Georgia Tech spring practice notes
Greetings-
A few notes from the first day of spring practice:
1. Players were in shorts and helmets, and will be Wednesday, as well. I’d guess on Friday they’ll be in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts.
Coach Paul Johnson’s impressions: “I thought the enthusiasm was pretty good. They bounced around O.K.”
He thought the conditioning level was pretty good.
2. Zach Laskey has moved back to B-back from the secondary. Johnson indicated that other players will be moved, but that it’s yet to happen. “You’re not going to do a whole lot of that on the first day,” he said. “Just kind of let ‘em get their feet under ‘em and kind of go from there.”
3. Special teams coordinator David Walkosky went through his first practice with the team. I’m told he was high energy and putting the specialists through a lot of conditioning work.
“I thought he flew around and coached hard, like I thought he would,” Johnson said.
Walkosky said that he’s 100 percent for using starters on special teams and that Johnson told him to use whatever players he needed. (I don’t think this is new.)
He also said he has watched video of every Tech game from the past three seasons since getting hired.
Special-teams coaches are known for having a lot of energy and enthusiasm. I’d never thought about why that is, but he offered a logical explanation.
“You only get one down on special teams,” he said. “You don’t get second down, you don’t get third down. Before the play, usually you have an opportunity to talk to players, so I think it’s important to use some energy to get guys going for those eight seconds.”
4. Defensive coordinator on Al Groh on the top candidates at inside linebacker, Quayshawn Nealy, Daniel Drummond and Jabari Hunt-Days (Synjyn’s brother).
“Quayshawn and Daniel got quite a bit of time in clearly what was a rookie year for both of them. A lot of positives in the year. By the same token, a lot of things that could cause this year, if they’ll take advantage of it, to be an even more positive year. It starts out there.
“In Jabari, we have a player. He’s got a significant set of skills, so we’re looking forward to giving him concentrated coaching here in the spring that was not available to him because of his position on the depth chart last fall.”
Groh also noted that Julian Burnett is doing, “from all indications, a very good job of dealing with that sudden change” of his playing days coming to an apparent end.
5. I’m working on a story for Wednesday about the competition between the quarterbacks, particularly backups Vad Lee and Synjyn Days. It’s scheduled to run Wednesday. A couple quotes from quarterbacks/B-backs coach Brian Bohannon and wide receiver Darren Waller on the first day.
Bohannon said Tevin Washington, Lee and Days were rusty.
“It wasn’t as sharp as I would have expected for three guys who have, whether they’ve played a lot or not, have been in and have an idea of what’s going on. I’d like for them to be a little sharper, so today was a little rusty. I know Wednesday will be a lot better.”
Waller said receivers did blocking drills and worked on timing routes with the quarterbacks for three separate periods during practice.
“Just getting everybody’s brain back into it, get back into football shape for where you’ve got to be,” Waller said.
Thanks for reading. The Days/Lee story should be posted by late afternoon. I’ll plan to have leftover notes from the story on the blog Wednesday morning.
6. Tech is planning to drop its final two games with BYU, at home in 2014 and on the road in 2017. With the nine-game ACC schedule starting most likely in 2013, Tech had to drop one non-conference opponent in 2014 from among Wofford, BYU, Tulane and Georgia.
Should Pitt and Syracuse join the ACC for the 2013 season, Tech won’t have the problem of dropping an opponent, as it has yet to find a fourth non-conference opponent. Tech’s non-conference opponents for 2017 (for now) are Georgia, Ole Miss and BYU. I’m going to guess that Tech would pick up a non-BCS conference FBS team or an FCS team to replace BYU.
Sorry if you already bought your plane tickets for Provo for 2017. Tough break.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
131 comments Add your comment
GT Lee
March 27th, 2012
1:27 pm
didn’t realize we had scheduled North Ga School for the Feeble…what date is that game set for?
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
1:31 pm
LEE I think we play them the week after they play UGa.
GT Lee
March 27th, 2012
1:35 pm
10-4 5150…I forgot to look at the UGA schedule…..
gtfanfrom1951
March 27th, 2012
1:35 pm
Tech should drop UGA it does nothing to helps only hurt. Maybe put Clemson the last game of season.
