Which play do you think was the most pivotable one in the UVA game on Saturday?
KQ- To me it was the hit on Tony Muskett and the pick by Myles Sims on that play. It showed GT just wanted it more and it changed the entire game plan for UVA. They were planning to redshirt Anthony Colandrea and apparently, he was not in the mindset to even play in that game hence why they brought in the other QB first who is their short yardage tush push QB.
Please tell us what you can about the saga of Our Best Running Back, Dontae Smith. He's obviously the guy. Some folks say he was hurt; some say no. Others say he was in Coach's dog house; others say no way. He has always had the intangibles that a good RB needs - so why haven't we been seeing lots of him during his senior campaign?
KQ- That is up to Dontae Smith to share. You guys and gals are not entitled to know everything that goes on within a program. I'm very happy for Dontae and he has been one of my favorite kids to cover since I met him in HS. Both Dontae and Brent Key have declined to share more about it. I will say going into the season Key told me they were going to be careful with Dontae's workload as well.
Why are so many people on here so miserable all the time?
KQ- I think it reflects the current tenor of our society. People want to be miserable and hate the politicians who have opposite views and act like they are the devil or the guy who cut them off on the highway or the dude who got the last banana at the grocery store. I'm not sure what the hell it is about and I'm guilty of it myself at times, but it is ugly and we need to strive to be better and find common ground with everyone.
We continue to make offers to 2024 recruits. With 2 dozen or so commits, what is our strategy?
Are we concerned about large quantities of decommits? Are we not excited with some commits and wanting to upgrade? Do we expect large player turnover after the season?
I am sure it is a little of each. What do you think is the main driver!
KQ- At @Russell Johnson can share his thoughts, but there will still be more attrition from this team as guys graduate quickly or some who aren't playing or don't fit in are processed. Key has 18 months to move kids off the roster and keep them on scholarship academically as he wishes. He is trying to fix some roster issues here and there and patch holes with the portal. They are also recruiting guys because no one is signed yet so you need backup plans and plan B or C guys ready to roll. Some are also long shots.
Out of the 17 teams that will play in the ACC next year, what is your best guess for where GT stacks up in the amount of NIL/Portal money Key will have to work with?
KQ- I have no idea whatsoever. No one actually knows much about the budgets for most of these programs. GT isn't in the top 5 and they are not at the bottom either. They are in the middle ground somewhere.
How much of a difference do you think playing in December makes to holding the class together and upgrading, or does one win from 5-7 to 6-6 not make that huge of a difference to recruits who aren’t used to seeing GT in bowls anyway at this point?
KQ- I think it helps against negative recruiting but that is about it.
What steps do you think Key needs to take in the offseason? Hes already a better coach and seems to have a better plan than GC5 and i can see some real movement for our program, but obviously work still needs to be done!
KQ- It is a two-fold thing, they have to figure out the defensive piece. Staff, personnel and the most important part to me player development now becomes a big thing. He has to max out what he is getting from what they have. On the offensive side, you try to keep the band together and find a big RB to replace Dontae Smith and probably a dynamic TE to replace Dylan Leonard as a full-time starter who is done after this year.
How much of this offensive explosion has been because the OL is finally starting to come together?
KQ- I think a lot of the credit goes to Geep Wade and what they've done on the OL and some to Key as well who brought in all the pieces except for Connor Scaglione who both Key and Wade brought in. This is what happens when you develop internally and build up a line over time. Weston Franklin is in his third year here playing, Joe Fusile year two, Jordan Williams year four, Corey Robinson year two and Ethan MacKenny is a first-year guy that they kept an eye on for several years before signing him.
How big has Dontae been for that RB group? He and Jamal are a force!
KQ- This goes back to why the ground game was effective with Jahmyr Gibbs and Jordan Mason, thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, they didn't have those two healthy for much of the 2021 season or 2020 season and the QB play was spotty with Jeff Sims, but with effective passing and running from the QBs you can really grind teams up when they guess wrong, especially on RPOs. Sims didn't have a lot of control over the RPOs either and many of his plays were just read-option runs while King has all three and you have to play that way for it to work.
When do we sign Key to an infinitely contract extension?
KQ- Where is Dave Braine when GT needs him?
Be honest KQ.. we are going bowling this year aren’t we?
KQ- I hope so.
