Everything From Georgia Tech EDGE AJ Hoffler After Monday's Fall Camp Practice

All that AJ Hoffler said to the media on Monday evening

Georgia Tech EDGE AJ Hoffler | Photo Via Najeh Wilkins- Ga Tech On SI

Georgia Tech veteran defensive lineman AJ Hoffler talked to the media on Monday evening. Here is everything he had to say.

On his health going into the season… 

“I think it was a good bit just simply because last year I didn't get to do spring ball. I got hurt in the fall camp, so I didn't get to do any spring pretty much didn't do any of fall camp. And then my first game was Clemson. So I was kind of just going out there with my sophomore ability. I didn't really get to develop how I probably should have during the spring ball; I think being able to do spring is a thing healthy. Then fall camp now going against the offense and just stacking days and getting consistent. I think my game is gonna be at a whole new level because I'm really able to work on things I need to work on and really keep progressing how I need to.” 

On the expectations of the front four… 

“Be the best D-line in the country.  That's all it is.  There's really nothing else to it. That's what we ought to be: the best line in the country. That's our expectation every day. And I believe we're starting to move in that way during practice and carry ourselves that way.  Okay, we can be the best in line in the country. We think we are, so let's go and do it every day.  That's really the only expectation we have.” 

On playing alongside Jordan Walker and Noah Carter… 

“It's been good, it's been fun. J-Walk's from New York, so, you know, just the action alone is like, I've never been around a New Yorker for real, so just the action alone is something that's unique to me. And then, you know, he's on a 270, 280,  straight muscle.  So, you know, just fun being around someone like that. So, Noah's fun, you gotta be, I mean, we're both transfers ourselves, so it's a whole… How do you, a coagulation of people, I don't know if that's the right word, but it's a whole,  we all fit together and then you got coach Pope spearheading it. So he's always cracking jokes and us making sure we're all growing out of the room.

I think just the difference from this year and last year, the tightness of the group, I think is night and day. I think, you know, we're out there really having fun. I think like you have a lot of depth and so everyone's competing each day because you never know. Cause you gotta make, you don't know how many reps you're gonna get in practice. So you gotta make the most of each rep. 

For the first time, everybody's having fun, looking forward to getting their reps competing.  Some makes it play, we're celebrating with them. Then you go in there, you make it play. It's a snowballing thing. He makes it play, he makes it Just going after each other. J-Walk from New York's like, yeah, get the bull or something like that. And so it's up like that, it makes me laugh.  then Noah's from somewhere in Arizona. B is from Vanceboro and I'm from Atlanta and then you got Jordan Woods, Lex, all different parts of the country. So we just we mesh together really well and I'm excited to see where the group goes this year.” 

On the battles with the offensive line… 

“I'll first start with Ethan. Ethan MacKenny he got a lot better, I'll say that. He's got barriers like a brick wall. Jordan Floyd, brick wall.  Riggs (Jameson Riggs), brick wall. But I say especially those like those three guys that you know, the main type of that we go against. Oh, God, they got a lot better, a lot thicker, a lot bigger. So, you know, something that might be able to power them in the spring is not working as well in the fall. They got about 10 pounds of muscle on them. So I'm really impressed with them. And then the interior guys, this is well, you got Malachi (Carney), KP (Kevin Peay), everybody. So I'm really impressed up front. I'm excited to see what they do. We know we got the backs to take it all the way.

So I think up front, it's been a lot of battles. every day, sometimes you never know. But it's just been really impressive to see, like, the growth from last year to this year, and then to see, like, because you know, you had Red (Keylan Rutledge) last year was kind of like the Macho Man, if you will. So to see everyone else kind of taking that on on their own and keeping that, you know, physicality alive is good to see, for me, because you know, I'm a defensive lineman. I go out against them every day. So it's good to see that they're keeping it going for sure.” 

On how important it is to have rest and not miss a beat when a player comes out… 

“I think it allows us to be more effective. three-headed Three-headed? Then someone's coming in, two plays, two plays, two plays, how many plays it is?, I'm trying to think of a team that had like three backs, was like a three headed monster. It was just fresh legs every time. That's kind of I think what's going on like we're all going to be fresh. We're all going be giving our playing as hard as we can. So at times I think it's going to overwhelm offensive linemen because we're so fresh, because we're not, you know, just so many of us that can play at an elite level.

So, you know, it's just going to be overgrown by, like, the third or fourth quarter, just, you know, we're all good, and you know the whole line they don't really sell much. So, you know, just like the long jump to the game, the more we're all going to be fresh, like I said, we're going to be fresh and ready to go.