The Georgia Tech football team held its last practice on Wednesday before flying out to Dublin later that evening to play its first game of the season versus No. 10 Florida State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on Aug. 24.
After practice, three Georgia Tech football players addressed questions from reporters ahead of leaving campus. Each player spoke to reporters for roughly five minutes each.
Below is a full transcript of what Haynes King had to say.
On how ready he is for the game...
“Oh yeah, I’m ready for the game to start. Yes sir.”
On his confidence and comfort level this season...
“I’m very comfortable. Everybody’s playing fast, playing physical, really disciplined right now. We’re just ready to get out there and play.”
On how big of a stage Ireland is...
“It’s different. A lot of us, we’ve never been out of the country, including me. So it’s going to be a different atmosphere, different exposure, but exciting at the same time. But with that being said, you don’t need to add extra pressure or anything because at the end of the day, it’s a four-quarter game, 100-yard field, 11-on-11, and just simple as that. Some people like to complicate it when you really don’t.”
On getting acclimated with new running backs...
“It’s going great right now in the way they developed and how fast they developed, and the exposure they had going against the defense that we have every day. It just helps them improve even more.”
On how excited he is to use his great receivers...
“It just makes me a better quarterback. The better the talent, the talent that these guys have, the speed, the athleticism, the way they track the ball, and the way they just get the game of football and fill space, it just makes my job a whole lot easier. You can just trust them and know they’re going to be at the right spot, and you’re just letting things fly, instead of thinking and hesitating like I hope he’s going to be here. It makes the job a lot easier.”
On what he’s seen from the new defense...
“Yeah, just the way they fly the ball, the energy that they play with and bring every day. And they’re challenging us each and every day. You know, iron sharpens iron, and it’s made us a better football team, not just offensively, but as a whole team. The way they bring it every day.”
On whether the flight and time change will affect the team...
“At the end of the day, you got to adapt overcome. I’ve never been over there. You can only read what the weather’s like, the time changes. All you can do is adapt, overcome, and fight through adversity. You know, find a way. You don’t have to press or anything, but just find a way. And I’m sure that the coaches have the right template and schedule for us to have the best chance at doing that.”
On how having a new starting OL Keylan Rutledge has been thus far...
“His addition is great, especially in the interior. When we lost [Connor Scaglione] last year, his addition improved our offensive line. And he has a little grit to him, and that’s what you want up front. And just adding him, it just adds a little bit of spark with him too. And everybody’s kind of a little gritty and that stuff about him. So it’s fun to be able to see him in the way he has affected everybody. Because we have a lot of older guys, veteran guys as well, but I feel like he just added a little spark to him and stuff like that.”
On how camp has been and preparation for the summer...
“I feel like we’re really prepared, not just football, but with how to handle going over there with the time change and everything. And I feel like Coach Key has been very open about that and what his thoughts are and what he’s expecting and wanting out of it. I feel like we’re very prepared as a team.”
On the identity of Georgia Tech...
“We’re a program that’s going to be reckoned with. And it’s starting from top-down, with what Coach Key has built, not only with his recruiting, but with who he’s hiring. And he stays true to that, and he cares about the culture, the culture of the team, culture of the locker room, the culture of the coaching staff. And just the way to build a program. And we’re on the right track right now, and we’re just ready to go show it.”
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