ATLANTA- Georgia Tech continued spring practice on Tuesday as the Jackets wind down this week before a 10-day break for spring break starting on Friday. Tuesday was running backs day with the media and running backs coach Norv McKenzie and senior offensive assistant Brian Bohannon took questions from the media along with senior star running back Jamal Haynes and senior special teams ace running back Daylon Gordon.
For McKenzie, his running back room that nearly ran out of bodies at times last season is restocked with a healthy Haynes and Trelain Maddox and new players like Penn transfer Malachi Hosley and true freshman JP Powell to go with sophomore Anthony Carrie and Gordon. Only junior Chad Alexander is out for spring ball with a lower body injury giving McKenzie a pretty full group of backs to coach.
“We’ve got a ton of guys in the room and we have a lot of guys back,” McKenzie said. “Jamal has done a great job so far of becoming a leader and I feel like he has always been one to lead by example, but he is being more vocal and watching more film and asking more questions which is really good. Then you have Trelain Maddox who played some last year and was able to go in against VMI and Louisville and have some success. Anthony Scoota Carrie is going into year two and he had some snaps last year and then we’ve got Malachi who played a ton of snaps at Penn and JP who is a high school kid and an early enrollee and DG, Daylon Gordon is in there. We have a lot of continuity in that room and we have some experience because last year almost everybody had to play and because of that guys were able to gain some experience which is really good for us.
McKenzie said one of the big goals for the RB room is creating more explosive runs of 12+ yards and making more plays in space whether that is running or catching the ball and getting into space to make plays. He said that Jamal has worked really hard on that aspect of his game to be more of a playmaker in space for them.
McKenzie on JP Powell, he is 5’10” 195 and ran a 10.5 100 in HS and he saw his explosiveness and one of the most violent kids he watched in person running the ball or playing safety in HS and was very good as a KR as well. That stood out to him.
McKenize on Shane Marshall who will be here this summer, he is a bigger stature RB, more compact but is very gifted and 10.9 100 with size and that 100 time is important because they are looking for explosiveness and speed. Marshall is a guy they see as an every down back because he can catch it out of the backfield and does a good job running between the tackles.
McKenzie on Trelain Maddox, he has a great combination of size and speed and he is 6’1” 215 and can run. They haven’t had that since he has been at GT from a RB and that is no discredit to other RBs here, but he gives them something different. He learns well and asks a lot of questions and is the first guy in on meetings and the first in line for drills and just wants to learn and be a great addition to the RB room.
I asked about load management for Jamal Haynes to keep him healthy and he said that he played too many snaps last year in part due to the injuries at the position but also because of his comfort level with Jamal in the game and now they have a mix of guys to roll and they can have some 1-2,1-2-3 punches with guys they can bring along. He said Jamal has made major strides in his pass protection and is getting better at playing in space and he can help them as a receiver and a RB now and create mismatches on the field for them as well as helping in the traditional running game.
Up next was Brian Bohannon,
“I'm honored and appreciative, excited to even be here, to be back at the podium again at Georgia Tech. Obviously I was here before, and very appreciative of the opportunity. Coach Key reached out after, you know, the previous institution, some things went on there, he reached out. I came down to practice, and I mean, first thing I said is, Coach, I just love to have opportunity to learn and grow from what you guys are doing here. And it took a little bit of time, but obviously it worked out where I could come learn and grow and be a part of a great staff and a great time to be at Georgia Tech, for Georgia Tech football, and it's been really good. Now, the senior offensive assistant piece, the senior piece, I found out I'm the oldest in the room, so I think that's why that that's why part of that's the way it is. But, but I'm in their own office. I'm learning, you know, I'm working with Coach McKenzie, who's a phenomenal coach, a great leader of men, all the above and and I told the offensive staff the other day, every day, I'm in there, learning and growing from everybody there. That's how it really transpired and I’m awfully excited to have the opportunity.”
Bohannon said that before he got here you could see the change in the program under Coach Key and the pillars of being tough, physical and playing hard are things he believes in and what enticed him to come to GT. He said that Coach Key does a great job and the players love him and they respect him and they play hard for him and he has built a great staff and culture here that is very positive and that is what every coach wants and is critical to having success.
I asked him about similarities and differences between Coach Key and Paul Johnson and he said that they are very similar in more ways than people would imagine. He said even the style of plays and how they want to go about things is very similar. They both want the game played the right way and for guys to play hard. He also said that Key isn’t afraid to speak his mind and Coach Johnson never was shy about that. He said also both set the standard they want for the program and how they expect things to be done. He said it is different schematically but culturally they are very similar.
