ATLANTA- Georgia Tech continued to work on Wednesday as the Jackets gear up for the final scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. After Wednesday's session, offensive line coach Geep Wade and offensive linemen Joe Fusile, Keylan Rutledge and Jordan Williams spoke to the media about camp and how the offensive line has looked.
Tech has been rotating left tackles since the spring. Corey Robinson got banged up in spring ball and true freshman Jameson Riggs got the bulk of the snaps in the spring with the first-unit offense. In fall camp, redshirt junior Jordan Brown has stepped up in camp this fall and Wade has been impressed with Brown's performance at the position. For Brown a year of adjusting and getting healthy following his transfer from Charlotte, he has been able to thus far in camp make the most of his opportunities to get into the two-deep for the Jackets.
"He has been very consistent," Wade said of Brown's rise on the depth chart in camp. "He got hurt a year ago when he got here and he has worked his way back. He is a warrior every day and he is one of those guys I told Coach (Buster) Faulkner) you trust him to do it right out there and if he gets beat, he got beat, but he is very consistent and he has earned himself where he is at right now."
With Robinson, Brown, starting senior right tackle Jordan Williams and swing lineman Ethan Mackenny going into his second year, the Jackets have a variety of veteran options at the tackle positions to mix with younger players like Riggs or redshirt freshman Patrick Screws Jr. once the season rolls around.
At the guard spot, Tech returns starting left guard Joe Fusile while adding former Middle Tennessee standout Keylan Rutledge to the mix at right guard. Rutledge spent the whole offseason recovering from a foot injury suffered in a car accident back in December before he arrived on campus and Wade has been ramping him up in camp to take over that right guard job the only spot where Tech is not returning a starter from last year.
"I know he was banged up but Keylan just fits in with our guys and I trust Joe and I trust Keylan and I knew he would be back," Wade said. "Let's just leave it like that."
Battling for the backup guards spots will be a mix of linemen including Ethan Mackenny who can play guard or tackle on both sides of the line and started multiple games a true freshman at left tackle last year. Wade said that Mackenny has continued to grow and get bigger and stronger while creating some position flexibility on the line for him.
"Ethan has put on the weight we asked him to do because he came in here and had to play even though if you look back he got here on June 1 and got thrown to the wolves and I don't think he could even breathe until week nine. It is so hard on those kids and he is the type of kid that is very conscientious and he has played a couple of different positions for us and is kind of our swing guy," Wade said. "We've got to hone in and find a spot for him, but he is doing well and he is very talented and we want him to play at a high level this year."
The guard rotation could include Benjamin Galloway who was a backup guard last year but didn't play as a true freshman and sophomore Brandon Best who was the backup center a year ago and played some guard in limited reps in three games.
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Wade said that have Coach Mo (Allen Mogridge) has been huge for the OL now that he can coach hands on in practice alongside Wade. He said Mo is an old friend and they have a great apport with each other and share that OL coach language and are on the same page with everything. He said the one issue he has to be careful with is overworking the OLs with them both there. He said he has really focused on making sure he keeps things simple for the OL as well with fewer checks and calls so they can just play ball and keeping it simple for the OL.
I asked Wade about how things are going with Harrison Moore who has played all five offensive line spots since arriving at Tech last January and he said right now he is playing multiple spots inside at guard and center and he has the mentality they want from an OL. He doesn't back down from anything and is ready for a challenge. His weight is up and he has done everything they've asked him to do and every rep matters to him and he wants to become better every play and every practice.
On battling complacency, Wade said they watch film from last year and he spent the offseason talking to other O-line coaches and zooming guys in to talk and focused on getting better in their zone or you have to have that mentality that you want to be a winner and you might not win every rep, but if you have that mentality you are going to be a winner in the long run. He has seen that mentality from his guys so far and he is excited about it.
On Kai Greer playing catch up after not enrolling early, he said nowadays with kids coming in early it makes it really hard on guys to come in and fortunately they don't need to rely on Kai at this moment, but he is really working hard. Wade said he sleeps at Tech sometimes and Kai will wake him up in his office and he has to tell Kai to go sleep in, but he is eager to learn and that is exciting.
Wade said the competition has been great in camp and now they have to whittle it down to the guys they are comfortable paying in a game. He feels like they have way more depth, but now it is about honing in on the guys who are going to play and finding those roles.
Wade said it took them time last year to find the team's identity offensively and in the back half of the year they figured out they are a run-heavy team and it is about putting the team in a better spot and putting the OL in a spot to have success there and making it simple for the guys to just line up and play ball. Then you can put on the different lipsticks over it.
Wade said he loves Jess Simpson and has known him over 20 years and used to go to Buford and just hangout with Jess when he was recruiting and get nothing else done for the day because he is such a great coach and dude. Having him and Kyle Pope there to coach the DL has made his OL much better.
