Everything From Georgia Tech Defensive End Coach Kyle Pope After Thursday's Spring Practice

Georgia Tech defensive ends/olb coach talked to the media on Thursday. Here is everything he had to say.

On how Georgia Tech assembled the defenisve line room and all the new guys…

“I think the biggest thing is when it goes to building the room, you want guys who don't come in and produce. I think the biggest thing last year in the room was that you didn't have a lot of experience. So we had to bring some experience into the room. We're bringing in the experience and bringing in competition as well. So it looks different, but it also looks exciting and fun. And I'm excited about these guys so far in the spring and what they've been able to do, what they've been able to show me. It's a good room. They're jelling well together. They are forming a bond, but they're also competing. That's the most exciting part about it. Every guy in the room is competing, and I'm excited about it. There's no one of a kind or a guy that is similar to the other. Everybody brings something different, and that's what makes it exciting. So first it was to add experience, add depth. Now let's go have fun with it. Coach.”

On how he determines who is going to be a good rush end when recruiting….

“I think the biggest thing, at the end of the day, recruiting them, I never can run away from the coaching. I understand I'm not looking at a guy who's a finished product when I see him. So I want to see the traits of what he brings to the table. Is he willing to use his hands, his patterns, movements? Is he producing on his high school tape? Also, do you see violence? Because I'm always telling those guys they're the only way out of violence, no other way. So I want to be able to see those traits, those intangibles that you can build off of, because we know this program is going to get built off the guys in the room. Not the man that's standing in front of me coaching them, but the personnel that we have. So I want to be able to see those guys that can bring that to the table, and then also at the end of the day I know it's great football in Georgia too. So I understand what we can get out of the state, and the type of players we can get out of it and that excites me, it really does.”

On how he teaches violence….

“I think for me it's like when you say how do you teach violence at the end of the day, if that pup a bite, then I know he got a little something in there, we can get him to go. So for me, it's just like I want to see those guys, do they have an unwilling ability to run through somebody's face, play violent with their hands? Because that's one thing about it, like I said earlier, it's until the end of the day, we're always going to answer anything with violence, anything playing with power. Because at the end of the day, it's like, look, I don't want any finessed guys in this room.We're going to talk toughness; that's what we hang our hat on. So finesse isn't what we live on. We're going to always live on violence, number one. So when it's teaching, it's everything we do. It's about detailing every drill and understanding it's a start, it's actions on, and it's a finish. Understanding all the pieces that come together. When we go to recruit, like you asked me, I want to be able to see if you're following the high school tape, if you're following when we to the camps, if you have that type of mentality, hey, look, you can succeed in Georgia Tech, because we've got a tough head football coach.”

On the attack style defense and transition to Coach Semore new defensive style…

“Man, it's been great. I think Boogie (Coach Semore) does a heck of a job, man, of letting us up front and playing the attack style. I mean, up front with Boogie, he wants to let the front eat, and I love that about him. At the end of the day, we also understand that the personnel is what builds the scheme. We're able to get some guys in here that can fit what we want to do, but also that fit the mindset of how we want to do things. It allows us to put them in an attack-style scheme. So man, it's exciting. I look forward to working with him even more.”

On Noah Carter and Andre Fuller Jr….

“I think all of those guys are working just to speak on every one of them. But a guy like Noah Carter, when I say very excited about him, because at the end of the day, with Noah, you talk about a guy that was a receiver in high school. So you already see the speed, the movement patterns and things like that. He'll go bite your face off if you need to as well. That's what excites me about him. He only knows one speed. He only knows one way of doing things. And that's what I love about him. He's a guy that just wanted an opportunity to show what he can bring to the table. He's getting that opportunity.

