Don’t want to overreact to a couple basketball losses bc it’s not like we haven’t seen the same thing for 15 years. But what if any legit concerns should JOL actually be having. The player development part? Damon getting frustrated with the NIL process and alienating top recruits? Getting frustrated and bolting back to the NBA? GT BB being perceived as dead for long enough that fans and donors are going to be harder than expected to get back than the lapsed football folks were?
KQ- It is basketball and the best player on the team Baye Ndongo has started the season slow and it is killing them on the inside and they cannot get consistent inside scoring. Asking Doryan to carry as much as he is wasn't really in the game plan from the jump either, but they were unable to get a big they liked in the portal and thus here we are. I'll say this I don't put a lot on the early season games and the UGA game has been a weird one for GT historically. Shit they lost to a bad UGA team in January of 2004 in double OT the year that GT went to the title game in double OT. I was there. GT was 12-0 and lost to UGA. It happens.
The North Florida one bothered me more because of how bad the D looked, but they seem to have settled that down.
I’m assuming this would’ve been addressed in the Recruiting Buzz if it was the case, but I’m gonna ask anyways. Can the 2025 QB offer going out be looked at as trying to upgrade over Grady Adamson? It seemed like a strange take to me at the time, and, I may be wrong, but his numbers haven’t really jumped out to me this year.
You are conflating a poster putting up a graphic on a dude GT was recruiting 18 months ago with a new offer. I assume you are talking about Carter Smith the QB who decommitted from Michigan. I have no idea why the poster put that up. He didn't ask what was up, Carter didn't start posting about GT again or anything else. I know Carter and have seen him in person before. GT offered him in MAY OF 2023. You'd have to ask the guy who he posted it.
Just for kicks…take a shot at our defensive line 2 deep for next year off of current roster. We know we will be adding some portal players. Seems to be a lot of youth next year?
KQ- I mean this year's two-deep DL features three guys who were not on the team last season so it is a little bit hard to do that.
If I use who is currently on the team it would be this
Returning you'd have
RE- Height, Jacob Cruz or Amontrae Bradford
DE- Boyd, Iloh or Bradford
DT- van den Berg, Landen Marshall
DT- Lockett, Shymeik Jones
I assume they will add a DE and probably two DTs via the portal this offseason repeating what they did this cycle and you could also see some of the young guys fill out that depth as well. Jess Simpson and Kyle Pope hit the reset button on the DL and cleared some room to bring in guys they want this offseason. I expect GT will be heavy in free agency on the DL.
SEC teams including UGA seem to always schedule a cupcake before rivalry week. UGA will play UMass before Tech. Clearly they are using that week to prepare for the rivalry team which is often an ACC team for SEC teams. Why doesn't Georgia Tech and the ACC do the same? If you are not sure why then can you ask Key in the next press conference. Seems like GT and the ACC should schedule to assist them in winning the rivalry games since we all know when the ACC loses to the SEC it furthers the narrative that the ACC sucks.
KQ- A couple of things, (A) Brent Key doesn't have much to do with scheduling of football games nor did CPJ or Collins or probably Chan. These games are scheduled years out. (B) because of the contracts and the way the deals are structured most of the FCS and low G5 games are front-loaded because of television deals. (C) fans ****ing can't stand these games and don't show up including Athens. It will probably be their worst-attended game of the year next Saturday.
The league has a huge say in this as well. I think UGA played Ole Miss the week before the GT game and they've had SEC games some years in the past. Many of the other SEC teams have games. Bama is playing at Oklahoma this weekend (I'll be there covering that game because I worked it into a trip to see Grady Adamson).
If you weren’t in the college sports journalism industry, what would else would you have done?
KQ- Most likely I would be working in music merchandising for my old friend from college. I just went to see Iron Maiden Wednesday in Charlotte and he hooked me up. I worked for him in college and after college and was given the option to move to California or go on the road with bands and at the time I punted on that to chase my sports journalism career. I was also working on a masters in psychology briefly and didn't get very far at KSU in my interlude after I stopped covering UGA and was working at the MDJ before I started covering GT. So one of those paths.
If GT beats NC State, GT finishes no worse than 4th in conference not counting tie breakers.
Where will GT go bowling?
KQ- No one knows, the reality is the whole bowl landscape rides on how many ACC teams get in the playoffs and GT needs Notre Dame to make the playoffs as well otherwise everyone gets shifted down one spot. People are literally just guessing right now but a lot depends on matchups too. I don't see the Fenway Bowl against Tulane for example. They would want someone who might sell some tickets and that ain't it in December in Boston. Maybe GT against someone with northern ties would work for example. I could see GT wanting the Sun Bowl and making a push to get that one that less people want. Everyone will line up for Clemson and from there it is a crapshoot where everyone else goes.
How worried should we be that after the first four games, Nait George and Baye Ndongo do not look like they leveled up at all between Year 1 and 2.
KQ- I think sometimes it takes guys some time to get it going. I think Nait's defense is my biggest concern at the moment watching the team in one-on-one D more than Baye missing some shots inside. What is Nait's ceiling is an interesting piece of this as well. I think bigger guys take more time and Ndongo missing so many bunnies has hurt him early on. Hopefully he gets back on track.
How many acc football coaches gets fired/retire when seasons is over with?
KQ- Mack Brown I expect will be forced to retire at UNC. I have no idea what FSU does, will they push Norvell to try to take another gig? It seems like they are doubling-down on trying to set him up for success next year. UVA is interesting to me because Tony Elliott got another year but they are probably more like to not make a bowl again with SMU and at VT left (they've lost something like 19 of 20 against VT over the last two decades). Elliott is 11-21 and they've been more competitive but they got slapped around by that UNC team after GT beat UNC and UVA has been wildly inconsistent and their attendance is really bad for them.
I kind of wonder about Dave Clawson at this point as well. I like Dave and know him a little bit and I wonder how burned out he is by what has happened and them being a feeder for other schools. USF took two of their commits this cycle including their handpicked QB. That ain't good. Clawson and John Currie the AD are super tight so I doubt he leaves but he is another I might put on retirement watch soon. I don't think he likes where things are heading.
This could be the most stable offseason jobs wise for the league with head coaching positions. As far as guys possibly leaving for other jobs, Billy O'Brien and Manny Diaz are the two I'd keep an eye on depending on dominos and what comes open.