Joe Fusile was up first from the OLs and he said things clicked for the OL in the UNC game and he thinks when they are mashing them downhill that is when the team found their identity and the OL found their identity and that was how it is supposed to be and feel. They've been building on that since that game.
Fusile said it has been a blessing to play with Robinson, Riggs and Brown next to him and they are all great players working their tails off and knowing they have some depth is a game changer for the OL.
Fusile said they can't get complacent on the OL and have to keeping building, the DL are playing great so that is a big challenge as well to go against.
Fusile said the young guys are buying in and understanding what it takes to play at GT and they recruited the right type of kids and they've fit right in.
Fusile said that Makius Scott is the toughest matchup for him in practice and they've had some great battles.
Fusile said this year is about staying hungry and they've found something that works on offense and they did a good job later in the season last year as an OL and now they have to build upon that and stay determined, and disciplined and keep building on that mindset.
Rutledge said that he knew Buster and Geep from recruiting so when he went into the portal after Rick Stockstill got fired at MTSU they reached out and GT was his first offer and they were all over him and it just built from there to his commitment to GT.
On his comeback from the foot injury, he said that had to attack it day-by-day and he is grateful to the Lord above that the car accident he was in wasn't worse and he is very thankful to the staff here and the trainers for helping him rehab and get back to being 100%.
Rutledge said the scheme here is different from MTSU who ran a straight Air Raid gap-scheme and here it is more of a zone scheme, but football is football and you have to have the right mindset and the adjustment has just been the plays and playbook. The footwork has changed and some of the hat placement, just technique things.
Rutledge said he doesn't have a preference on run blocking vs pass pro, he just likes hitting people.
Jordan Williams referenced sandpaper as being a descriptive for the OL.
Williams said that it being his final college season hasn't hit him yet, he is just making the most out of it every day.
Williams said they want to be the #1 rushing team in the country and that is the goal and the mindset and what they are aiming for.
Williams said that Jamal Haynes hits the hole fast and they love how hard he runs and that he knocks people's helmets off and is so physical.
Williams said that Rutledge has been a big addition to the OL room and he enjoys playing next to him and he loves to hit people.
Williams said the OL bond over eating and they go to a place called Cypress Street Pint and Plate to bond. They also play some NCAAF video games.
Williams said that Coach Key's mindset as an OL coach is all over the program and that mindset of imposing your will on your opponent is big. They want to be like sandpaper and make the opponent feel them and feel those body blows that add up in the game.
Williams said his speed is too low in the CFB video game and his strength is too low and they have him listed as agile which he likes but he wants to have strength added to that. He said them putting Eric Singleton Jr. at 92 speed clearly shows no one ever watched them play that made that game, but he loves the offense in the game.
Tech has been rotating left tackles since the spring. Corey Robinson got banged up in spring ball and true freshman Jameson Riggs got the bulk of the snaps in the spring with the first-unit offense. In fall camp, redshirt junior Jordan Brown has stepped up in camp this fall and Wade has been impressed with Brown's performance at the position. For Brown a year of adjusting and getting healthy following his transfer from Charlotte, he has been able to thus far in camp make the most of his opportunities to get into the two-deep for the Jackets.
"He has been very consistent," Wade said of Brown's rise on the depth chart in camp. "He got hurt a year ago when he got here and he has worked his way back. He is a warrior every day and he is one of those guys I told Coach (Buster) Faulkner) you trust him to do it right out there and if he gets beat, he got beat, but he is very consistent and he has earned himself where he is at right now."
With Robinson, Brown, starting senior right tackle Jordan Williams and swing lineman Ethan Mackenny going into his second year, the Jackets have a variety of veteran options at the tackle positions to mix with younger players like Riggs or redshirt freshman Patrick Screws Jr. once the season rolls around.
At the guard spot, Tech returns starting left guard Joe Fusile while adding former Middle Tennessee standout Keylan Rutledge to the mix at right guard. Rutledge spent the whole offseason recovering from a foot injury suffered in a car accident back in December before he arrived on campus and Wade has been ramping him up in camp to take over that right guard job the only spot where Tech is not returning a starter from last year.
"I know he was banged up but Keylan just fits in with our guys and I trust Joe and I trust Keylan and I knew he would be back," Wade said. "Let's just leave it like that."
Battling for the backup guards spots will be a mix of linemen including Ethan Mackenny who can play guard or tackle on both sides of the line and started multiple games a true freshman at left tackle last year. Wade said that Mackenny has continued to grow and get bigger and stronger while creating some position flexibility on the line for him.
"Ethan has put on the weight we asked him to do because he came in here and had to play even though if you look back he got here on June 1 and got thrown to the wolves and I don't think he could even breathe until week nine. It is so hard on those kids and he is the type of kid that is very conscientious and he has played a couple of different positions for us and is kind of our swing guy," Wade said. "We've got to hone in and find a spot for him, but he is doing well and he is very talented and we want him to play at a high level this year."
