Brent Key opened his presser talking about recruiting and they've had more kids in already this spring than the entire last spring. He said that one day they had almost 300 kids and he was freaking out as they were getting to close to the field and there were too many people in the indoor and Don Hill-Eley his chief advisor reminded him that last year they had like 10 kids come on the same day so they should count their blessings that kids are interested in GT again.
They ran 155 plays today and he talked about how they are tearing down the Edge Building and getting ready to build the new Fanning Center and he said each year putting together the football team is like building a new building and you pour the footers and start to build block by block and if you don't do it correctly the exterior of the building won't endure and sometimes you have to start over to get the foundation correct otherwise all the pieces won't fit together. He said he feels like they have the pieces of a good football team but they need to build it the right way and everyone has to work collectively toward the same goal of laying that foundation correctly and spacing and putting the bricks together correctly. He joked he should've been a construction worker.
Key said they had a great group of recruits and the families of those recruits plus it was friends and family weekend at the scrimmage so they had lots of people watching including some of his former teammates. He said that Key Fox and Darryl Smith were both there and hung out with the LBs and Coach Santucci and were able to share some of their knowledge and experience with the LBs. He said it is great to see those connections.
Charlie Thomas was here and came over to chat with me. He has been trying to put on weight and is ready to surprise the NFL next season.
They did four moves the field starting at the -20 with the ones, twos and threes and in the eight series it was 7 TDs and a FG.
They did some situational football with eight series of 2nd and 3rd down play with whatever yardage to get and the defense really stepped up during that spot. He said there were some good plays by the ones with one-on-one tackles. He thought the defensive line did a nice job as the scrimmage went on of containing the QB after some early seepage and that was an issue last year and something they are harping on this year to avoid those QB runs. He thought Zeek Biggers and Horace Lockett did a nice job of handling their responsibility within the call and containing the QB.
They did eight series of short yardage and that is where he wants to build the toughness of this team and identity when you know you are going to run the ball and the defense has to stop it. He thought the O-line did a good job and the DL got some penetration and the RBs did a great job during that period and he said that Anthony Carrie and Evan Dickens really stood out during that along with walk-on Chad Alexander. He loves how Alexander plays and runs behind his pads and he was really impressed with the young RBs today.
They ran very vanilla defense with no blitzes just to let them play and the next scrimmage will have more defensive calls.
They ended with four series of move the field where they started in the +35 or 30 and tried to move into the red area. That was back and forth and things got a little sloppy at the end and pad level went up on both sides of the ball and there were some QB/RB exchange issues.
Ahmari Harvey showed up again on special teams with a blocked field goal and he should've blocked a second one. It was very close. He said it was great seeing how hard he was going at the end of a 140-150 plays of work. He said they need to sure up the blocking on the wings to keep Harvey from getting those blocks.
They have some guys banged up and some out, but that is normal for spring ball especially when you are as physical as they are on both sides of the ball.
They had 40 plays 40 and 40 not live of tackle football on Friday and then 155 today so he sent home a lot of tired puppies for Easter.
He said his goal is for each player to look in the mirror on Monday and ask themselves if they got better last week and what do I have to do to get better this week?
They had 26 ACC officials out there today doing training and they were able to answer questions from the players about calls and things like that so that was helpful feedback.
I asked Key about the newcomers and how they are coming along and how they fared in the scrimmage he said that Jameson Riggs started at LT with the ones today and played the entire scrimmage holding his own against a static defense (no blitzes or exotic calls). He will know more on him to watch.
He said that Carrie and Dickens who isn't a new comer, but still young both impressed him.
Jackson Hawes the TE is amazing ball catcher across the middle and a big body in the red area that can fall forward for you.
Tana Alo-Tupuola was running 2nd team center in the scrimmage (Gabe Fortson is banged up) and he has been impressed with him so far as well as Harrison Moore who was also running with the twos at guard.
Key said Leo Blackburn isn't a new player but he feels like a newcomer and it is so good to see him out there making plays and imposing his will on the defense.
He said that Warren Burrell and Syeed Gibbs have impressed him on the defensive side of the ball and Jackson Hamilton at LB has flashed but he didn't notice him as much today but he was not watching the LBs as much so he wasn't sure. He said they got to get off blocks better on the defensive side of the ball and continue to learn how to and develop how they use their hands.
