Despite Georgia Tech losing Jahmyr Gibbs to the transfer portal and Jordan Mason to the NFL, new running backs coach Mike Daniels still leads what might be the most talented and deep position group on the Yellow Jackets roster.
In a videoconference last week, Daniels, who was hired from the University at Buffalo, gave some first impressions and thoughts about some of his new backs:
Returnees Dontae Smith and Jamious Griffin
“2K (Smith’s nickname), Dontae Smith, I’m excited about him. When you meet the young man, he brightens up a room. Great smile. He had some production last year, so you’re always looking for that next opportunity, and when you think about the natural progression in terms of the running backs, now you’ve got those two guys gone (Gibbs and Mason), and he has an opportunity to increase his roles. I’m excited for him.
“Obviously, he has some ability and he’s been here for a while, and so naturally in his mind, and within the program’s mind, it’s time to go. I’m excited to coach him. He’s been great in terms of his reception of me and just soaking in the relationship part of it, so I’m excited for him, I’m excited to coach him. I feel like I can do some things to make him even better and we can transition into this role together and so he can have the production to do what he wants to do.
“And when you start thinking about Jamious, for him, obviously coming out of high school, one of the more talented, one of the more highly recruited kids. So again, just like Dontae, with the ability for him to have an increased role is tremendous, and now this is his time for that to happen. This is going to be a great spring for him to show, and again, I’m excited about him – local kid, a kid that a lot of people are looking to take that next jump and next step in his natural progression as a running back. So excited for those two. Some talented guys and now they have the ability to show and prove who and what they are.”
Grad transfer Hassan Hall
“With Hall, he has a trait and a skillset that is hard to coach or hard to develop. He can really run as far as his speed. He’s a high-speed, really fast, one-cut guy. That allows him the ability to take it to the house. He’ll score a touchdown at any moment. So very excited about the young man. You can go pull up his tape and go look at how he was and how he’s been over the years. He’s been a very explosive athlete, and I’m looking to enhance his ability and get some production out of him this year.”
Early-enrollee freshman Antonio Martin
“Antonio Martin Jr. is a kid that, obviously, you see he’s a thicker, bigger back, but what I love about the kid so far is his spirit, his ability to learn. His desire to learn is high, and he’s got a really good feel-good soul to him. You talk to him and when you listen to him, he’s been raised right. I’m excited for him to just get in here and kind of transform his body into a more college running back and for us to be able to utilize him and learn and see what he has this spring.
“When you start thinking about depth, running back is a position where you can take a young guy and he can fulfill a role. So I don’t know if that’s going to be Antonio or not. Obviously, when you get a new staff and you get a new position coach, everybody has a clean slate. But I’m excited about the young man and his future because I think he’s got good stuff in him. Obviously, he’s got ability or he wouldn’t be here, but more important, he has the good stuff inside – the hunger, the drive, the desire to be great. And he takes coaching really well. I’m excited for him, I’m excited for us and I can’t wait get to the field and coach the young man.”
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