Georgia Tech football continued padded practice on Tuesday with another two-hour-plus session as head coach Brent Key aims to instill toughness in his team with afternoon work. Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Kevin Sherrer and a pair of his older linebackers, Trenilyas Tatum and transfer Paul Moala (Notre Dame/Idaho) spoke to the media following practice.
Tatum and Moala are two of the candidates to replace the production of current NFL linebackers Ayinde Eley and Charlie Thomas who were two of the most productive linebackers in all of college football in 2022. Sherrer said the one thing his group does have is some depth and numbers something that has been in short supply at the linebacker position the last four or five years on the Flats.
"(The depth) has been really good because as we get out there they are working through and trying to learn techniques or whatever and if it is not right we will fire them and put the other guy in there so it creates that competition which obviously makes people better," Sherrer said. "It has been good to have them all out there.
Only three linebackers return for last season with Tatum who was the third linebacker and in the rotation back plus Tyson Meiguez and Kyle Efford who played some on special teams back. Moala joins transfers Braelen Oliver (Minnesota) and Andre White (Texas A&M) as new veteran faces along with walk-on Austin Dean (Rutgers) who was with the program in the spring. Freshmen Ashton Heflin enrolled early and went through spring ball with Sherrer and the Jackets added Nacari Ashley and Jacob Cruz to the mix this summer as true freshmen giving the Jackets a deeper linebacker room.
Sherrer expects to have a better feel for his group and what the rotation will look like after the first scrimmage this Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium.
"I think you really don't get a true assessment until at least the first scrimmage where it is more full contact. We do a lot of thud and tag off and things like that to protect both sides of the ball. So there are plays (you see in practice) where you go I think he would make it or I'm not sure. You definitely know if they make it in a scrimmage. Sometimes we will hold our complete reservation on our decision or thought process until we get past that."
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Sherrer said because they have so many new guys and he is a new coach everyone got a clean slate to work with and they have been learning how he works and he is learning how each guy works as well and the techniques he wants to teach them and the things they have to know to see the field playing LB for him.
I asked him about Paul Moala and he said that they love that he is such a mature guy and is really gifted athletically even after his injuries. He is learning their way of doing things and is starting to show comfort in what they are asking him to do. He feels like they have four, five or maybe six guys in the room they could play and he wants them to sort it out on the field.
Sherrer said that Tatum has had a camp so far and had a good spring and he has to continue maturing and make sure he takes care of his body and maintains his weight and doesn't get too big or too small. He said over the last six to eight months Tatum has matured a ton.
Sherrer said with Tyson Meiguez he had all those injuries before he got to GT and he has been healthy for him so he came in with an open mind and he has done a nice job so far and he is curious to see how he looks in the scrimmage.
I asked Sherrer if we will see more 3-LB sets and some SAM LB stuff that they showed at times last year with them having more numbers and he said that they do have some options now especially with body types to look at that, but it really be matchup based and packages more than any major changes.
I asked about load management with White and Oliver and to a lesser extent Moala who have played or practiced a lot and have older bodies and he said they really use a lot of technology to monitor the players and keep an eye on workload and they meet as a staff to work on that.
Sherrer said he didn't know Key that well, had met him a few times but the connection was Chris Weinke that helped bring him to GT. He said that one of the reasons he came here was that he felt like he was very similar to Coach Key after they talked no the phone and you want to be around people like that if you are going to spend more time with them than you do your family and the huge commitment coaching in college is made him really focus on his priorities and what he was looking for and he saw a good fit here. He really likes the rest of the staff as well and they have great families and that was evident to him and was something that was clearly important to Coach Key in building up the staff.
I asked about Bill Stewart and how the veteran coaching minds help out. Sherrer joked that Stewart could probably coach LBs better than he can and how his pathway into college coaching was similar just in a different stage of life than Stewart is in. He was a young guy and started as an analyst and worked his way up. He said he has a great football mind and more energy than he does and he has done an outstanding job helping the defense.
Tatum said he learned a lot playing last year especially the few starts when Thomas was out for targeting. He said that gave him a lot of time to prepare and learn things about preparing differently for different roles.
Tatum said watching Eley and Thomas last year was big for him in helping him learn that had to be more mature even though he still feels like a young guy. He said they both acted like pros in the way they handled their business and took care of their bodies and it is a big responsibility to play that position and be a leader as well.
Tatum said he has taken the younger guys under his wing to help them with alignment and he is trying to be a good teammate for them and repeating what the older guys did for him.
Tatum said that White and Oliver had the same mindset as Thomas and Eley as older guys and handling their business. Moala gave them a lot of depth and experience and he knows what he is doing and he comes in with a pro mindset. They have a real young room behind them so that helps a lot.
Tatum said it feels weird for him to be a leader and an older guy in the room because he feels so young at heart. He said he really focuses on trying to be a good teammate.
Tatum said that Coach Sherrer brings it every day and he is very aggressive as a coach and they know every day they are coming to work and they have to bring that same aggression.
Moala said his decision to come here was mostly about wanting to have one last chance at big time CFB. He said that after his two Achilles injuries had graduated from Notre Dame and they needed his scholarship for someone else so Idaho took a chance on him and it worked out and then he wanted one more shot at P5 football and he had a bunch of offers after entering the portal and he decided on GT. He said he liked the way they used Charlie Thomas and he could see himself in that role in this defense.
Moala said the biggest difference for him now is he is taking everything very seriously because he only gets one shot at this now. He said the by the grace of God he ended up here with this opportunity and that opened his eyes and he is going to take it as far as his body will let him.