He said he likes the LB group with Jackson, Kyle Efford, Tren Tatum and Tah'j Butler that was going today in the top four (EJ Lightsey is still out with an injury).
He said that Jordan Boyd is flashing on defense and he is very athletic and has a chance to be a good football player.
Key said that Santucci's defense is basically the same defense that GOL ran for years and years so he is very comfortable with what they are trying to do. He is a really impressed with what Jess Simpson and Kyle Pope are doing with the defensive line and Simpson is a phenomenal teacher and Tyler Santucci is like an old coach out there even though he is only 35.
Key said he likes the top 3 CBs they are running together right now, Rodney Shelley, Harvey and Burrell. Gibbs is playing nickel btw.
Key said the safeties are coming along and he wants to see more plays out of them. He said that Clayton Powell-Lee made a nice play on Eric Singleton in the open field with a tackle and he was very pleased with that as it shows what they are executing. He said that leadership piece needs to come from that group.
Key said that two freshmen QBs have a lot on their plate right now and they are playing catch up because even though Buster Faulkner has them installing from square one those veteran kids know and pick up everything much faster and they've got that learning curve to deal with. He joked that they open each first scrimmage with a freshman QB with a deep throw and both overthrew it.
Key said that Trent McKnight has done a great job of stepping into a tough situation just before spring ball getting hired. He said also everyone thinks they look alike and he is offended because he is older and fatter than Trent, but they are both from B-ham. He said that McKnight was honest with the kids from the jump that he is starting at square one and is learning this stuff as they are during install and getting caught up and they may have to help him with some things as they get comfortable with each other. He said McKnight has impressed him coaching from the bottom up meaning he coaches a walk-on just as hard as Eric Singleton or Malik Rutherford in that room. He said he has been impressed with the development they are seeing from guys like Avery Boyd and Chase Lane being back healthy. He said Zion Taylor is really talented and they are excited about him as well.
I asked about the helmet comms system and he said it has been pretty seamless and they are more curious about how it changes the pacing of the game during the season because unlike they NFL most teams don't huddle so you are still signaling plays for the other guys on the field and the QB has to process the call and some guys are more visual than auditory with processing information so that is a how thing too.
They ran 155 plays today and he talked about how they are tearing down the Edge Building and getting ready to build the new Fanning Center and he said each year putting together the football team is like building a new building and you pour the footers and start to build block by block and if you don't do it correctly the exterior of the building won't endure and sometimes you have to start over to get the foundation correct otherwise all the pieces won't fit together. He said he feels like they have the pieces of a good football team but they need to build it the right way and everyone has to work collectively toward the same goal of laying that foundation correctly and spacing and putting the bricks together correctly. He joked he should've been a construction worker.
Key said they had a great group of recruits and the families of those recruits plus it was friends and family weekend at the scrimmage so they had lots of people watching including some of his former teammates. He said that Key Fox and Darryl Smith were both there and hung out with the LBs and Coach Santucci and were able to share some of their knowledge and experience with the LBs. He said it is great to see those connections.
Charlie Thomas was here and came over to chat with me. He has been trying to put on weight and is ready to surprise the NFL next season.
They did four moves the field starting at the -20 with the ones, twos and threes and in the eight series it was 7 TDs and a FG.
They did some situational football with eight series of 2nd and 3rd down play with whatever yardage to get and the defense really stepped up during that spot. He said there were some good plays by the ones with one-on-one tackles. He thought the defensive line did a nice job as the scrimmage went on of containing the QB after some early seepage and that was an issue last year and something they are harping on this year to avoid those QB runs. He thought Zeek Biggers and Horace Lockett did a nice job of handling their responsibility within the call and containing the QB.
They did eight series of short yardage and that is where he wants to build the toughness of this team and identity when you know you are going to run the ball and the defense has to stop it. He thought the O-line did a good job and the DL got some penetration and the RBs did a great job during that period and he said that Anthony Carrie and Evan Dickens really stood out during that along with walk-on Chad Alexander. He loves how Alexander plays and runs behind his pads and he was really impressed with the young RBs today.