Bohannon said it is a lot different after 11 years of running the show to being in a different role here and he makes sure he isn’t stepping on toes and does everything the way Coach Key would want it and the right way. He said the first day he got back for a staff meeting he had to figure out where to sit and that he wasn’t going to say anything so that was an adjustment. He said he really likes the offensive staff and Coach Faulkner and how they work together.
Bohannon said he is also here to learn and this isn’t a unique situation nowadays in college football and it is a great way to learn and grow from this program. He hopes he can take what he is learning when he has another crack at being a head coach and apply some of the ways that Coach Key and his staff are doing things combined with what he has done as well as a HC.
Bohannon said as an advisor for Coach Key his roll is to let Key bounce stuff off him and he said a lot of times as a HC you know what you want to do but you have to talk it through and that is part of his job to be that sounding board. He said he also goes in to say hello to Key in his office because most of the time the HC only has people coming in with problems into his office and he likes to break it up for Key. He said that Coach Key does a great job and anytime he can listen he is happy to do that for him. He said Key has a very good handle on the direction he is going and what he wants to do and he is there to help in any way that he can.
I joked with him about the differences between GT now and when he left and the size of the staff and he said it is really impressive all the support that Coach Key and the football program are getting from the administration in terms of personnel and funding, but also things like the Fanning Center and having that state of the art building there will be a huge thing for Georgia Tech.
Jamal Haynes was last up and he is fasting for Ramadan for the third year in a row and has figured out how to get his body what it needs so he can practice.
Haynes has been lining up more at receiver and he said that is a way he can use his versatility better and get all over the field and be a bigger part of the offense.
On his number change to #1, Haynes said that he wore it in HS and he is his true self now and his complete self so he felt comfortable making that change now. He feels like he is in the final step of his transition to being a RB and wants to position himself to be a RB at the next level now.
Haynes said that having depth in spring ball doesn’t just mean fewer reps and wear and tear, but they are getting the other RBs a better understanding of the offense and what they are trying to do overall as a collective RB room and in the long term it will help him stay healthy as an added benefit.
I asked his thoughts on JP and Malachi and he said that JP is very fast and he has been impressed with how quickly he has picked up the offense and been ready to work. He said that Malachi has real experience playing and he was able to pick up the playbook quickly and they’ve both been great additions to the RB room.
Haynes said it is nice being healthy.
Daylon Gordon had a very funny line about McKenzie and Bohannon being salt and pepper in the RB room. Two different approaches but very cool.
Gordon said he and Abdul Janneh should’ve blocked three punts last year and that is something they are focused on fixing this year with Coach Salem, getting home when they try to block a punt.
For McKenzie, his running back room that nearly ran out of bodies at times last season is restocked with a healthy Haynes and Trelain Maddox and new players like Penn transfer Malachi Hosley and true freshman JP Powell to go with sophomore Anthony Carrie and Gordon. Only junior Chad Alexander is out for spring ball with a lower body injury giving McKenzie a pretty full group of backs to coach.
“We’ve got a ton of guys in the room and we have a lot of guys back,” McKenzie said. “Jamal has done a great job so far of becoming a leader and I feel like he has always been one to lead by example, but he is being more vocal and watching more film and asking more questions which is really good. Then you have Trelain Maddox who played some last year and was able to go in against VMI and Louisville and have some success. Anthony Scoota Carrie is going into year two and he had some snaps last year and then we’ve got Malachi who played a ton of snaps at Penn and JP who is a high school kid and an early enrollee and DG, Daylon Gordon is in there. We have a lot of continuity in that room and we have some experience because last year almost everybody had to play and because of that guys were able to gain some experience which is really good for us.
McKenzie said one of the big goals for the RB room is creating more explosive runs of 12+ yards and making more plays in space whether that is running or catching the ball and getting into space to make plays. He said that Jamal has worked really hard on that aspect of his game to be more of a playmaker in space for them.
McKenzie on JP Powell, he is 5’10” 195 and ran a 10.5 100 in HS and he saw his explosiveness and one of the most violent kids he watched in person running the ball or playing safety in HS and was very good as a KR as well. That stood out to him.
McKenize on Shane Marshall who will be here this summer, he is a bigger stature RB, more compact but is very gifted and 10.9 100 with size and that 100 time is important because they are looking for explosiveness and speed. Marshall is a guy they see as an every down back because he can catch it out of the backfield and does a good job running between the tackles.
McKenzie on Trelain Maddox, he has a great combination of size and speed and he is 6’1” 215 and can run. They haven’t had that since he has been at GT from a RB and that is no discredit to other RBs here, but he gives them something different. He learns well and asks a lot of questions and is the first guy in on meetings and the first in line for drills and just wants to learn and be a great addition to the RB room.
