ATLANTA- Georgia Tech avoided the rain mostly as the Jackets completed the second day of Fall Camp on Thursday on the Rose Bowl practice fields. Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner made his first media appearance since spring ball along with veteran center Weston Franklin and veteran receiver Malik Rutherford.
Faulkner said going into year two with so much of the offense back has really paid dividends during the installation work in camp.
"We are lightyears ahead of where we were last year coming back and a lot of guys being back as a team and an offense and from recruiting and adding to our roster. We started the process back in February when all the guys got here and through the spring and then through OTAs there was a lot of retention," he said.
The changes that the NCAA made allowing some non-recruiting staff to help coach in practice have also paid off for the Jackets as Faulkner has been able to delegate responsibilities among the support staff to supplement the primary offensive assistants.
Former grad assistant Nathan Brock highlights that change. Brock has been the de facto tight ends coach for the last two years working under Faulkner and previous coordinator Chip Long.
"With our staff, we have a lot of guys in new roles and some were 'analysts' but now they are able to coach. Nathan Brock has been here for a long time and does a great job coaching our tight ends and that is what he has been doing, he did it as a GA and now that it is legal he has done a phenomenal job coaching and a great job recruiting."
Faulkner also noted other support staff who are helping out on the coaching side this fall after the rule changes.
"A.J. Erdely has been here for a while now and Dylan Dockery and DeAndre Smelter who played here, now we are able to keep this offseason, having all of those guys back also helps with the install with the young guys and now they are able to meet with them and instruct on the field and I think it is a great thing for college football that they made that change and it benefits the players," he said.
On the RB room, Faulkner said that Jamal Haynes is the #1 and he loves football and they will give him as much of the load as he can carry. He said that Jamal is a football junkie and loves the game. As far as the #2 spot, Faulkner demurred two days into camp, but he said that Trey Cooley had a great spring and a good summer and has gotten stronger and faster, he is now one of the fastest guys on the team and he has played a lot of football. Evan Dickens is a guy they have confidence in because he can do it all and he is getting better. They have to the two freshmen Anthony Carrie and Trelain Maddox they brought in who are coming along and Chad Alexander is the other guy competing right now there and it will sort itself out in camp.
Faulkner said they feel good about the OL depth compared to a year ago. They brought in Keylan Rutledge after losing a Connor Scaglione to graduation at RG because they thought they needed an older guy and he is back out there after missing the spring. Rutledge has brought a lot of energy and passion to that room and he loves football. He thinks Geep Wade is one of the best OL coaches in the country and recruited really well and built some awesome depth. He said that Harrison Moore has been very impressive and Jameson Riggs had a great summer and got a ton of reps because Corey Robinson got hurt in spring ball and they've shown they are not afraid to play young guys like they did with Ethan Mackenny so he wants them all to be ready because they will play the best only.
Ken was there and asked about Faulkner's history with a QB in year two of his offense and he said that Haynes King is highly competitive, extremely tough and he does everything you want him to do. He is a leader and it starts with him and he has made his job easier by how he does all that. They have a lot of confidence in King and what he can do.
I asked about the TE room and he said that it was really depleted in the spring due to injuries and Coach Brock has done an unbelievable job of recruiting and putting together that room. Brett Seither didn't go through spring ball and had back surgery and he is full speed now. Seither despite the back injury was playing the best football of his career last year. They got him back full go in June. They like Josh Beetham the transfer TE from Michigan, he has experience and had a great summer and they are really excited about him, plus he has two years left. Jackson Hawes the kid from Yale has been exactly what they expected and he is a hard worker and one of the strongest guys on the team. He said the TEs have a lot on them with what they do in the offense and they've got to block, run block, pass protection and block on the perimeter and lineup all over. He thinks the room is really deep and he is excited about Luke Harpring and David Prince the two freshmen as well.
On the two freshman QBs, he said that they have Haynes King as the starter and Zach Pyron is QB2 and they both have a ton of reps under their belt and Pyron has had as many reps as King has over two years. Aaron Philo and Graham Knowles are both really smart and competitive guys and they study the game and his job is to get them ready to play in case they need them and you never know how things will shake out so just like every other spot in the offense they are trying to build depth there.
Faulkner was asked what Singleton needs to do to level up his game, he said finishing plays is the big thing. He is a guy that doesn't want to come off the field and they have to slow him down because he goes full speed even in walk-throughs and they need him to sometimes slow down. He has to continue working on his route details and when he adds that part to his game he will be very hard to cover.
I asked about the state of the WR room and he said that they have Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr. back who were their leading receivers a year ago. They had great camps and great summers. Chase Lane was their leading receiver through 1 1/2 games before he got hurt and had a bunch of production and had a great summer and probably had the best two days of anyone. They really like Bailey Stockton, he just shows up and makes players, great hands and is a good route runner. Zion Taylor has the skillset you look for, he has to continue to learn the offense. They are bringing along Isiah Canion slowly coming off his shoulder injury since he didn't go through spring ball and they were excited to get him signed and he in his second day today. Leo Blackburn has shown up the last couple of days and flashed. Christian Leary is a guy they will find a way to use, he can line up anywhere on the field and that is a big thing he pushes, don't just be an X or Z and backup those spots, learn all o the positions. Abdul Janneh added 10 pounds of muscle and looks faster than he was a year ago and he is their best blocking WR. They are still using Avery Boyd at TE and WR and he will be a flex guy for them.