They ran very vanilla defense with no blitzes just to let them play and the next scrimmage will have more defensive calls.
They ended with four series of move the field where they started in the +35 or 30 and tried to move into the red area. That was back and forth and things got a little sloppy at the end and pad level went up on both sides of the ball and there were some QB/RB exchange issues.
Ahmari Harvey showed up again on special teams with a blocked field goal and he should've blocked a second one. It was very close. He said it was great seeing how hard he was going at the end of a 140-150 plays of work. He said they need to sure up the blocking on the wings to keep Harvey from getting those blocks.
They have some guys banged up and some out, but that is normal for spring ball especially when you are as physical as they are on both sides of the ball.
They had 40 plays 40 and 40 not live of tackle football on Friday and then 155 today so he sent home a lot of tired puppies for Easter.
He said his goal is for each player to look in the mirror on Monday and ask themselves if they got better last week and what do I have to do to get better this week?
They had 26 ACC officials out there today doing training and they were able to answer questions from the players about calls and things like that so that was helpful feedback.
I asked Key about the newcomers and how they are coming along and how they fared in the scrimmage he said that Jameson Riggs started at LT with the ones today and played the entire scrimmage holding his own against a static defense (no blitzes or exotic calls). He will know more on him to watch.
He said that Carrie and Dickens who isn't a new comer, but still young both impressed him.
Jackson Hawes the TE is amazing ball catcher across the middle and a big body in the red area that can fall forward for you.
Tana Alo-Tupuola was running 2nd team center in the scrimmage (Gabe Fortson is banged up) and he has been impressed with him so far as well as Harrison Moore who was also running with the twos at guard.
Key said Leo Blackburn isn't a new player but he feels like a newcomer and it is so good to see him out there making plays and imposing his will on the defense.
He said that Warren Burrell and Syeed Gibbs have impressed him on the defensive side of the ball and Jackson Hamilton at LB has flashed but he didn't notice him as much today but he was not watching the LBs as much so he wasn't sure. He said they got to get off blocks better on the defensive side of the ball and continue to learn how to and develop how they use their hands.
He said he likes the LB group with Jackson, Kyle Efford, Tren Tatum and Tah'j Butler that was going today in the top four (EJ Lightsey is still out with an injury).
He said that Jordan Boyd is flashing on defense and he is very athletic and has a chance to be a good football player.
Key said that Santucci's defense is basically the same defense that GOL ran for years and years so he is very comfortable with what they are trying to do. He is a really impressed with what Jess Simpson and Kyle Pope are doing with the defensive line and Simpson is a phenomenal teacher and Tyler Santucci is like an old coach out there even though he is only 35.
Key said he likes the top 3 CBs they are running together right now, Rodney Shelley, Harvey and Burrell. Gibbs is playing nickel btw.
Key said the safeties are coming along and he wants to see more plays out of them. He said that Clayton Powell-Lee made a nice play on Eric Singleton in the open field with a tackle and he was very pleased with that as it shows what they are executing. He said that leadership piece needs to come from that group.
Key said that two freshmen QBs have a lot on their plate right now and they are playing catch up because even though Buster Faulkner has them installing from square one those veteran kids know and pick up everything much faster and they've got that learning curve to deal with. He joked that they open each first scrimmage with a freshman QB with a deep throw and both overthrew it.
Key said that Trent McKnight has done a great job of stepping into a tough situation just before spring ball getting hired. He said also everyone thinks they look alike and he is offended because he is older and fatter than Trent, but they are both from B-ham. He said that McKnight was honest with the kids from the jump that he is starting at square one and is learning this stuff as they are during install and getting caught up and they may have to help him with some things as they get comfortable with each other. He said McKnight has impressed him coaching from the bottom up meaning he coaches a walk-on just as hard as Eric Singleton or Malik Rutherford in that room. He said he has been impressed with the development they are seeing from guys like Avery Boyd and Chase Lane being back healthy. He said Zion Taylor is really talented and they are excited about him as well.
I asked about the helmet comms system and he said it has been pretty seamless and they are more curious about how it changes the pacing of the game during the season because unlike they NFL most teams don't huddle so you are still signaling plays for the other guys on the field and the QB has to process the call and some guys are more visual than auditory with processing information so that is a how thing too.
