I'm really proud of our coaching staff and we did a good job in recruiting. It is one of the largest recruiting classes we've signed. A little heavier on D than O, where we had openings. It is a well-rounded class, we have to replace the punter and kicker, big part of the game hopefully we did that. We have a lot of athleticism in this class and will be interesting to see where they play S to LBs or whatever as they grow and mature. We will know in three years as they mature.
ON THE RBS SIGNEES
We will move Mikell Lands-Davis to A-back, Jerry Howard for sure is a B-back, Mason will start at B-back, could play A-back if needed. We have some flexibility, Kirvonte could play A-back, Quaide could be a bigger A-back. We return most of the A-backs except Ike. Nate Cottrell is over 200 pounds now.
ON GUYS LIKE BRUCE AND TRE COMING AS LEGACY KIDS
Pat talked about the education and how that helped him after his career, he and Robin wanted his two boys to experience that at GT. With TD, I've watched him play for a couple of years and I told Ted I wanted to recruit him, you have nothing to do with it, he is a good player. To have fathers who played here.
ON ATTRITION BEFORE NSD CHANGING APPROACH
It gave us more numbers we thought we were signing 17, 24 was what we ended up, 22 was min, 25 was the max, we got right next to the max. Attrition can be a positive and we haven't had a ton. It is more of an issue when starters or two-deep guys leave, you understand why others want to go. They all have their reasons, there are no bad feelings or ill-will toward them, I did not hinder them, I gave them full releases hopefully they can find their nitch.
ON NOT BEING PATIENT WITH GUYS WHO LEFT
The guys who left, Trey Klock will get his career going and his girlfriend and family are up there, you can't begrudge a guy for that. He did what he was supposed to and got his degree. Others didn't feel like they were going to play and wanted to go somewhere they could play. As a coach sometimes you see if you see the schools they ask to be released to, the sense of reality check and it is a really interesting for our guys here to see where they end up. We are not leaving Georgia Tech. Everyone has their own reasons I don't have an issue with them.
ON BEING ONE CLASS THAT HAS A LOT OF ATTRITION
Misery loves company and they think they should be playing, it all happened bang-bang-bang, if they saw where the others ended up they might not have. If you were going to transfer they think they are going somewhere that didn't recruit you in the first place and you weren't playing in the first place is not realistic. The rationale behind some of it. Going to a JUCO to get to a Sun Belt school doesn't make sense. Everyone has their own reasons. I hope they are all successful. If you are not happy leave.
ON CRAIG CANDETO
Most of the guys I've had as QB coaches were my QBs, most of the time they played for me or I coached them. Brian Bohannon was in the system but not a QB, Bryan Cook was out of the system and did a good job. that position is the most difficult to coach because I coached it for 19 years and I'm in that room a lot. I have to have a relationship with the guy and I need someone that can check their ego at the door and stand up to me. He was a GA here, Citadel assistant and then a HC in our system. He will relate well to the players and they appreciate that he played the position. Bryan Cook did a good job for us, but we will be okay.
ON THE OL COMMITS
Some of them can play, you don't know, we want to have 16 OLs, we have 14 and only a few seniors, we didn't want to take 7 in this class. You want to have 3-4 in each class.
ON THE BUMP FROM THE FINISH FROM THE SEASON
Doesn't hurt, not sure if that comes into play or not. We talked briefly, 2015 class was after the OB and that is where every one left from. I think a big part that helps at a place like Georgia Tech, the longer you are together and you learn who fits here. We have a great product to sell and some aren't interested in the product, if you want 100k fans and what number and if you are Adias or Nike, you have to have other aspects.
ON THE DEFENSIVE BACKS NUMBERS
We try to hit target numbers, when you get to that then you look at best available and in this class they are the best available. Kaleb Oliver, Tariq Carpenter and Avery Showell are hybrid LB/S/N, Carpenter will probably start at safety, but he could be a LB, he is athletic enough to play receiver, just a good football player. Showell is the same thing, played slot at Cartersville, made sacks, covered. All those guys will be great on special teams and find their nitch. Even though they are listed as ATHs they are the best players available.
ON ADONICAS SANDERS
First time we watched him on film, he might be the most under recruited kid in the whole class. You talk to every HS coach over there all think he is a great player. I think he is better than any of the guys we've had the coaches say there. I went to see him play basketball and saw him, I was sold. He has a chance to come in. Our starting WR Brad Stewart wasn't highly recruited, we would like to have a lot of Brad Stewarts, hopefully it will be the same thing.
ON TOBIAS OLIVER AS QB
He will determine that, we will play the guy who gives us the best chance to win. He thinks he will compete for the starting job, the thing that really excited me about him, every coach in that area can't say enough good things about him. As an assistant I'd ask the next county's coach what they think, they all rave about the kid and what a competitor is and he thinks he can start. All these guys think that. We will sort it out.
ON JERRY HOWARD'S DAD'S DEATH
Jerry is in a good spot, that is tough for him to go through what he did personally, with him mom and his grandfather. He is wrestling now, he didn't know much about it and he is now 2nd and 3rd in the state. He just mauls people, the least you can be 225, he had to wrestle 295 guys, he got under the 225 now, he is 2nd or 3rd and may win the state in wrestling. He is a great kid, as soon as we got his fax, he texted me and thanked me for believing in him. He has something he wants to prove.
