Georgia Tech began preparations for #4 Notre Dame on Tuesday as the Jackets worked much of the morning to get ready for the Fighting Irish. Head football coach Geoff Collins spoke about the challenges and development of his program heading into the second of two top 5 matchups in three weeks. Coordinators Dave Patenaude and Andrew Thacker also talked about their sides of the ball and what they are working on this week.
Tech will wear special Black Watch jerseys on Saturday against Notre Dame and coach Collins said that was something he dreamed of.
"I was a young guy in middle school aged and I still remember I can vividly see it on my wall in my bedroom out in Conyers, Georgia, I had a Black Watch poster hanging over my bed, a swarm of Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket defenders swarming after the balls were in those black jersey that black GT and the black stripe and the black facemask," he said. "I can vividly picture that on my wall and have always dreamed of one day being here one day being a part of something that special continues to grow in that way."
Two current players, Tre Swilling and Bruce Jordan-Swilling are the sons of a former Black Watch defender Pat Swilling so Collins said that makes it extra special as well.
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Collins said that the players of the week were Ahmarean Brown, Ryan Johnson and Tobias Oliver. He said both Brown and Johnson played great games and he was really proud of Oliver's overall contribution on D and special teams.
"Tobias Oliver, this is a special teams award. We have him kickoff return doing the hardest, one of the hardest assignments to do in major college football. The things that we have him do is the left tackle in our kickoff return, does it add a tremendous level covers on kickoffs, and when he got his reps in the game at corner on Saturday, played at a really really high level. I don't think anybody out there understands how hard it is to be a lifelong quarterback, then to transition to playing receiver. Then switch over to be a big time elite corner in college football into halfway through the season. First time ever playing the position. Do that at that level, that Tobias Oliver is starting to do that. So just really, really proud of him."
Said he is really proud of Pressley Harvin III and him getting national recognition again.
Geoff's response to my question about staff having a different approach than getting in players' faces in practice.
So, Kelly, have you ever come to a Georgia Tech football practice? And I'm asking you a question. Okay, have you seen how intense our practices are? Have you seen the way we get after it in every single drill in every single play? In every single individual fundamental period? In every single team run? I'm asking you a question. Have you seen us do that? Okay, so we do that? Yes. Okay, so stay with me, Kelly. We are very active, we compete. And we coach very hard, and we love our guys very hard. These practices that we have on Tuesdays on Wednesdays are as intense and boisterous, whatever word you want to see as there is in college football. But here's the deal. If all you're doing is for TV, if all you're doing it is to defend in public, if all you're worried about is making kids look bad on TV, so that it's not your fault. When you want to run around and get in a kid's face, and yell and scream, and show the kid up in front of everybody. I don't agree with that. There are times that will pull a kid to the side and have an intense conversation. Luckily, we have these things now. Kelly right. And we have good conversations with our guys. But the work that we do Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, if it takes some histrionics to use your word, to make a kid look bad in front of everybody to show a kid up to disrespect the kid. I do not see how that elevates a young man's performance. When we're out here at practice. We coach them, we love them, we correct them. We make sure everybody's executing at a very high level. Then on Saturdays, we tell our players to expect success and have zero fear. Well, if you go into a game, Kelly Quinlan, and you're out there and you're worried if I make a mistake, I'm going to get to the sideline, and that coach is gonna yell at me and he's gonna scream at me, and he's gonna make me look bad. I'm not gonna go play my fullest. I'm gonna play timid, I'm gonna play reserved. I'm not going to take chances to go and make plays. And I'm going to do things in a tense, passive demeanor. So I make sure our coaches let our kids play at a high level. We coach them very hard and very the right way with character and class 365 days a year, when they get out on that field, Kelly, I want them to cut it loose and play and know there's a coaching staff on that sideline that loves them that believes in them will not disrespect them and wants them to have freakin unbelievable success. You good?"
Tech will wear special Black Watch jerseys on Saturday against Notre Dame and coach Collins said that was something he dreamed of.
"I was a young guy in middle school aged and I still remember I can vividly see it on my wall in my bedroom out in Conyers, Georgia, I had a Black Watch poster hanging over my bed, a swarm of Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket defenders swarming after the balls were in those black jersey that black GT and the black stripe and the black facemask," he said. "I can vividly picture that on my wall and have always dreamed of one day being here one day being a part of something that special continues to grow in that way."
Two current players, Tre Swilling and Bruce Jordan-Swilling are the sons of a former Black Watch defender Pat Swilling so Collins said that makes it extra special as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Collins said that the players of the week were Ahmarean Brown, Ryan Johnson and Tobias Oliver. He said both Brown and Johnson played great games and he was really proud of Oliver's overall contribution on D and special teams.
"Tobias Oliver, this is a special teams award. We have him kickoff return doing the hardest, one of the hardest assignments to do in major college football. The things that we have him do is the left tackle in our kickoff return, does it add a tremendous level covers on kickoffs, and when he got his reps in the game at corner on Saturday, played at a really really high level. I don't think anybody out there understands how hard it is to be a lifelong quarterback, then to transition to playing receiver. Then switch over to be a big time elite corner in college football into halfway through the season. First time ever playing the position. Do that at that level, that Tobias Oliver is starting to do that. So just really, really proud of him."
Said he is really proud of Pressley Harvin III and him getting national recognition again.
Geoff's response to my question about staff having a different approach than getting in players' faces in practice.
So, Kelly, have you ever come to a Georgia Tech football practice? And I'm asking you a question. Okay, have you seen how intense our practices are? Have you seen the way we get after it in every single drill in every single play? In every single individual fundamental period? In every single team run? I'm asking you a question. Have you seen us do that? Okay, so we do that? Yes. Okay, so stay with me, Kelly. We are very active, we compete. And we coach very hard, and we love our guys very hard. These practices that we have on Tuesdays on Wednesdays are as intense and boisterous, whatever word you want to see as there is in college football. But here's the deal. If all you're doing is for TV, if all you're doing it is to defend in public, if all you're worried about is making kids look bad on TV, so that it's not your fault. When you want to run around and get in a kid's face, and yell and scream, and show the kid up in front of everybody. I don't agree with that. There are times that will pull a kid to the side and have an intense conversation. Luckily, we have these things now. Kelly right. And we have good conversations with our guys. But the work that we do Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, if it takes some histrionics to use your word, to make a kid look bad in front of everybody to show a kid up to disrespect the kid. I do not see how that elevates a young man's performance. When we're out here at practice. We coach them, we love them, we correct them. We make sure everybody's executing at a very high level. Then on Saturdays, we tell our players to expect success and have zero fear. Well, if you go into a game, Kelly Quinlan, and you're out there and you're worried if I make a mistake, I'm going to get to the sideline, and that coach is gonna yell at me and he's gonna scream at me, and he's gonna make me look bad. I'm not gonna go play my fullest. I'm gonna play timid, I'm gonna play reserved. I'm not going to take chances to go and make plays. And I'm going to do things in a tense, passive demeanor. So I make sure our coaches let our kids play at a high level. We coach them very hard and very the right way with character and class 365 days a year, when they get out on that field, Kelly, I want them to cut it loose and play and know there's a coaching staff on that sideline that loves them that believes in them will not disrespect them and wants them to have freakin unbelievable success. You good?"
