Everything From Georgia Tech Linebackers Coach Darius Eubanks After Yellow Jackets' 9th Spring Practice

Georgia Tech is nine days away from its annual White and Gold Spring Game, and practice rolled on today for the Yellow Jackets. After practice, linebackers coach Darius Eubanks spoke with the media for the first time since being hired earlier in the spring, and here is everything that he had to say

1. On the adjustment for him and the linebacker group...

It's been good, you know, having a new scheme that's always going to be a learning curve, but when you got guys that's played a lot of ball, they kind of catch on fast. So it's been a smooth transition. I think we're getting better as players and also as coaches, but I've been enjoying my time here and like you said I have a really eally good group. I've been blessed and here a really good room."

2. On how he got to Georgia Tech...

"You know, everybody kind of knows everybody in the football world, had never knew Coach Key prior to getting here, but between Coach Key, Coach Gideon, I actually worked with Coach People's secondary coach at Georgia State a couple years ago. The linebacker's job came open, and I had just transitioned to coaching linebackers last year at my homestop in Georgia Southern. But again, just word of mouth then, was able to get in front of him and talk, and that's what this opportunity can be, linebackers coaching at Georgia Tech."

3. On how playing the position and playing at the next level will help him as a coach...

"Oh, it helps a lot. It helps a lot. A lot of times, you may see me behind the linebacker, because I'm trying to see what they're seeing. I can't ask them to do anything that, if I can't do it, back there behind them. And then having that experience. You kind of got to feel for, OK, this is how I need to train my eyes. This is how I need to put my eyes. This is how I need to take this drop. This is how I need to exit. If we're mugging, this is how I need to take my angle of departure. I think playing a position and being able to coach the same position, kind of gives you a head start."

4. On the depth of the linebacker group...

"We got really good depth. Right now there are no ones and twos. I mix and match and I throw guys out there. I want everybody feeling comfortable playing with everybody else. Well Also, now you're developing everybody, not just the guys that you may say is your ones. You know, if we got five guys I think we can go out there and win with, let's use all five guys. That way you have fresher bodies. That way you out there flying around, swimming to the ball, tackling, executing at a high level, which that is linebacker play, communicating at a high level. But yeah, I think we have really good depth, depth in our room. I'm talking about five, maybe even six guys that I feel comfortable with. But you know, right now in spring ball, so with a new scheme, so we're just chopping away. Chopping away and carry water every day."

5. On Tah'j Butler...

"Yes sir, I mean he played over 100 snaps last year if I'm not Mistaken so he does have some experience not a lot as some of the other guys in the room but there's a lot of spirits. He's a young guy. He's 18 now if I'm not mistaken. He was an early enrollee last year and he was 17, when he started college. But my target he has a really really high ceiling. I mean he's 6',2 225 LBS, My job is to simplify the game as much as I can for him, so he can really go out there and play fast. Those, like, I love all my guys, but don't have any young bucks, and it's like, just continue to help him progress over the next year, over the next two years, over the next three years, just see, you know, how far he can go. And with all my guys, I tell them, my job is to help you reach your full potential. That's it, your full potential, get the best out of 'em."

6. On E.J. Lightsey...

" It's been good. Naturally, I can tell he's a little reserved just from when I talked to him off the field. Now, we've gotten better, you know, me being new, building that relationship with him, but being the Mike linebacker, you got to be very vocal on the field and I do like that he's kind of taking that leadership and be like hey I need to go out there and communicate because it starts with setting a defense which we have to do you know he's kind of taking that, that challenge and taking by stride so I'm challenging him every day you know being a Mike linebacker you know the heart beat of the room you know I want you to be, try to become a leader you know be a vocal guy, but now he's done a really good job. I'm just, again, excited to help him reach his full potential along with all the other guys. You got Melvin, one of those transfer guys. Cayman (Spaulding), Tah'j, Jackson Hamilton. It's just the room, just continue to develop the guys, not just one guy, the whole room."

7. On if there is more pressure on him with this being his first power conference job...

"Nothing different. nothing different. Now I will say, with the new scheme, the first time a part of a scheme quite like this, I've already felt in the first three weeks that I'm gonna become a better coach, and that's exciting. So with me becoming a better coach, me and my players gonna become even better players and I'm gonna get the most out of it. But it's been good. Coach, coach, get in and he's done a great job of kind of introducing things to me, I'm able to learn a lot from him. It's a really good staff. Coach Simpson, Coach Pope, learning from the front guys and just trying to put it all together. But at the end of that thing, I gotta do what got me to this point."

8. On the linebacker pairings...

"You know what, I just, you know what, I want these two to go together. Not necessarily by design, I just want each guy to kind of get comfortable working with each other. So if I got one guy that may not feel as comfortable speaking, I'm not going to always put them out there with someone that's making every call. I want both of them to be able to communicate at a high level. So to that, there's really like no certain design, and I kind of mix it up by whatever period we in, whatever back we're in within that period, just to, again, get him comfortable. Because, you know, it's a long season, you know, it's a long season. I'm not gonna try to develop a guy in one week when he gets moved up, you know. I'm gonna try to, it starts now. So when the season starts, we're all on the hit and then stride."

9. On Coach Gideon...

"It's been really good. Prior to last year, I was always a DB coach. We had to drop all backers all out here. We're hook players in Cover Three, we're curve flat droppers, we're middle run -through players, and what other person to learn from as far as coverage then Coach Gideon Again, I've learned so much in three weeks as far as coverage because I have my prior six years and just continue again I think as a coach you got to continue to try to sharpen yourself as well but it's been it's been really great definitely when it comes to the coverage aspect as you can see we do a lot of zone drops you guys was around my end today we did every type of zone drop you could do and then again I hear coach say little words like hey take a peak, ping pong guys and those little things that you know I never really thought of before coming here and now I'm saying it every day but it's a blessing to be able to learn from him."

Additional Links

Everything from Georgia Tech Tight Ends Coach Nathan Brock After Yellow Jackets 9th Spring Practice

2026 Four Star ATH Heze Kent Lists Georgia Tech Among His Six Finalists And Sets His Commitment Date

Everything From Georgia Tech Linebacker E.J. Lightsey After The Yellow Jackets' 9th Spring Practice