Everything From Georgia Tech Special Teams Coach Tim Salem After Thursday's Practice

Fall practice rolled on for Georgia Tech today and the Yellow Jackets are 15 days away from the season opening game against Colorado. After Thursday's practice, special teams coach Tim Salem spoke with the media and here is everything that he had to say:

1. On getting Marshall Nichols from the portal...

"Yes. Um, of course that portal is a whole animal by itself and we looked and evaluated a lot of people and his evaluation was like easy because he is a very good punter and he is from here. It was not like we were getting some guy from Seattle, Washington has no idea where Atlanta is so you know the recruitment process was much easier to sell to his parents, much easier and we're damn happy we had."

2. On who is working at both returner spots...

"Those are two great questions, and really in all my years of coaching, I've never seen as many kids on one team that can catch punts. I mea,n like our freshman class, almost the entire class, can catch punts, which is kind of unheard of. So we've had a lot of punt catching throughout the pre-practice drills, during practice drills. And it's been kind of surfacing. Obviously, speed matters if you're not going to just who can secure the football, which you saw (Bailey) Stockton catch a number of punts late last season. He was a fast kid, too. But we're getting on the doorstep and getting ready for our first game of the season. And I'm not Coach Key right now. So I know how I'd like to give, but I'm not the head coach, but we have great, great discussions, and that's pretty much going to be this weekend, you know, heading into getting our real, 13 days out prior to Colorado. We have some good candidates, so thank God."

3. On the kind of player Marshall Nichols is...

"Well, Coach Faulkner said we're not punting. It's all first downs and touchdowns. So, you know, Marshall will just be standing next to me all day long, but Marshall, he has worked very, very hard. I mean, he was a hard work coming in, but he had a phenomenal summer of just effort and attitude and what he did in the weight room, what he did to condition himself, what he did to get to just, you know create his craft and so I'm looking for a big big season because he's prepared for a big season, so hats off to Marshall, hang time has been a big you know, thought process there, we're looking for, you know the form would be you know, one second for every 10 yards you know you punt the ball you know 28 yards you want you know 2 .8 second hangtime but Marshall, he bangs it pretty good, he's had good hang time, that's been a big focus for him all August and again, proud of his efforts and he's really worked for it and earned it."

4. On the kick protection team...

"Yeah, it's because, yes, cause someone's guys played last year and thank God, you know Coach Key allows us to have meeting time, practice time, organizational time. So, you know, we've, we've, better due diligence from you know, find out who can really do what and every day we try and get a freshman involved to create some, you know depth for the future. So it's been, you know lucky and I just love our kids attitude, you know, they come to meetings ready to go. They show up early for meetings. They've had a chance on the practice field to work, you know, they run, you know, they sprint down the field. So, you know, their attitude and efforts been, you know, A plus. We got to keep it there, but they want to keep it there, which is the biggest point."

5. On where he wants to see improvement this season...

" I mean, you know, you just want to make sure every game, you just, you know, you win your battles and field position. And then you obviously, whatever plays you can make of, you know, downing a punt to the one-yard line or, you know, returning a punt for a touchdown or blocking up, you know, field goal, just making sure that all the plays are on our positive side. I mean, it's hard because, you know, the other team's got good players too, but you just hope to make sure you're going to do your job and do a plus. And, you know, we don't have the goal of saying, hey, we want just net punt, you know, 40 yards, because he might punt 47 for the day, but the opponent might punt 52. Well, great, punted 47, outstanding, but he punted 52, so, you know, we lost. There are times you net punt 36, and you punt net punt 32. Well, we won that day, just win Saturday. You know, when's Saturday? When's Saturday? Things take care of themselves."

6. On who will be the kickoff specialist...

"Well, Landon's good. I mean, we're happy to have him. He's fit right in as a freshman. I think it's always nice when the other specialists in our meeting room and so forth can say, this guy's good. When the other players know he's good in doing his job, then it's nice. And I think he's made some nice kicks and has done some nice work and practice. So and the rest of the team sees him in the nighttime meeting, then they can see what he's doing too, but let's go back to Aidan. Aidan gained weight. He's a little thicker and stronger, and just that added, you know, really eight to ten pounds going from really 195 to 205. His improvement is kicking. He's kicking farther, longer, stronger. He's more experienced, he's older, he's matured, so we got to make use of a guy a, guy who's bound the field more than one game. And he's another guy who had a good summer, the off-season training, but his weight gain has been a major plus for him."

7. On Aidan Birr and if Landon Shaffer is pushing him to be better...

"And to go back, I mean, when Landon came to summer school back in early June, I mean, it was a pretty good thing. Oh my God, this guy can do a kick, which obviously makes you know, oh my God, I've got to get going, or stay going, because there's a guy behind me, which is great, competition. And I would think at a point in time, I would say right now, for what Landon has done in practice for a freshman, if he had to go in the game, go ahead and go in the game. it wouldn't bother me one bit. I mean, it's great that you got depth. And, of course, we've got two kickers, two punters, two snappers, so I think the depth, they've done a great job, you know, working hard and really creating a great, here in our room, which has created an atmosphere amongst, you know, the team."

8. On deciding who will be the holder...

"Well, the one thing I can practice, it's a bonus, kind of happens you know around America there's you know a lot of high school quarterbacks who were holders but then they go on the other side of the field they're working on their craft as a quarterback all day long, they spend no time with us but the the kicking group the specialist group when you're with each other together for that two and a half hour practice session when you're able to hold, hold, hold, hold, hold together, together, together all day long. Practice time, you know, just the bond, the timing, the feel, the experience. I mean, instead of a quarterback who shows up for, you know, three holds to start a practicing leaves, I mean, it's just not there, so, you know, we use our punters, we teach them to, even our back up, you know, long snappers all learned to be holders, believe it or not. So our long snap is a snap, and I always learned how to hold. So when you've got that much time in practice, you better do something that beats standing around."

9. On Aidan's distance as a field goal kicker...

"Well, I mean, any time it's game -to-game, I mean, he's got a strong leg to kick, you know, at 60. I see an attempt every 60 yards or if it came down to it, let him try it. I mean, he hit that spring game, went over here in the south end of Bobby Dodd when the spring went on, like 61 or what it was, I mean, he's got a strong leg. So it attempts something like that. You probably couldn't know that NFL guy the other day was at 70, I don't want to try that, but he's worked. I mean, he's definitely worked. It's been noticeable."