ATLANTA- Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key changed things up for his players on Wednesday with a practice in Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Jackets practiced for over two hours on the warm turf of the newly christened Hyundai Field. Defensive backs coach Travares Tillman addressed the media after practice along with senior safety Jaylon King and junior nickelback K.J. Wallace.
One of the biggest storylines in camp has been the competition at the cornerback positions. Incumbent starter Myles Sims was limited in the spring due to an injury and a trio of players, Ahmari Harvey, Kenan Johnson, and Kenyatta Watson II have been pushing for starting jobs since the spring.
“It is very open,” Tillman said of the cornerback battle. “Sometimes you have injuries happen and you have to wait and see as you don’t want to count someone out just because they are down for a minute. That competition will continue throughout camp and probably into game week. Who knows? I’m going to continue to evaluate those guys and when it is time to suit up for that first game the best corner(s) will be out there.”
Key, the defensive staff and Tillman opted to move Rodney Shelley to corner as well after spring ball and the addition of former Kansas State defensive back Omar Daniels who is now at the nickel spot behind Wallace replacing Shelley in a potential two-deep. That created more depth in the secondary for the Jackets and more competition at corner adding a fifth guy to that group and pushing for one of the two starting spots.
TILLMAN QUICK QUOTES
On the safety trio of LaMiles Brooks, King and Clayton Powell-Lee, it is a good thing to have three guys that can perform at a high level and they have mutual respect for each other and whoever is playing well
At nickel we have KJ there and Omar Daniels who is playing well. I don’t know who is going to be that guy. It is a good thing to have options. Decisions aren’t done yet.
No timetable but the next scrimmage will tell me a lot and it is a work in progress. I’ll never put an end to it, even on the last day someone can jump out.
Jaylon King is having a great camp and he is respected in that room and he goes out and practices the way he is and it says a lot. I’m going to dance at his wedding when he gets married, he is a great example of a leader.
CP is still working his way back and Rodney Shelley has moved to the outside, CP is an athletic kid and he loves football
Ahmari matured a lot and had a great offseason and he is faster than he was last year, he has gotten much faster and has been a pleasant surprise and I’m proud of him and the way he has progressed at this level.
On the freshman DBs, best players are going to play, doesn’t matter if you are first year or fifth year. They are learning to be college players.
The CBs need to be consistent and play the correct call and the right technique. I don’t ask much, just want them to be consistent.
JAYLON KING
I feel a lot better and my progression from spring ball to camp has been a tremendous leap and things are getting back to normal. I can plant and push off my leg now. I can move around now and I don’t have to sit out too many reps like I did in the spring.
Competition has been high and we are going in every day and competiting against each other and their strengths and weaknesses. If someone goes down, we don’t want a dropoff, that is the goal for the team as a whole.
I’m strictly at safety right now, I can roll down in the box and stuff of that nature and getting back into man-to-man and covering.
I think we can be one of the best units in the country not just the conference and we try to go out there and practice like that.
I’m the old guy in the room and the young guys sit back there and try to soak up the knowledge like sponges and learn from us.
At CB, there is great competition between Myles, Kenyatta, Omar, Rodney and KJ getting them looks against field and boundary and all of them are performing well.
This camp is similar to my freshman year and camp is a long day and you try to prepare guys for it, from sunrise to sunset, they realized on the third day there isn’t much to do other than football all day.
KJ WALLACE
For me it is a physical game and AJ and his staff have helped us tremendously. My biggest progress has been mentally figuring out where I fit into the scheme and how my play impacts others. My biggest gains have been mental, but I’ve also made physical gains.
Communication is real good, we are close off the field as well so the communication is second nature and we are talking pre-snap and seeing the play before it happens. It can always be better and is never perfect, but it is really high.
Football is an art, you have to work on it continuously, I’m not a perfectionist, but I want to encompass everything and we are trying to solidify the backend and we’ve had good practices, we have to put together regularly.
On going against the slots, we are boys and I love the competition and I’m not sure how many guys are faster than Malik in the slot and I’m making him better and he is making me better and he pushes the guys behind him, if you line up against those guys not knowing what you are doing they will embarrass you.
Coach Tillman it is easier now because there is a trust level between me and coach Tillman and being here closing in on two years, that relationship has been building, I wouldn’t say it is hard, he does a good job coaching, but we’ve been going through it.
Omar [Daniels] is a real good dude on and off the field, his play is very similar to me, we both play nickel and he is very physical and likes to force turnovers and he has a knack for the ball. I’m excited he is here and able to contribute.
