Everything From Georgia Tech Running Backs Coach Norval McKenzie After Yellow Jackets 4th Spring Practice

McKenzie spoke with the media after Georgia Tech wrapped up their fourth spring practice

Nov 21, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets helmet is seen on the sideline in the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Spring practice rolled on for Georgia Tech today, as the Yellow Jackets had their fourth practice this morning. Afterward, running backs coach Norval McKenzie spoke with the media and here is everything that he had to say:

1. On the running back room and the newer guys, Malachi Hosley and J.P. Powell...

"Yeah, I will say it's been really well, man. So like you alluded to, got a ton of guys in the room, have a lot of guys back. And so starting off with Jamal, he's done a great job so far in becoming the leader. And I feel like he's always been one by example, but being more vocal. And then for him, watching more film, asking more questions, which is really, really good. And then you go to Trelain Maddox, who played some last year, ended up being red shirted, but was able to go in and be in the game in a Louisville game and had some success. So excited about him being back. Anthony "Scooter", Anthony Carrie, who we call Scooter, sorry. You know, he's back going on the year two for him and had some snaps last year. And then as you mentioned, we got Malachi, who's played a ton of snaps at Penn. And then we also have JP, who's a high school kid. That's an early enrollee in addition to DG, Daylon Gordon, so right now, collectively, we have a lot of guys that we're excited about. We have a lot of continuity in that room, as you mentioned. And then we feel like we have some experience, because last year almost everybody had to play, right? And so because of that, those guys are able to gain some experience, which always is really good for us."

2. On Anthony Carrie...

" Well, I think for all these guys right now, they just got to continue to compete, okay? They just got to earn it, right? So we talk about all the time, man, like when your number is called, you got to be productive, all right? And what that looks like is in the passing game, maybe catching the ball and then productive and then explosive there. In the run game, same thing. We call it an explosive run, a 12-yard run. And so, offensively our philosophy is to be explosive, we want to get our playmakers in space. And so it's just one of those things that he just gets our playmakers in space. And so it's just one of those things that he just got to continue to earn it on his reps and make things happen in space, which I think he can and I think he will. You know, so far up to this point he's doing a really, really good job. He worked extremely hard this off-season in a winter conditioning segment of it and that's going to transfer over to spring ball."

3. On the freshmen running backs J.P. Powell and Shane Marshall...

"Yeah, so JP is currently here. He's a kid that's roughly 5 '10", 195 pounds, ran a 10 '5" in 100" in high school. So, you know, when we recruited him, we just saw his explosiveness. Probably to be honest with you, one of the most violent kids I watched in person, you know, was really impressed with him. He played safety, he played running back, he was a kickoff returner. I mean, he did it all, right? And so he did it all at a high level. And so that was just something that stood out to me and getting to know him and his support system just was over the top and it was great. When you look at Shane, Shane is a bigger stature kid, more compact, but also a kid that's gifted and who can run as well. I think he was around a 10 -9 in 100. So, you know, I in these hundred times because speed is important to us. Being explosive is important to us. And so what I saw from him is, truthfully, just a big, every downback. You know, I think he can catch it well out the backfield. I thought he did a good job between the tackles and what they did in their offensive scheme. And so really excited about him joining us this summer. I think with those two kids, we improved our room."

4. On his energy at practice and working with Brian Bohannon...

"Yeah, I would say the energy portion is you just gotta have passion for the game, right? Like, you can't have passion, not have passion and play football. And so, what I try to do is instill that in my guys. I get a chance to work in college athletics, right? And so, I get to pour into young people. And so I'm very passionate about that. So me running around with the excitement I have is just really pouring in the young people. I feel like that's my calling. And in addition to that, now we've got Coach Bohannon, as you mentioned, been great to have him in the room, a gentleman that's been a head coach. He's coached multiple positions, has some wisdom, as you would say. But he's been an asset so far. He may see something that I don't see. I'm always asking, hey, could I've communicated that better? How did you feel that meeting went? And so it's great to have him in the room, to continue to develop and grow as a coach and as a person as well."

5. On Trelain Maddox...

"Yeah, I would say when you think about Trelain, what Coach (Faulkner) is probably mentioning is the size, right? So he has a great combination of size and speed. And so he's a kid that's around 6 '1", 215 pounds and can run. And so we haven't truly had that since we've been here. We've had smaller guys, no discredit to those guys, but I think he brings a bigger presence with a good combination of speed. He's also a kid that learns well. He asks questions. He's always first in meetings. He's always first in the line and we're up to drills. And so I think he's going to continue to come along as well and be a great addition to the room."

6. On Jamal Haynes...

" So, you know, injuries is part of the game, so you never could control that. And like you mentioned, he was hurt from day one, and we tried to manage it all season. I think how we manage it this year is by having a collective group of guys that we have and maybe not take away from Jamal, but he probably played too many snaps last year. He didn't even play as many snaps as he did in some games. But that was a comfort level, just because the talent I feel like he is. Moving forward, we got a group of guys who are competing right now to kind of get in the mix and be a part of what we want to have this fall. And so I think how I manage him is by bringing other guys along where we can have a couple, one, two, one, two, three punches, sort of speak, as we progress. All right, so in terms of his transition You know, I felt like he did a really good job transitioning to, from wire receiver to running back. I think he's better now as a running back in terms of understanding where he fits in protection. He's always been a good statured kid, so he does a great job running behind his pads, really good in space, which he was able to be at the wide receiver position. So I think the combination of him being an unbelievable receiver, mixed with the running back now, I mean he's a guy who can be at every down back for us and creating mismatches in the past game as well as the run game."

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