Back like he never left, Marco Coleman has returned to the coaching staff at Georgia Tech poised and primed to turn the program’s defensive front into a force.
A member of the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and the No. 12 selection in the 1992 NFL Draft, Coleman spent 2022 at Michigan State before coming back home to the Yellow Jackets. He was also with the squad from 2019-21 under former Tech coach Geoff Collins.
Coleman joined coach Brent Key’s staff in January. His familiarity with both Key and the current roster is paying dividends this August as the Jackets prepare for the 2023 season.
“Here each day they’re getting better and better,” Coleman said Monday after Tech’s 12th practice of the preseason. “We’ll continue to work and that will be the same process throughout the season, just continue to work to get incrementally better each time we step out there.”
Coleman could have himself a solid unit should it raise its production as a whole and remain healthy.
Even with star Keion White gone to the NFL, Tech still returns Kyle Kennard, Kevin Harris, Noah Collins, Sylvain Yondjouen, D’Quan Douse, Zeek Biggers, Makius Scott, Josh Robinson and Jason Moore up front. Those are all veterans of the program who have contributed to various roles during their respective time in Atlanta.
Tech also went out in the offseason and added Clemson transfer Etinosa Reuben and South Florida transfer Eddie Kelly.
“We’re still competing, we’re still in training camp. Everybody is getting their fair share, 1s, 2s and 3s. No one has solidified themselves,” Coleman said. “They’re all really good players, long, athletic, all have playing experience. It’s just continuous work. They’re all going to probably play. It’s just going to probably be week-to-week on who may be the guy that runs first.”
The Jackets totaled 28 sacks in 2022, a rate of 2.3 per game, and 76 tackles for loss (6.2 per game). While both those numbers weren’t terrible, they still ranked toward the bottom of the ACC.
Another factor to consider is 14 of Tech’s tackles for loss and 7 1/2 of its sacks came from White. So not only does Tech’s frontline need to raise its production to compete with the league, but it must also find a way to replace White’s missing stats.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Douse, Kennard, Yondjouen and Scott are certainly prime suspects to step up to the plate.
“We have the experience, the leaders, the guys who have played a lot,” Douse said. “We definitely understand that we have a bigger role. A lot of times we won’t be bailed out or anything like that. It will be on us for a lot of the games we have to play. We are prepared for that.”
Added Biggers: “We’ve got a lot of guys that have been here for a while and played a lot of snaps last year. We’re going to be able to rotate guys in and you won’t see a change. We’re going to make some plays this year.”
