B-backs remain a question mark for Georgia Tech

notes from Tuesday’s practice

1. Georgia Tech advanced one day closer to its season opener against Virginia Tech on Monday, but its plan for the B-back position remained unclear.

Coach Paul Johnson will not reveal the depth chart until Friday, but it appears that either David Sims or Zach Laskey will start and both will play. Broderick Snoddy and Charles Perkins are candidates for action, also.

Following Tech’s Tuesday practice, quarterbacks and B-backs coach Brian Bohannon said that he and Johnson would meet “in the next day or so” to determine a plan. Sims’ health, as he recovers from a stress fracture in his shin, is a factor.

“I think he’s working in that direction” toward being 100 percent, Bohannon said. “I think he’s missed that much time, it takes a little bit to get yourself back in not only shape but, playing that position, you’ve just got to do it over and over and over.”

Sims declared himself ready to play. “If they need me, I’m here,” he said.

Snoddy, who switched to B-back from A-back at the start of fall camp, has been working on his blocking. His speed gives him the potential to score on any play, but his blocking limitations make it difficult to get him on the field.

“It’s hard to just spot (play) a guy here and there in the course of a game,” Bohannon said. “They’ve got to be able to do everything that’s entailed at that position.”

(Not exactly news, I realize. Interesting about Snoddy, though. It sounds very much like he has home run potential. I’ll write more later, hopefully Wednesday.)

2. Synjyn Days will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Tevin Washington with Vad Lee No. 3. Days has continued, though, to practice at both quarterback and A-back.

“It’s pretty much 50/50,” he said. “If I’m not in at quarterback, I’m in at A-back, so I’m getting my conditioning during actual practice.”

Days expressed confidence in his play at A-back, including his blocking. His work on special teams has been curtailed, although he’s still taking kickoff returns.

“Just for, I guess, if somehow everybody on the team gets hurt, they’ll put me back there,” he said. “I pray to God that doesn’t happen.”

Safety Fred Holton was held out of practice again. While Wednesday was scheduled to be the team’s final padded practice, Johnson said that he will need to return to practice by the end of the week in order to play. The likely replacement in the base defense would be Demond Smith. Jamal Golden could fill in for Holton in the sub packages.

(Even if Holton does play, and I think that will happen, it’s obviously not good for the starting safety who has never started before to be missing reps against the scout team.)

3. Sims switched jersey numbers from No. 7 to No. 20. He helped facilitate number changes for A-back B.J. Bostic and Golden. Bostic had No. 4 but wanted Sims’ No. 7, while Golden was No. 36 but wanted a single-digit jersey. Now, Bostic has No. 7 and Golden is wearing No. 4. Sims didn’t plan to change until Golden asked. The No. 20 jersey was available with the graduation of A-back Roddy Jones.

“That was a very popular question from fan day: ‘Are you going to replace Roddy?’” Sims said. “Nobody can replace Roddy.”

(I imagine some Tech fan is going to be watching Monday night and see No. 20 at B-back and say to himself, Roddy’s still on the team?)

4. Georgia Tech will wear its road white uniforms with blue trim. … Just under 2,000 of the 2,500 tickets allotted to Georgia Tech by Virginia Tech were sold. Georgia Tech returned the unsold inventory back to Virginia Tech.

The Tech AJC home page has a new address, by the way. It’s here.

In case you missed it…

Jeff Schultz’s column on Tech’s defense

B-backs still unsettled for Georgia Tech

Recalling the 2000 Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech lightning game

Ready or not, Jabari Hunt-Days to start vs. Hokies

Quayshawn Nealy buying in to Tech defense

Jeremy Moore’s opportunity arrives

Orwin Smith setting bar high

Days to play ’somewhere’ for Tech

David Scully wins kicking job

Thanks for reading.

Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog