For Monday?.......Now that we know who the DC is, how many days did you have to sit on that info?
KQ- Well my story was written on Jan. 10th and Russell did his profile thing the next day.
How disruptive will Saban’s retirement be to anything other than the coach hiring process? We are getting a visitor for an OV and a 2025 recruit is visiting us, but will anything else happen? Lanning is staying put so that’s a domino removed, but seems to have serious potential.
KQ- Any movement is potentially a domino, but really it could be a net positive for GT depending how things shake out. There will be more portal activity and that can impact both the 2024 and 2025 classes and roster decisions.
When, If, Or never, will we recruit 5 or more Top 50 players in the State of Georgia?
KQ- @Russell Johnson
* Since you have full knowledge of the football staff now, fill in the blank. This is Georgia Tech's strongest overall football staff since _______?
KQ- You will need to ask this next week at the earliest my friend.
* True or False? GT will have enough preseason hype to garner some top 25 votes, and would move into the top 25 with a season opening win over FSU.
KQ- Interesting question. If they handle FSU then yes. If it is a close game I could see GT cracking the top 30. I would not be shocked if they get a vote or two in the preseason for the top 25.
Do you know what the general mood is among the players and can you provide any insights into the locker-room vibe heading into 2024?
KQ- Not really, they just started school back up with workouts and everything like that coming. It is a little early for a vibe check.
So if you’re Damon, do you clip the moving screen calls and show the ones Duke had that were all clearly fouls and ask for an explanation what the difference was?
KQ- Of course, but GT has been hit by that a few times. They probably need to teach Baye to flop when they do that to him.
Your overall grade for this staff that Key has put together? I know we don’t have a DB coach yet as I’m typing this..
KQ- I think it is an A- staff so far. I like the new additions and what is coming back. I'm really curious about the final DB hire. That could move it up IMO.
What percent of Gibbs leaving was NIL and what percent was he figured out MoBS was full of crap
KQ- That is an interesting question. I think it was largely money. His family didn't have a pot to piss in and they got set up better at Bama.
Who is an offensive player (not Leo Blackburn, if possible) you will have your eye on in Spring ball as a potential breakout candidate/impact guy in 2024? Defensive player? Newcomer (HS or transfer)?
KQ- Potential breakout on offense not named Blackburn, maybe Brett Seither. If he can stay healthy he has a chance to be very productive in the passing game. On the defensive side, Eddie Kelly. He can play both end positions and you can see his athleticism and motor. He just needs to be coached up. Newcomer, Anthony Carrie is the guy I think replaces what Dontae Smith did and maybe more.
Do you have enough insight into how CDS was thinking about our team before the season started to assess if he thinks this team is underachieving, on target, or overachieving at this point in the season?
KQ- I think they are playing about how he expected with the record probably about where he thought it would be. He knew it was going to be a game-to-game deal. Miles Kelly struggling in the first half of the season was a surprise and Amaree Abram's struggles were not predicted and Nait George being better than anticipated also helps.
What is your assessment of GTMBB about halfway thru 2023-24? What would you like to see more of (good) in that back half of the schedule? Less of (bad)?
KQ- I think the schedule has been hard and the team learning their roles and all of that has made it more difficult but there have been some cool highlights and they are capable of playing with just about anyone as they've shown. I think they need to show they can beat and put away lesser teams in the second half. That is the biggest thing I'll be watching as they play some revenge games too like at ND.
With the first offseason portal period over, what grade do you give the defensive additions as a whole?
KQ- Like a B-, they didn't have a DC or most of the positions filled for the entirety of the period so it was hard to make plays and as I said before the second portal will be the key for finding the final spots as those kids are generally not the ones just chasing money or guys who are leaving because they weren't playing. I do like the FCS kids they've added and I loved Lightsey out of HS.
Most likely to least likely for Damon in Year Two ‘24-‘25:
A - No postseason
B - NIT
C - NCAA
KQ- I think B, but Damon will be expecting C.
Our Offense is good and trending up. Obviously our Defense is caught short on talent and depth. How realistic is it to expect recruiting enough transfer talent and depth via the portal’s second opening to enable GT to be a Top 25 team? Particularly since oftentimes we’re outbid.
KQ- First off they've been outbid on some kids because it was decided the kid wasn't worth the asking price. It hasn't been because of a lack of money. So get that out of your mind. Yes there is a budget, but they have a functional one. Secondly I have no clue what the final defense will look like so I can't really say yet.
You have often said that GT needs to focus on player developmemt to succeed. Who would you say are the coaches with the reputation for being the best player developers at positions and who are some names that are seen as the rising stars?
KQ- I guess you mean on GT's current staff. That would be Simpson (developer not young) and Pope on D and Norv, Geep and Crawford on offense. Key has a pretty young staff overall and that is because he wants guys to grind.
Are there any coaches in the coaching realm that actually like MoBS not named Thacker or Rhule?
KQ- Yes, Mack Brown clearly, Hugh Freeze likes him as well. He would've interviewed for that job had UNC not hired him per some people close to Hugh. Geoff can be a fun guy to hang around. I just think he sucks as a head coach and I'm unclear on him as a DC.
Seems like we've heard every new GT football coach talk about the importance and priority they're going to place on recruiting the state of Georgia, yet with varying results. Even in this cycle, Key's staff took several head-scratching out of state commits only to end up dropping the majority of them.
1- Even though almost everyone recruits GA I think no one should know the state (especially Metro Atl) better than GT. Is that a fair expectation?
KQ- Georgia is a huge state and UGA has a huge advantage baked in with some many alums and fans serving as head coaches in the state of Georgia so I reject this concept outright from the jump. I've been in hundreds of schools, I've seen GT gear a handful of time, UGA stuff I see all the time. The kids that got dropped had a lot to do with some strange standing on the table done now or soon to be former staffers.
2- Can GT do better in Georgia and if so what are some constructive ways that can happen?
KQ- They need to have kids in early and trust their evals. I think some former assistants really did not evaluate well and that put GT behind the 8-ball like Tre Alexander in the last cycle. It was clear as day to me and Russell he should've been offered and committed back in July.
GT plays (11) 2023 bowl teams this next season. Is it unreasonable to expect 8 wins?
KQ- With a bowl win sure I guess. We don't know who will be on these teams yet.
Shot in the dark question but would it even be possible for Aeneas Peebles to finish his current semester at VT and then portal to GT in the spring?
KQ- Yes if the multi-transfer rule isn't put back in.
Could Chuck Oliver be more condesending and ill informed when you are on his show? Makes it sound like kids are running for the portal and our defensive hires are mediocre. Sounds like he is scrambling for notes to ask you a question. I’ll hang up and listen.
KQ- Hahahaha, I love Chuck, I thought he was fine, but he loves SEC ball.