The freshmen are getting better every Nico, Taye and Steven they are getting better every day. It is funny being an older guy and pointing stuff out to them and it has been exciting to see. Tech is in good hands in the backend.
One of the biggest storylines in camp has been the competition at the cornerback positions. Incumbent starter Myles Sims was limited in the spring due to an injury and a trio of players, Ahmari Harvey, Kenan Johnson, and Kenyatta Watson II have been pushing for starting jobs since the spring.
“It is very open,” Tillman said of the cornerback battle. “Sometimes you have injuries happen and you have to wait and see as you don’t want to count someone out just because they are down for a minute. That competition will continue throughout camp and probably into game week. Who knows? I’m going to continue to evaluate those guys and when it is time to suit up for that first game the best corner(s) will be out there.”
Key, the defensive staff and Tillman opted to move Rodney Shelley to corner as well after spring ball and the addition of former Kansas State defensive back Omar Daniels who is now at the nickel spot behind Wallace replacing Shelley in a potential two-deep. That created more depth in the secondary for the Jackets and more competition at corner adding a fifth guy to that group and pushing for one of the two starting spots.
TILLMAN QUICK QUOTES
On the safety trio of LaMiles Brooks, King and Clayton Powell-Lee, it is a good thing to have three guys that can perform at a high level and they have mutual respect for each other and whoever is playing well
At nickel we have KJ there and Omar Daniels who is playing well. I don’t know who is going to be that guy. It is a good thing to have options. Decisions aren’t done yet.
No timetable but the next scrimmage will tell me a lot and it is a work in progress. I’ll never put an end to it, even on the last day someone can jump out.
Jaylon King is having a great camp and he is respected in that room and he goes out and practices the way he is and it says a lot. I’m going to dance at his wedding when he gets married, he is a great example of a leader.
CP is still working his way back and Rodney Shelley has moved to the outside, CP is an athletic kid and he loves football
Ahmari matured a lot and had a great offseason and he is faster than he was last year, he has gotten much faster and has been a pleasant surprise and I’m proud of him and the way he has progressed at this level.
On the freshman DBs, best players are going to play, doesn’t matter if you are first year or fifth year. They are learning to be college players.
The CBs need to be consistent and play the correct call and the right technique. I don’t ask much, just want them to be consistent.
JAYLON KING
I feel a lot better and my progression from spring ball to camp has been a tremendous leap and things are getting back to normal. I can plant and push off my leg now. I can move around now and I don’t have to sit out too many reps like I did in the spring.
Competition has been high and we are going in every day and competiting against each other and their strengths and weaknesses. If someone goes down, we don’t want a dropoff, that is the goal for the team as a whole.
I’m strictly at safety right now, I can roll down in the box and stuff of that nature and getting back into man-to-man and covering.
I think we can be one of the best units in the country not just the conference and we try to go out there and practice like that.
I’m the old guy in the room and the young guys sit back there and try to soak up the knowledge like sponges and learn from us.
At CB, there is great competition between Myles, Kenyatta, Omar, Rodney and KJ getting them looks against field and boundary and all of them are performing well.
This camp is similar to my freshman year and camp is a long day and you try to prepare guys for it, from sunrise to sunset, they realized on the third day there isn’t much to do other than football all day.
KJ WALLACE
For me it is a physical game and AJ and his staff have helped us tremendously. My biggest progress has been mentally figuring out where I fit into the scheme and how my play impacts others. My biggest gains have been mental, but I’ve also made physical gains.
Communication is real good, we are close off the field as well so the communication is second nature and we are talking pre-snap and seeing the play before it happens. It can always be better and is never perfect, but it is really high.
Football is an art, you have to work on it continuously, I’m not a perfectionist, but I want to encompass everything and we are trying to solidify the backend and we’ve had good practices, we have to put together regularly.
On going against the slots, we are boys and I love the competition and I’m not sure how many guys are faster than Malik in the slot and I’m making him better and he is making me better and he pushes the guys behind him, if you line up against those guys not knowing what you are doing they will embarrass you.
Coach Tillman it is easier now because there is a trust level between me and coach Tillman and being here closing in on two years, that relationship has been building, I wouldn’t say it is hard, he does a good job coaching, but we’ve been going through it.
Omar [Daniels] is a real good dude on and off the field, his play is very similar to me, we both play nickel and he is very physical and likes to force turnovers and he has a knack for the ball. I’m excited he is here and able to contribute.
The freshmen are getting better every Nico, Taye and Steven they are getting better every day. It is funny being an older guy and pointing stuff out to them and it has been exciting to see. Tech is in good hands in the backend.
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