I joked with him about how different things are practicing in Atlanta at 2 pm versus Moscow, Idaho or South Bend. He said they went in the mornings at those places and he understands why Key has them going in the afternoon and the mental toughness it takes to practice through that.
Tatum and Moala are two of the candidates to replace the production of current NFL linebackers Ayinde Eley and Charlie Thomas who were two of the most productive linebackers in all of college football in 2022. Sherrer said the one thing his group does have is some depth and numbers something that has been in short supply at the linebacker position the last four or five years on the Flats.
"(The depth) has been really good because as we get out there they are working through and trying to learn techniques or whatever and if it is not right we will fire them and put the other guy in there so it creates that competition which obviously makes people better," Sherrer said. "It has been good to have them all out there.
Only three linebackers return for last season with Tatum who was the third linebacker and in the rotation back plus Tyson Meiguez and Kyle Efford who played some on special teams back. Moala joins transfers Braelen Oliver (Minnesota) and Andre White (Texas A&M) as new veteran faces along with walk-on Austin Dean (Rutgers) who was with the program in the spring. Freshmen Ashton Heflin enrolled early and went through spring ball with Sherrer and the Jackets added Nacari Ashley and Jacob Cruz to the mix this summer as true freshmen giving the Jackets a deeper linebacker room.
Sherrer expects to have a better feel for his group and what the rotation will look like after the first scrimmage this Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium.
"I think you really don't get a true assessment until at least the first scrimmage where it is more full contact. We do a lot of thud and tag off and things like that to protect both sides of the ball. So there are plays (you see in practice) where you go I think he would make it or I'm not sure. You definitely know if they make it in a scrimmage. Sometimes we will hold our complete reservation on our decision or thought process until we get past that."
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Sherrer said because they have so many new guys and he is a new coach everyone got a clean slate to work with and they have been learning how he works and he is learning how each guy works as well and the techniques he wants to teach them and the things they have to know to see the field playing LB for him.
I asked him about Paul Moala and he said that they love that he is such a mature guy and is really gifted athletically even after his injuries. He is learning their way of doing things and is starting to show comfort in what they are asking him to do. He feels like they have four, five or maybe six guys in the room they could play and he wants them to sort it out on the field.
Sherrer said that Tatum has had a camp so far and had a good spring and he has to continue maturing and make sure he takes care of his body and maintains his weight and doesn't get too big or too small. He said over the last six to eight months Tatum has matured a ton.
Sherrer said with Tyson Meiguez he had all those injuries before he got to GT and he has been healthy for him so he came in with an open mind and he has done a nice job so far and he is curious to see how he looks in the scrimmage.
I asked Sherrer if we will see more 3-LB sets and some SAM LB stuff that they showed at times last year with them having more numbers and he said that they do have some options now especially with body types to look at that, but it really be matchup based and packages more than any major changes.
I asked about load management with White and Oliver and to a lesser extent Moala who have played or practiced a lot and have older bodies and he said they really use a lot of technology to monitor the players and keep an eye on workload and they meet as a staff to work on that.
Sherrer said he didn't know Key that well, had met him a few times but the connection was Chris Weinke that helped bring him to GT. He said that one of the reasons he came here was that he felt like he was very similar to Coach Key after they talked no the phone and you want to be around people like that if you are going to spend more time with them than you do your family and the huge commitment coaching in college is made him really focus on his priorities and what he was looking for and he saw a good fit here. He really likes the rest of the staff as well and they have great families and that was evident to him and was something that was clearly important to Coach Key in building up the staff.
I asked about Bill Stewart and how the veteran coaching minds help out. Sherrer joked that Stewart could probably coach LBs better than he can and how his pathway into college coaching was similar just in a different stage of life than Stewart is in. He was a young guy and started as an analyst and worked his way up. He said he has a great football mind and more energy than he does and he has done an outstanding job helping the defense.
Tatum said he learned a lot playing last year especially the few starts when Thomas was out for targeting. He said that gave him a lot of time to prepare and learn things about preparing differently for different roles.
Tatum said watching Eley and Thomas last year was big for him in helping him learn that had to be more mature even though he still feels like a young guy. He said they both acted like pros in the way they handled their business and took care of their bodies and it is a big responsibility to play that position and be a leader as well.
Tatum said he has taken the younger guys under his wing to help them with alignment and he is trying to be a good teammate for them and repeating what the older guys did for him.
Tatum said that White and Oliver had the same mindset as Thomas and Eley as older guys and handling their business. Moala gave them a lot of depth and experience and he knows what he is doing and he comes in with a pro mindset. They have a real young room behind them so that helps a lot.
Tatum said it feels weird for him to be a leader and an older guy in the room because he feels so young at heart. He said he really focuses on trying to be a good teammate.
Tatum said that Coach Sherrer brings it every day and he is very aggressive as a coach and they know every day they are coming to work and they have to bring that same aggression.
Moala said his decision to come here was mostly about wanting to have one last chance at big time CFB. He said that after his two Achilles injuries had graduated from Notre Dame and they needed his scholarship for someone else so Idaho took a chance on him and it worked out and then he wanted one more shot at P5 football and he had a bunch of offers after entering the portal and he decided on GT. He said he liked the way they used Charlie Thomas and he could see himself in that role in this defense.
Moala said the biggest difference for him now is he is taking everything very seriously because he only gets one shot at this now. He said the by the grace of God he ended up here with this opportunity and that opened his eyes and he is going to take it as far as his body will let him.
I joked with him about how different things are practicing in Atlanta at 2 pm versus Moscow, Idaho or South Bend. He said they went in the mornings at those places and he understands why Key has them going in the afternoon and the mental toughness it takes to practice through that.