GT Lee
March 27th, 2012
1:38 pm
respectfully disagree, gtfan….gotta play your in-state rival….
GT Lee
March 27th, 2012
1:43 pm
besides, Clemson plays S Car last game of the season….doubt they’d wanna change that
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
1:45 pm
sorry GT51 but you can sell that crazy some place else. I want to play UGa. I would like to get UT and USC on the schedule. I have never been to Ole Miss so that might be a trip I take.
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
1:52 pm
5150–if you go to the Old Miss game, take along a case of Kleenex!
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
1:59 pm
Kleenex for what?
Ken Sugiura
March 27th, 2012
2:01 pm
my apologies. i had a typo in the last item that i just fixed. georgia, mississippi and byu are the non-conference opponents for 2017, not 2013.
2013 is elon, georgia, brigham young and the vaunted TBD.
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:02 pm
Wiping the tears from your face. Mississippi is the poorest, most depressing place I’ve ever been to.
big gt fan
March 27th, 2012
2:07 pm
t.washington will be rusty the entire year i dont see him getting any better.
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
2:08 pm
Ole Miss is beautiful I am told. it is a College Town and not some shacks on the river.
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:14 pm
Ken, could you convey the fans displeasure over dropping BYU and keeping Wofford? We would prefer the opposite. Real competition build a better program and puts butts in seats. Thanks!
Wrecker
March 27th, 2012
2:18 pm
I think he was referring to the fact that Ole Miss has the hottest women in the world on their campus.
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:18 pm
Yeah, but you gotta drive thru a lot of Ms. to get there. They once played quite a few of their games in Jackson. I can’t even recall which town the Univ of Ms is in.
We Own You
March 27th, 2012
2:19 pm
10 of 11 Just sayin’
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
2:21 pm
Starkville is MISS St
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:21 pm
That is what I too have heard Wrecker. I also heard the tailgating is lavish, sorta like the Kentucky Derby ambiance.
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
2:22 pm
Ole Miss is Oxford
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:26 pm
You totally have no dog in this hunt we own you. Troll Hard Mutt! Better yet, take a flying leap into a really tall pile of dwaggy poop!
Jacket Fan
March 27th, 2012
2:26 pm
Bobby Bowden:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1JuVVQjzXw
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:27 pm
That’s right, Oxford. My brain was having a sometimers moment.
Briscoe Darlin
March 27th, 2012
2:32 pm
Hey 1 4GT! Nothing’s more depressing than a trip to midtown Atlanta and a drive down North Ave. Ole Miss has one of the most beautiful campuses you will ever see, dilbert.
Briscoe Darlin
March 27th, 2012
2:36 pm
And, not that techies would be interested, but they have great looking women too!
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:38 pm
I guess facetious sarcasm just doesn’t go over too well in print…………………………..or flies over your head.
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:43 pm
Hey Briscoe….I’ve turned down more good looking women than you’ve had. Why, you ask? Because I already had one on my arm.
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
2:52 pm
Brisco Darlin oxford is still the Old South and the women are pretty like your daughter but she has eyes for Earnest T Bass and he is like all the men in Oxford.
1 4 GT
March 27th, 2012
2:54 pm
LOL @ 5150!! Excellent retort!!
WHAT?
March 27th, 2012
3:09 pm
Now don’t you go makin’ fun of Ernest T. Bass – them’s fightin’ words, right Missuss Wie-lee…
Did you guys know...
March 27th, 2012
3:13 pm
…that Earnest T Bass was only in 4 (that’s right, 4) episodes of the Andy Griffith Show?
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
3:15 pm
They were 4 of the best shows.
yeller bug
March 27th, 2012
3:48 pm
As to Jacket Fans comments to switch to the Oregon-style option—it’s a trade-off like comparing a sword and shield vs. a trident and net. Yes, the Tech triple option is one-directional whereas the Oregon option can run to either side—advantage Oregon. But the Tech option attacks the middle quicker with the dive or dive and follow by QB. The Oregon option has to run at least 4 yds to get back to the line of scrimmage–advantage Tech. As for blocking, for Oregon the lineman are able to block their defender to their advantage (left or right) and the RB “reads” the block–advantage Oregon. Whereas Tech has a set direction for the play and can leave defenders opposite the side they are running unblocked to concentrate blockers to the side where they are running. Oregon has to block all of the front 7 or 8—advantage Tech. So it’s simply choose which weapon you want.
