For the third time this preseason, Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins spoke with media about the preseason, the season opener against No. 4 Clemson on Sept. 5 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (8 p.m., ESPN) and the players on the Yellow Jackets team that he is preparing for his fourth season.
Among the highlights of the session:
Offensive line coming together
Collins said that “we’re getting closer” to deciding on a starting five for the offensive line. In the preseason, offensive line coach Brent Key has looked at two-year returning starter Jordan Williams, Wing Green, Jakiah Leftwich and transfer Corey Robinson at offensive tackle and the foursome of Paula Vaipulu, Joe Fusile and transfers Pierce Quick and Paul Tchio at guard. Weston Franklin appears positioned to start at center.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but the big thing is trying to make sure that we have eight or nine that are ready to go when we get to Mercedes-Benz and playing at a high level and being able to interchange,” Collins said. “But there’s been some really good signs from that group.”
While Williams is the only returning full-time starter in the aforementioned group of nine, Key last week expressed “100% confidence in those guys that we put on that field that we’re going to go to battle (with), and we’re going to win with this year.”
In his opening comments, when going over younger players he wanted to highlight, Collins made mention of Fusile, Leftwich and Franklin. He said of Fusile, a walk-on redshirt freshman who did not play last season, that “he might find himself in the two-deep.”
Review of scrimmage
Tech held a closed scrimmage Saturday for about two hours in a rehearsal for game days, its second scrimmage of the preseason. The run-through included a stay at the team hotel Friday night and the entrance to Bobby Dodd Stadium down Yellow Jacket Alley, with band members, cheerleaders and players’ family standing in for the hundreds of fans that typically line Brittain Drive before games to greet players and coaches. As it is a tradition that has been on hold since the end of the 2019 season because of COVID-19 restrictions, much of the team had yet to experience it until Saturday.
“That was something that we greatly missed,” Collins said.
Collins named no fewer than 26 players who had stood out either in the scrimmage or in the preseason, focusing mostly on transfers. Among those he spent more time doling out praise upon were Leftwich, Fusile and Franklin on the offensive line, tight ends Luke Benson and Pejé Harris, wide receiver E.J. Jenkins, running back Dylan McDuffie, defensive tackles Zeek Biggers, Daniel Carson and Horace Lockett, defensive end Noah Collins and defensive backs Kenny Bennett, K.J. Wallace and Kenyatta Watson.
In one of his more expansive assessments, Collins said of Noah Collins that he “probably had his best day Saturday. He was a noticeable force as an outside ‘backer/defensive end on Saturday. He needs to continue as we build up to game day.”
For what it’s worth, Lockett was the only incoming freshman that he mentioned, saying that he, “for a young defensive tackle, has had flashes.”
Kicking game appears settled
Kicker Jude Kelley looks like Collins’ choice at placekicker to succeed Brent Cimaglia. Collins said that Kelley, who was 0-for-1 last season and 1-for-5 in 2020, was 4-for-4 in Saturday’s scrimmage, including makes from 46 and 47 yards. Kelley has been competing with Gavin Stewart, who handled kickoffs last season, in the preseason at placekicking.
Collins said punter David Shanahan “had some really nice punts, as well.”
Avoiding ‘labels’ for Keion White
Collins was asked about defensive end Keion White, the transfer from Old Dominion who was able to play in only the last four games of last season because of injury. Before the start of camp, Collins had mentioned his excitement over seeing him at full health.
Collins was asked if White, who had 19 tackles for loss at Old Dominion in 2019, could be a player worthy of All-ACC consideration. Collins demurred, saying that “I don’t want to put those kind of labels (on him).”
He did praise White’s character and added that “obviously, he’s got tremendous physical ability, and he is healthy and playing at a high level, and he just wants to continue to get better every single day.”
Preparing for Clemson
While the fall semester at Tech began Monday, the team has remained in its camp portion of the preseason this week in terms of a continuation of self-focused practice as opposed to specifically preparing for Clemson in the season opener.
Collins said that while coaches began showing players game video of Clemson as early as this summer, preparation in full will begin Monday, giving the Jackets a full week to prepare for the Tigers.
Tech has lost its past seven games to the Tigers, who have gone on to win the ACC title and play in the College Football Playoff at the end of six of those seasons, ending both streaks last year. The Jackets enter the game as 21-point underdogs.
“We all understand what an opportunity it is for us, but we’ve got a lot of work to do over the next 13 days to beat a really good football team,” Collins said.
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