The guard rotation could include Benjamin Galloway who was a backup guard last year but didn't play as a true freshman and sophomore Brandon Best who was the backup center a year ago and played some guard in limited reps in three games.
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Wade said that have Coach Mo (Allen Mogridge) has been huge for the OL now that he can coach hands on in practice alongside Wade. He said Mo is an old friend and they have a great apport with each other and share that OL coach language and are on the same page with everything. He said the one issue he has to be careful with is overworking the OLs with them both there. He said he has really focused on making sure he keeps things simple for the OL as well with fewer checks and calls so they can just play ball and keeping it simple for the OL.
I asked Wade about how things are going with Harrison Moore who has played all five offensive line spots since arriving at Tech last January and he said right now he is playing multiple spots inside at guard and center and he has the mentality they want from an OL. He doesn't back down from anything and is ready for a challenge. His weight is up and he has done everything they've asked him to do and every rep matters to him and he wants to become better every play and every practice.
On battling complacency, Wade said they watch film from last year and he spent the offseason talking to other O-line coaches and zooming guys in to talk and focused on getting better in their zone or you have to have that mentality that you want to be a winner and you might not win every rep, but if you have that mentality you are going to be a winner in the long run. He has seen that mentality from his guys so far and he is excited about it.
On Kai Greer playing catch up after not enrolling early, he said nowadays with kids coming in early it makes it really hard on guys to come in and fortunately they don't need to rely on Kai at this moment, but he is really working hard. Wade said he sleeps at Tech sometimes and Kai will wake him up in his office and he has to tell Kai to go sleep in, but he is eager to learn and that is exciting.
Wade said the competition has been great in camp and now they have to whittle it down to the guys they are comfortable paying in a game. He feels like they have way more depth, but now it is about honing in on the guys who are going to play and finding those roles.
Wade said it took them time last year to find the team's identity offensively and in the back half of the year they figured out they are a run-heavy team and it is about putting the team in a better spot and putting the OL in a spot to have success there and making it simple for the guys to just line up and play ball. Then you can put on the different lipsticks over it.
Wade said he loves Jess Simpson and has known him over 20 years and used to go to Buford and just hangout with Jess when he was recruiting and get nothing else done for the day because he is such a great coach and dude. Having him and Kyle Pope there to coach the DL has made his OL much better.
Joe Fusile was up first from the OLs and he said things clicked for the OL in the UNC game and he thinks when they are mashing them downhill that is when the team found their identity and the OL found their identity and that was how it is supposed to be and feel. They've been building on that since that game.
Fusile said it has been a blessing to play with Robinson, Riggs and Brown next to him and they are all great players working their tails off and knowing they have some depth is a game changer for the OL.
Fusile said they can't get complacent on the OL and have to keeping building, the DL are playing great so that is a big challenge as well to go against.
Fusile said the young guys are buying in and understanding what it takes to play at GT and they recruited the right type of kids and they've fit right in.
Fusile said that Makius Scott is the toughest matchup for him in practice and they've had some great battles.
Fusile said this year is about staying hungry and they've found something that works on offense and they did a good job later in the season last year as an OL and now they have to build upon that and stay determined, and disciplined and keep building on that mindset.
Rutledge said that he knew Buster and Geep from recruiting so when he went into the portal after Rick Stockstill got fired at MTSU they reached out and GT was his first offer and they were all over him and it just built from there to his commitment to GT.
On his comeback from the foot injury, he said that had to attack it day-by-day and he is grateful to the Lord above that the car accident he was in wasn't worse and he is very thankful to the staff here and the trainers for helping him rehab and get back to being 100%.
Rutledge said the scheme here is different from MTSU who ran a straight Air Raid gap-scheme and here it is more of a zone scheme, but football is football and you have to have the right mindset and the adjustment has just been the plays and playbook. The footwork has changed and some of the hat placement, just technique things.
Rutledge said he doesn't have a preference on run blocking vs pass pro, he just likes hitting people.
Jordan Williams referenced sandpaper as being a descriptive for the OL.
Williams said that it being his final college season hasn't hit him yet, he is just making the most out of it every day.
Williams said they want to be the #1 rushing team in the country and that is the goal and the mindset and what they are aiming for.
Williams said that Jamal Haynes hits the hole fast and they love how hard he runs and that he knocks people's helmets off and is so physical.
Williams said that Rutledge has been a big addition to the OL room and he enjoys playing next to him and he loves to hit people.
Williams said the OL bond over eating and they go to a place called Cypress Street Pint and Plate to bond. They also play some NCAAF video games.
Williams said that Coach Key's mindset as an OL coach is all over the program and that mindset of imposing your will on your opponent is big. They want to be like sandpaper and make the opponent feel them and feel those body blows that add up in the game.
Williams said his speed is too low in the CFB video game and his strength is too low and they have him listed as agile which he likes but he wants to have strength added to that. He said them putting Eric Singleton Jr. at 92 speed clearly shows no one ever watched them play that made that game, but he loves the offense in the game.