Ghost
March 27th, 2012
4:35 pm
5150, Ole Miss/Oxford is fantastic . Per capita the most beautiful women. I played there in the late 70’s.
Jacket Fan
March 27th, 2012
4:36 pm
yeller bug:
I see your point with the Oregon advantages and Tech advantages. That said, I really think it would confuse a defense if we did a little of both.
Also, I’ve always thought that Oregon’s “no huddle” really keeps defenses in a blur as to what is going on. I wish we’d try the “no huddle” more than the “kill the clock” method. That said, I do realize there are times when we need to “kill the clock” if we can’t stop the our opponents offense.
Ghost
March 27th, 2012
4:44 pm
I don’t think has the athletes to run Oregons offense, not meant to be a flame but Oregon is loaded with talent and PJ would have to recruit a TE.
Ramblin Man
March 27th, 2012
4:51 pm
Dawgfan you are as stupid as they come. Numbers wise you should beat GT every year. Now could you explain why UGA has trouble beating LSU, Bama, Fla and other teams you are on equal footing with recruiting wise.
BLT
March 27th, 2012
5:02 pm
Hope it’s a good spring practice! Hope the Jackets have a rhythm by summer and come out sharp against VT!
Go Jackets!
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
5:26 pm
Gorilla B…
Only 1 in 4 — 24 percent – of entering freshmen in Georgia’s public four-year colleges get a degree within four years, according to a new database compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education that looks at nearly every U.S. college.
The University of Georgia has by far the best completion rate in four years — 51.3 percent, compared to just 35.1 percent for Milledgeville’s Georgia College and State University, No. 2 on the list. Georgia Tech is third-highest at 32.9 percent.
Six years seems to be the ticket: Statewide, about 52 percent of students manage to complete a four-year degree within six years. Nearly 80 percent of students at both UGA and Georgia Tech are able to graduate in six years. It’s about 60 percent for Georgia College, according to the Chronicle’s database.
So WHY do we hold Student Athletes to a Higher Standard for Graduation Rates. Tech students have harder majors and are smarter but it isn’t easy to get through TECH.
CarolinaJacket
March 27th, 2012
5:27 pm
Thanks for a good report Ken. So sorry about Julien. He was really the heart and soul of our defense. I wish him well for the future. Also, Ken, how about coming up with some good recruit commitments real soon. Don’t want to let the Dawgs get too far ahead of us.
superDawg
March 27th, 2012
5:44 pm
raped a passed out girl now that is the tek way.
GT Lee
March 27th, 2012
5:49 pm
troll hard superdwag
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
5:57 pm
It is the Texas A&M and the SEC way Superdwag.
BLT
March 27th, 2012
6:03 pm
superDawg, well nevermind…
I’d be put in moderation.
Thank you
GssiT
March 27th, 2012
6:11 pm
I sure don’t want to spend my money and my weekend watching GT/Wofford. 5 hrs up/5 hrs back, at least 1 night in a hotel. I’ve been to Provo-great trip. Let’s play football! Go, Jackets!
BLT
March 27th, 2012
6:19 pm
Tech plays Presbyterian and BYU at home this year. I’ll go to the BYU game. I won’t make it to Utah for the rematch unfortunately.
Worm
March 27th, 2012
6:21 pm
Hats off to Julian Burnett..Get that degree kid..Always thought of him as an undersized Rennie Curran.
the truth
March 27th, 2012
6:32 pm
GT should thank UGA for playing GT. Think about it. What’s in it for UGA? Win as usual and the world says so what, lose and everyone laughs at UGA. It’s a no win situation for UGA.
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
6:45 pm
the truth I guess ole miss, miss st, vandy, kentucky, usc, ga.sou, buffalo, colorado, ucf, coastal carolina and most should just thank UGa and kiss their feet but not even play the games. Hell all the Colleges that are losing money on some sports should just stop even playing the games too.
go jackets
March 27th, 2012
7:26 pm
down with the dawgs