Same thing with a Dre Fuller. Played early as a freshman, so you see what he built off of. But now the challenge is free, and can we continue to build it? Same thing with AJ Hoffler, with Jordan Walker, with Amontrae Bradford, with Taje McCoy. All of these guys are guys who bring a specific tool to the table that we can work with. I'm excited about it, man. I'm very excited about that room. I think for me personally, the best I've ever felt about that room. Because now we have built something really special, but now it's time to show that we can produce, we can play fast and violent, and we can go win some games with that room.”

On Jordan Walker and Amontrae Bradford…

“Man, it's funny because I think of Amontrae, when he came in, what it might have been, 220, 230? He probably got tired of him. said, We got to put this weight on. But he understood what his body could turn into, but also how that could help his play of being able to build himself up? You're right. Both of them are going to step off the bus and, heck, get them off the bus first because they look good. But I don't care how good they look, they'd better be ready to go produce, you know what I'm saying? But they're good-looking players. They're hard-nosed guys, and those guys work hard. But at the end of the day, they gotta realize we gotta go produce as well. It all looked good, but we gotta show that we can go get it done as well. But I love those guys. I love what they're doing, and we're gonna continue to push it with them.”

On how the experience of young guys playing last year has translated to this spring…

“It translates well, I mean, when you look at Andre Fuller and the Jordan Boyds of the world, it translates because at the end of the day, the best teacher is experience. That's one thing they were able to build. So that's the beautiful part about it. It wasn't a guy that has no experience, didn't know what it looked like, didn't know what it felt like. Experience is the best teacher. So they've been able to get their feet wet in those situations. So seeing them this spring and seeing them last spring when they got here as true freshmen and stepping on the field is completely different. You're seeing different guys. Like they're meshing well. They're fitting in well. They understand what it looks like and what's expected. And I think the biggest thing is expectation is the best superpower. They know for me, the expectation is going to be here.”

On what he hopes to see from defenisve line at the end of spring…

“I think the biggest thing as a group as a whole, whether it's the edges or the interior, man, I just want to see them finish. I want to see them finish. I think the motto is fast and violent, but we got to finish. Finishing comes on the field right now, so when the season comes, we can finish those last five games. The biggest thing is just for us to finish. I want to see those guys playing fast. I want to see them playing relentless. I want to see them playing the tag style. I want to see them finishing, taking advantage of every opportunity. Finish, produce, and man, we can live with that.”

On what it is like having so many bodies and depth….

“It's a good problem to have. The biggest thing that I love about it is it gives guys no choice but to compete every day. I think going into it last year, it's like, oh man, it's an inexperienced group with small numbers like that. But now, I mean, you miss a rep, then that may be a spot. If you miss a play, that may be a spot. If you miss a practice, that may be a spot. They understand that they're not just competing with the guys around them, but also with themselves. Because right now, like you said, the complete room is different. When it's different also the expectation is different. They understand what it is that I want, what it is that I'm looking for. They gotta realize that we're gonna be a deep room, but everybody can be on the field at the same time. So who's gonna produce, who's gonna show up, and who's gonna separate themselves? At the end of the day, I need guys to play meaningful football for Georgia Tech. We're gonna find the guys that can do that for sure.”

About his relationship with Jess Simpson and building one of the top units in the country…

“I think it's beautiful because not only is Jess a great man, but he's a great teacher. I always pride myself on being a student, even while I'm a coach. So being able to learn from Jess, us being able to work with each other, man, it's amazing. Also, I think the biggest part of it is me and Jess see eye to eye, me and Jess and I understand what we want this room to look like. It's not divided. We're all together. Jess understands that he wants to be the best. He understands that I want to be the best, also. So we collaborate on everything that we do. At the end of the day, we see things the same way how we see things as far as whether it's how to make a tackle, how to hit a block, how to work a pass rush. Like we're on one accord, but also our guys see that. And when our guys see me and Jess work together, being on one accord, it allows them to be on the same court. And for us, it's like we do everything together. We rush as a unit, we stop to run as a unit, and it's going to be led not just by me but also set and man, we're excited, and we're never going to let up, we're going to be the best we can be for those guys man.”

Full Interview: