I noticed that Javon Nelson is on the offer list, i remember we made his top schools list, but where do we stand with him?
RJ- Nelson's recruitment has definitely slowed down a bit with everything on in terms of not being able to visit, coaches not being on the road, etc. but I have removed him from the offer list as of today. Georgia Tech made his top schools list, but I see him joining the group of recruits enamored with the SEC.
What are the bathroom upgrades at The Dodd supposed to be like? Are there going to be new water fountains?
KQ- No idea, they weren't exactly state of the art, so I think they'll be given some newer features. They've added water stations every time and I believe they are adding more.
Now that you have seen spring ball and what this offense will look closer to. What team can we look at to say, " thats what our offense is going to look like this year and moving forward"
IDK why Tebow, with Demps and harvin come to mind. maybe im crazy with that comparison..
KQ- Lol, the offense looked exactly as it did last spring (2019) and in fall camp (2019) and 2020 spring ball. The offense is a NCAA spread run out of different formations with some screens and dropback passes. It looks like every other team running a spread. The individual concepts are still the same, the formations may change, the play calling may change, but that won't be determined until probably they've played some games or who is QB.
They weren't doing some grand install of a new system. They just didn't execute last year and the playcalling was limited (likely due to the previous issue).
If our team has any a decent 2020 campaign, which coach is likely a target of a factory with more $$$?
KQ- Huh? You talking about poaching football staff. What is a decent campaign? This is like the third time someone asked this, how about folks STOP asking that, it is not a good question. That is like asking your buddy when someone is going to take his wife or girlfriend because you don't think they are good enough for them. Every coach who has left GT since I've been covering them was either for a major step up coordinator/NFL assistant/head coach job or they were fired or about to be or they went to work for a mentor or close friend like BJM.
One thing that I appreciate as a reader, and that provides us the most insight into the coaches thought processes recruiting wise is giving us a look at our current recruiting board (Option A, Option B, Option C at each position/spot). Asking Russell or Kelly to break down the entire recruiting board seems like a lot... but I think all of us would appreciate as much insight into the current recruiting board as you are allowed to share.
RJ- I'll do as much as I can right now without rambling on.
Things are set at the QB position with Chayden Peery for the 2021 class, and it seems they are set on not taking a running back in this class, as well.
The 2022 class at RB is worth monitoring, and it starts with Damari Alston and Antonio Martin inside the state of Georgia.
This doesn't really satisfy your request but I can't go on without talking about how loaded the 2022 class is in Georgia.
There are already nearly 70 recruits in the class with at least a 5.5 rating (three-stars)
The group at wide receiver is not yet maxed out, as targets such as Marcus Burke, Jaden Alexis, and a handful of others from the state of Florida remain. A potential wildcard at the position is JaQuez Smith, a new teammate of Jakiah Leftwich and Leo Blackburn following his transfer this off-season from Hapeville Charter.
At the TE position, the class is off to a good start with Ben Postma from the state of Texas. If the staff gets their (likely) wish granted, four-star Jordan Dingle will join his brother Justice in the class. Several others also remain on the board at the position, such as Carson Cota, Mitch Evans, and of course local product Miles Campbell, a Tennessee commit currently.
On the offensive line, having both Jakiah Leftwich and Eli Richey already committed is something that is not talked about enough. Two-fifths is a solid start, and a third could be coming at any moment now, in the way of Weston Franklin. Franklin projects along with Richey in the interior side of the OL, while Leftwich is joined by other targets in the outside such as Cedrick Nicely, Diego Pounds, and the newest target, Jacoby Jackson. Jackson has offers from all over the country, but the new interest from Key, Choice, etc. has his full attention.
I’ll do defense next week!
KQ! I say Johnny Cash's rendention of Hurt is the greatest cover I've heard followed closely by Hendrix's All along the watchtower. What say you?
KQ- Now this is an interesting question. Van Halen's version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me", Johnny Cash doing "Hurt", Jimi doing "All Along the Watchtower", Metallica "Whiskey in the Jar", Cheap Trick "Ain't That a Shame", The Who "Young Man Blues", Stevie Ray Vaughan "Little Wing", Joe Cocker "With a Little Help From My Friends",
The one that brings me to damn near tears is Stevie Ray Vaughan playing "Little Wing" as just an instrumental. That brings me back to being a teen. "Young Man Blues" is probably the one I listen to the most because I still spin "Live at Leeds" a ton.
What would be your top 2 sell pitches for mj Morris
RJ:
- Flip the script as one of the top recruits in the state. The chance to play so close to home in front of friends and family
- The degree
RJ- As someone who has spent so much time and effort covering recruiting, until the prospect either commits or signs with the school. Recruiting is a two-way street.
Without giving a name unless its from back in the day. Who is the biggest 5 star or its equivalent bust you have ever seen that was not recruited by Tech?
KQ- Trevor Lawrence is the first one that pops to mind, they offered Justin Fields in that class and recruited him early, but Lawrence was never bothered with because he didn't fit the system clearly at the time and was the top dude in that class. Collins-era they never bothered with Broderick Jones at all. I mean coaches don't like to waste time recruiting someone they can't get or can't afford.
You might have mentioned it before and several times, but it just feels good to hear it again. How much of a improvement should we see from the OLine. Obviously not expecting world beaters but should we expect decent improvement which will allow the offense to really take form?
KQ- I mean I can just tell you what I saw in the spring and it was night and day. You could tell that CBK was much happier with it too even with having to break in two true freshman OTs at times in key reps with various units to get them work. The guard box looked much better. I thought Mikey Minihan was a step-up from what I saw from the center position though Kenny Cooper was hurt pretty much the entire time this staff was on campus, so I have yet to see him healthy at center truly. The right side with Ryan Johnson and Zach Quinney looked really good to me. Jack DeFoor is very good at LG now with the amount of reps he got. They'll add Devin Cochran who is a LT pretty much any ACC or SEC would have starting for them. So that is a big step up.
Are you hearing any names for likely candidates to play on both sides of the ball this year?
KQ- It is a little early for that, typically that is worked on more after injuries crop up to provide depth, the numbers are okay everywhere right now so there is less of a desire for it. Jerry Howard is expected to play some RB or FB type snaps according to what Collins and Howard both said. Lee isn't playing OL anymore unless there are major injuries.
Any chance Juanyeh will be back returning kicks again this year? Can't recall whether they started working him back in towards the end of the year.
KQ- He did not work on KR last year to my recollection, he tried some PR but was pulled off of it. They like to have someone with fresh legs doing KR or PR anyway because if he is on D 60-70% of the time his load from playing DB isn't ideal for a returner. I think you are more likely to see some of the RBs and slot WRs back there than a starter at safety or CB.
