022-23 in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association for coach Juevol Myles, leading the Jaguars to the league’s post-season semifinals. He averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals during the 2022-23 season. He also led J. Addison to the championship of the prestigious Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, where he averaged 16.5 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Following the season, he was invited to play in the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, Ore., but did not compete because of injury.

Sacko is the second high school prospect from the 2023 class to sign with Tech, joining 6-9 strong forward Baye Ndongofrom the Putnam (Conn.) Science Academy. They join a transfer class rated the 17th-best in the nation by 247Sports, and four scholarship returnees who will make up Stoudamire’s first Yellow Jacket team in 2023-24.