Georgia Tech has begun another week of practice as it continues preparation for the 2024 season opener Aug. 24 against Florida State.
And while the players are focusing on the coming challenge against the Seminoles in Ireland, they hope to use some of the motivation gained this summer right here in their own backyard.
Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key has invited a number of guest speakers to address the team, ranging from former NFL players to high-ranking armed-forces veterans. The messages from the speakers left a lasting impact on a pair of Jackets receivers preparing for the 2024 season – Leo Blackburn and Chase Lane.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Blackburn, who missed the 2023 season while recovering from a knee injury, listened intently to the message from Brandon Marshall, a 6-5, 232-pound 13-year NFL veteran who was a six-time Pro Bowl player and had a league-best 14 TD catches in 2015.
“Having a former player like Brandon Marshall come here, who is the same size as me and teach me a few things like running routes is great,” Blackburn said. “Their messages have been very powerful.”
Other powerful messages in the offseason speaker series were delivered by a pair of decorated military veterans – U.S. Marines Master Sergeant Bajro Buzaljko and Major Thomas G. Fischer.
“When you come to Georgia Tech, coach Key looks after you on and off the field,” Lane said. “And then listening to the two Marines taught me that in the grand scheme of things, football isn’t life or death, but also seeing the similarities to how we can approach each day with practices and games.”
And that approach has helped Lane, a graduate transfer from Texas A&M beginning his second season at Georgia Tech, focus on each and every detail as he prepares for the season. He began the 2023 season with a 48-yard touchdown in the opener against Louisville, but played in only seven games while battling injuries.
Lane and Blackburn have put their challenging 2023 seasons in the rearview mirror, and they hope some knowledge gained from offseason speeches might help in a small way once the 2024 season kicks off in less than three weeks.
“Having the speaker series is why I just love being here, it was a surprise,” said Lane. “Being with Brandon Marshall was cool because we could learn about his thought process, his work ethic and his relationships with various coaches.”
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