ON THE 10th COACH THING
I don't worry too much about those things, we are supposed to have an early signing period, as it gets closer if it looks like it will happen we will have a plan.
ON THE RBS SIGNEES
We will move Mikell Lands-Davis to A-back, Jerry Howard for sure is a B-back, Mason will start at B-back, could play A-back if needed. We have some flexibility, Kirvonte could play A-back, Quaide could be a bigger A-back. We return most of the A-backs except Ike. Nate Cottrell is over 200 pounds now.
ON GUYS LIKE BRUCE AND TRE COMING AS LEGACY KIDS
Pat talked about the education and how that helped him after his career, he and Robin wanted his two boys to experience that at GT. With TD, I've watched him play for a couple of years and I told Ted I wanted to recruit him, you have nothing to do with it, he is a good player. To have fathers who played here.
ON ATTRITION BEFORE NSD CHANGING APPROACH
It gave us more numbers we thought we were signing 17, 24 was what we ended up, 22 was min, 25 was the max, we got right next to the max. Attrition can be a positive and we haven't had a ton. It is more of an issue when starters or two-deep guys leave, you understand why others want to go. They all have their reasons, there are no bad feelings or ill-will toward them, I did not hinder them, I gave them full releases hopefully they can find their nitch.
ON NOT BEING PATIENT WITH GUYS WHO LEFT
The guys who left, Trey Klock will get his career going and his girlfriend and family are up there, you can't begrudge a guy for that. He did what he was supposed to and got his degree. Others didn't feel like they were going to play and wanted to go somewhere they could play. As a coach sometimes you see if you see the schools they ask to be released to, the sense of reality check and it is a really interesting for our guys here to see where they end up. We are not leaving Georgia Tech. Everyone has their own reasons I don't have an issue with them.
ON BEING ONE CLASS THAT HAS A LOT OF ATTRITION
Misery loves company and they think they should be playing, it all happened bang-bang-bang, if they saw where the others ended up they might not have. If you were going to transfer they think they are going somewhere that didn't recruit you in the first place and you weren't playing in the first place is not realistic. The rationale behind some of it. Going to a JUCO to get to a Sun Belt school doesn't make sense. Everyone has their own reasons. I hope they are all successful. If you are not happy leave.
ON CRAIG CANDETO
Most of the guys I've had as QB coaches were my QBs, most of the time they played for me or I coached them. Brian Bohannon was in the system but not a QB, Bryan Cook was out of the system and did a good job. that position is the most difficult to coach because I coached it for 19 years and I'm in that room a lot. I have to have a relationship with the guy and I need someone that can check their ego at the door and stand up to me. He was a GA here, Citadel assistant and then a HC in our system. He will relate well to the players and they appreciate that he played the position. Bryan Cook did a good job for us, but we will be okay.
ON THE OL COMMITS
Some of them can play, you don't know, we want to have 16 OLs, we have 14 and only a few seniors, we didn't want to take 7 in this class. You want to have 3-4 in each class.
ON THE BUMP FROM THE FINISH FROM THE SEASON
Doesn't hurt, not sure if that comes into play or not. We talked briefly, 2015 class was after the OB and that is where every one left from. I think a big part that helps at a place like Georgia Tech, the longer you are together and you learn who fits here. We have a great product to sell and some aren't interested in the product, if you want 100k fans and what number and if you are Adias or Nike, you have to have other aspects.
ON THE DEFENSIVE BACKS NUMBERS
We try to hit target numbers, when you get to that then you look at best available and in this class they are the best available. Kaleb Oliver, Tariq Carpenter and Avery Showell are hybrid LB/S/N, Carpenter will probably start at safety, but he could be a LB, he is athletic enough to play receiver, just a good football player. Showell is the same thing, played slot at Cartersville, made sacks, covered. All those guys will be great on special teams and find their nitch. Even though they are listed as ATHs they are the best players available.
ON ADONICAS SANDERS
First time we watched him on film, he might be the most under recruited kid in the whole class. You talk to every HS coach over there all think he is a great player. I think he is better than any of the guys we've had the coaches say there. I went to see him play basketball and saw him, I was sold. He has a chance to come in. Our starting WR Brad Stewart wasn't highly recruited, we would like to have a lot of Brad Stewarts, hopefully it will be the same thing.
ON TOBIAS OLIVER AS QB
He will determine that, we will play the guy who gives us the best chance to win. He thinks he will compete for the starting job, the thing that really excited me about him, every coach in that area can't say enough good things about him. As an assistant I'd ask the next county's coach what they think, they all rave about the kid and what a competitor is and he thinks he can start. All these guys think that. We will sort it out.
ON JERRY HOWARD'S DAD'S DEATH
Jerry is in a good spot, that is tough for him to go through what he did personally, with him mom and his grandfather. He is wrestling now, he didn't know much about it and he is now 2nd and 3rd in the state. He just mauls people, the least you can be 225, he had to wrestle 295 guys, he got under the 225 now, he is 2nd or 3rd and may win the state in wrestling. He is a great kid, as soon as we got his fax, he texted me and thanked me for believing in him. He has something he wants to prove.
ON THE 10th COACH THING
I don't worry too much about those things, we are supposed to have an early signing period, as it gets closer if it looks like it will happen we will have a plan.