Faulkner said going into year two with so much of the offense back has really paid dividends during the installation work in camp.
"We are lightyears ahead of where we were last year coming back and a lot of guys being back as a team and an offense and from recruiting and adding to our roster. We started the process back in February when all the guys got here and through the spring and then through OTAs there was a lot of retention," he said.
The changes that the NCAA made allowing some non-recruiting staff to help coach in practice have also paid off for the Jackets as Faulkner has been able to delegate responsibilities among the support staff to supplement the primary offensive assistants.
Former grad assistant Nathan Brock highlights that change. Brock has been the de facto tight ends coach for the last two years working under Faulkner and previous coordinator Chip Long.
"With our staff, we have a lot of guys in new roles and some were 'analysts' but now they are able to coach. Nathan Brock has been here for a long time and does a great job coaching our tight ends and that is what he has been doing, he did it as a GA and now that it is legal he has done a phenomenal job coaching and a great job recruiting."
Faulkner also noted other support staff who are helping out on the coaching side this fall after the rule changes.
"A.J. Erdely has been here for a while now and Dylan Dockery and DeAndre Smelter who played here, now we are able to keep this offseason, having all of those guys back also helps with the install with the young guys and now they are able to meet with them and instruct on the field and I think it is a great thing for college football that they made that change and it benefits the players," he said.
On the RB room, Faulkner said that Jamal Haynes is the #1 and he loves football and they will give him as much of the load as he can carry. He said that Jamal is a football junkie and loves the game. As far as the #2 spot, Faulkner demurred two days into camp, but he said that Trey Cooley had a great spring and a good summer and has gotten stronger and faster, he is now one of the fastest guys on the team and he has played a lot of football. Evan Dickens is a guy they have confidence in because he can do it all and he is getting better. They have to the two freshmen Anthony Carrie and Trelain Maddox they brought in who are coming along and Chad Alexander is the other guy competing right now there and it will sort itself out in camp.
Faulkner said they feel good about the OL depth compared to a year ago. They brought in Keylan Rutledge after losing a Connor Scaglione to graduation at RG because they thought they needed an older guy and he is back out there after missing the spring. Rutledge has brought a lot of energy and passion to that room and he loves football. He thinks Geep Wade is one of the best OL coaches in the country and recruited really well and built some awesome depth. He said that Harrison Moore has been very impressive and Jameson Riggs had a great summer and got a ton of reps because Corey Robinson got hurt in spring ball and they've shown they are not afraid to play young guys like they did with Ethan Mackenny so he wants them all to be ready because they will play the best only.
Ken was there and asked about Faulkner's history with a QB in year two of his offense and he said that Haynes King is highly competitive, extremely tough and he does everything you want him to do. He is a leader and it starts with him and he has made his job easier by how he does all that. They have a lot of confidence in King and what he can do.
I asked about the TE room and he said that it was really depleted in the spring due to injuries and Coach Brock has done an unbelievable job of recruiting and putting together that room. Brett Seither didn't go through spring ball and had back surgery and he is full speed now. Seither despite the back injury was playing the best football of his career last year. They got him back full go in June. They like Josh Beetham the transfer TE from Michigan, he has experience and had a great summer and they are really excited about him, plus he has two years left. Jackson Hawes the kid from Yale has been exactly what they expected and he is a hard worker and one of the strongest guys on the team. He said the TEs have a lot on them with what they do in the offense and they've got to block, run block, pass protection and block on the perimeter and lineup all over. He thinks the room is really deep and he is excited about Luke Harpring and David Prince the two freshmen as well.
On the two freshman QBs, he said that they have Haynes King as the starter and Zach Pyron is QB2 and they both have a ton of reps under their belt and Pyron has had as many reps as King has over two years. Aaron Philo and Graham Knowles are both really smart and competitive guys and they study the game and his job is to get them ready to play in case they need them and you never know how things will shake out so just like every other spot in the offense they are trying to build depth there.
Faulkner was asked what Singleton needs to do to level up his game, he said finishing plays is the big thing. He is a guy that doesn't want to come off the field and they have to slow him down because he goes full speed even in walk-throughs and they need him to sometimes slow down. He has to continue working on his route details and when he adds that part to his game he will be very hard to cover.
I asked about the state of the WR room and he said that they have Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton Jr. back who were their leading receivers a year ago. They had great camps and great summers. Chase Lane was their leading receiver through 1 1/2 games before he got hurt and had a bunch of production and had a great summer and probably had the best two days of anyone. They really like Bailey Stockton, he just shows up and makes players, great hands and is a good route runner. Zion Taylor has the skillset you look for, he has to continue to learn the offense. They are bringing along Isiah Canion slowly coming off his shoulder injury since he didn't go through spring ball and they were excited to get him signed and he in his second day today. Leo Blackburn has shown up the last couple of days and flashed. Christian Leary is a guy they will find a way to use, he can line up anywhere on the field and that is a big thing he pushes, don't just be an X or Z and backup those spots, learn all o the positions. Abdul Janneh added 10 pounds of muscle and looks faster than he was a year ago and he is their best blocking WR. They are still using Avery Boyd at TE and WR and he will be a flex guy for them.