I asked about load management for Jamal Haynes to keep him healthy and he said that he played too many snaps last year in part due to the injuries at the position but also because of his comfort level with Jamal in the game and now they have a mix of guys to roll and they can have some 1-2,1-2-3 punches with guys they can bring along. He said Jamal has made major strides in his pass protection and is getting better at playing in space and he can help them as a receiver and a RB now and create mismatches on the field for them as well as helping in the traditional running game.
Up next was Brian Bohannon,
“I'm honored and appreciative, excited to even be here, to be back at the podium again at Georgia Tech. Obviously I was here before, and very appreciative of the opportunity. Coach Key reached out after, you know, the previous institution, some things went on there, he reached out. I came down to practice, and I mean, first thing I said is, Coach, I just love to have opportunity to learn and grow from what you guys are doing here. And it took a little bit of time, but obviously it worked out where I could come learn and grow and be a part of a great staff and a great time to be at Georgia Tech, for Georgia Tech football, and it's been really good. Now, the senior offensive assistant piece, the senior piece, I found out I'm the oldest in the room, so I think that's why that that's why part of that's the way it is. But, but I'm in their own office. I'm learning, you know, I'm working with Coach McKenzie, who's a phenomenal coach, a great leader of men, all the above and and I told the offensive staff the other day, every day, I'm in there, learning and growing from everybody there. That's how it really transpired and I’m awfully excited to have the opportunity.”
Bohannon said that before he got here you could see the change in the program under Coach Key and the pillars of being tough, physical and playing hard are things he believes in and what enticed him to come to GT. He said that Coach Key does a great job and the players love him and they respect him and they play hard for him and he has built a great staff and culture here that is very positive and that is what every coach wants and is critical to having success.
I asked him about similarities and differences between Coach Key and Paul Johnson and he said that they are very similar in more ways than people would imagine. He said even the style of plays and how they want to go about things is very similar. They both want the game played the right way and for guys to play hard. He also said that Key isn’t afraid to speak his mind and Coach Johnson never was shy about that. He said also both set the standard they want for the program and how they expect things to be done. He said it is different schematically but culturally they are very similar.
Bohannon said it is a lot different after 11 years of running the show to being in a different role here and he makes sure he isn’t stepping on toes and does everything the way Coach Key would want it and the right way. He said the first day he got back for a staff meeting he had to figure out where to sit and that he wasn’t going to say anything so that was an adjustment. He said he really likes the offensive staff and Coach Faulkner and how they work together.
Bohannon said he is also here to learn and this isn’t a unique situation nowadays in college football and it is a great way to learn and grow from this program. He hopes he can take what he is learning when he has another crack at being a head coach and apply some of the ways that Coach Key and his staff are doing things combined with what he has done as well as a HC.
Bohannon said as an advisor for Coach Key his roll is to let Key bounce stuff off him and he said a lot of times as a HC you know what you want to do but you have to talk it through and that is part of his job to be that sounding board. He said he also goes in to say hello to Key in his office because most of the time the HC only has people coming in with problems into his office and he likes to break it up for Key. He said that Coach Key does a great job and anytime he can listen he is happy to do that for him. He said Key has a very good handle on the direction he is going and what he wants to do and he is there to help in any way that he can.
I joked with him about the differences between GT now and when he left and the size of the staff and he said it is really impressive all the support that Coach Key and the football program are getting from the administration in terms of personnel and funding, but also things like the Fanning Center and having that state of the art building there will be a huge thing for Georgia Tech.
Jamal Haynes was last up and he is fasting for Ramadan for the third year in a row and has figured out how to get his body what it needs so he can practice.
Haynes has been lining up more at receiver and he said that is a way he can use his versatility better and get all over the field and be a bigger part of the offense.
On his number change to #1, Haynes said that he wore it in HS and he is his true self now and his complete self so he felt comfortable making that change now. He feels like he is in the final step of his transition to being a RB and wants to position himself to be a RB at the next level now.
Haynes said that having depth in spring ball doesn’t just mean fewer reps and wear and tear, but they are getting the other RBs a better understanding of the offense and what they are trying to do overall as a collective RB room and in the long term it will help him stay healthy as an added benefit.
I asked his thoughts on JP and Malachi and he said that JP is very fast and he has been impressed with how quickly he has picked up the offense and been ready to work. He said that Malachi has real experience playing and he was able to pick up the playbook quickly and they’ve both been great additions to the RB room.
Haynes said it is nice being healthy.
Daylon Gordon had a very funny line about McKenzie and Bohannon being salt and pepper in the RB room. Two different approaches but very cool.
Gordon said he and Abdul Janneh should’ve blocked three punts last year and that is something they are focused on fixing this year with Coach Salem, getting home when they try to block a punt.
