Everything From Georgia Tech WR Coach Jafar Williams After Friday's Practice

Fall Camp continued for Georgia Tech on Friday morning and after practice wrapped, wide receivers coach Jafar Williams had a chance to speak with the media and here is everything that he had to say.

1. On the inexperience in the room...

"I think it's been positive. Obviously, when you're lining up with a whole new group, there's going to be some growing pains. But in terms of execution, we're still working to get where we want to be. But the effort's there, attitude's there. And those guys are all starting to come together and take ownership in what we put on the field."

2. On working with DeAndre Hopkins...

"Yeah, the first thing I would say is intelligent, man. And it's a pleasure to have that guy in the room. From the first day that we got on the phone and we talked, you know, I think the biggest thing between both of us is making sure we're relaying the same message. And he has so many tricks and tools that are going to benefit our room. And it's just a pleasure working with the guy, man. He has the right demeanor when he approaches guys. He's very calculated on what he teaches. But, man, that guy is awesome. You know, I think it really, really elevated our room in terms of having, you know, all hands on deck and multiple guys being able to coach."

3. On Isaiah Fuhrmann...

"I think the biggest thing with Zay was making sure that he could practice every day. You know, that was the goal that we set for him. You know, he missed all of spring pretty much. And there's some growing pains with him, right, in terms of getting in shape and getting in football shape. But from a mental standpoint, like Zay's sharp. He's going to be sharp.

You know, I can't predict what's going to happen yet. You know, it's almost like I'm going to be lining up with all freshmen, you know, because. Zay's a first-year player. Jordan was a backup last year, and whoever else we kind of have going, it's going to be a new experience for all of them. So my job is to manage them, stay patient, because there are going to be some things that come up that happens to a first-year player, and I have to have the patience to deal with it and not wind them up."

4. On Dalen Penson and Jordan Allen...

"Well, I think not just those two, but both of those guys are football nerds. I mean, they always know what to do. They're always in their playbook. They always want to meet. And I think when that's your starting point, I think that typically is a recipe for success. But I've been pleased with both of them. I'll be excited to see what these guys can do when the lights come on."

5. On Jordan Allen's mindset and leadership...

"Well, the biggest thing for me with Jordan, and I think it was from the time I got here, the first day here, he leads by example. Jordan's not a rah-rah guy, and I'm okay with that. But Jordan is always going to give effort. He's always going to know what to do. He's going to make the plays when they present themselves. He's going to handle himself the right way off the field. Treatment, hydration, all those little things that professionals do.

And I kind of look at him as a professional because he handles his business that way. And I think also having D-Hop in to educate some of these guys with how professionals are supposed to eat daily. These are the little things that make you a better player that allow you to go out and perform on Saturdays."

6. On the freshman wide receivers...

"Yeah, I mean, Darnell (Collins) has been showing up. And, you know, Kentrell (Davis) showed up a bunch as well. You know, Coi (Jean-Noel) has showed some things. And then JJ (Winston), you know, is better than he was in the spring. So, you know, I think it's. It's a slow process when you're dealing with guys that are first year in the program and probably first year in college.

But I've been pleased with all of them. There are ups and downs mentally, and that's part of my job to make sure they try to stay consistent. I talk about no matter what happens, you're getting back to even. You may catch an 80-yard touchdown. You may drop a ball. I want you here. And that's the biggest thing is the mindset for young guys."

7. On Dalen Penson's transition to wide receiver...

"Well, I think Dalen has done a good job. Again, he has absorbed so much information. He's very intelligent. I think he's an engineer major, maybe, but extremely intelligent and able to retain information. So from that standpoint, he's been great, and he's also a guy that... He'll ask you to meet a million times, which is what you like. But I've been pleased with that."

8. On the ability to move guys around...

" Well, I think that's with George (Godsey) and this offense, and he's very intentional on that. And when I, for instance, when I install a play, a concept, it's not you're the X, you're the Z, you're the, it's like learn every spot because there's different situations where we want the bigger guy there, we want the smaller guy, we want the quicker guy. So, you know, that's how I have to install. And what that does is it allows you to have that flexibility, you know, once everybody gets the plays down and masters the playbook."

9 On if there have been any surprises...

" I wouldn't say any surprises. I think this spring gave us a good sample size of what to expect. I think Zay, his deep ball efficiency has been good. He's a big body, and those things are hard to cover. And I think he's starting to get a knack for how the quarterback's throwing the ball and those two guys on the same page. So that's probably one of the surprises to me, just with him being out in the spring."

10. On Debron Gatling...

"I'll tell you what, probably more proud of him than anyone in the group. And for this reason is he has to know everything. And he's done a great job with that in terms of. diving into the playbook and knowing every single position. He can go anywhere on the field. He's also taken on some leadership roles, you know, with these young guys and meeting with these guys. And, you know, that's a guy that cares about Georgia Tech football.

I can tell you that. And I love having him in the room, and I expect big things from him this year."

11. On going against the DB's every day...

"Well, they're talented in the back end, I can tell you that. And they do a good job of disguising, especially the safeties. They do a really good job of disguising and holding to the last minute, which really forces us to have eye discipline and trust what we see. But the scheme is tough to deal with, I can tell you that. And the one thing I'll say about that secondary is they're physical in that back end. Those guys aren't afraid of contact. They come up and strike you. So I think we've both made each other better."

12. On Jaiven Plummer and Rahkeem Smith...

"Yeah. I mean, both of those guys, you know, I mean, they could fly. You know, I think the biggest thing for us is fine-tuning all of the rest of the route tree for them. You know, making sure that it's not just go balls. It's not just post routes. You know, making sure that they perfect that. And, again, having someone like DeHop in a room. You know, we can break up Indy and I can say, hey, take these guys that are going to be running these deep balls and let's work specifically on that. And then I can work on press release or whatever, you know, with the other guys. So I think both of them, you know, are coming along.

So we're you know, with the other guys. So I think both of them, you know, are coming along. So we're excited to see what they can do this season."

13. On learning George Godsey's offense...

"There's a lot more responsibilities for receivers. It's way more specific in terms of where you want certain guys on every play. So going back to the question of guys having to know all of the positions because, hey, I want them here on this play. I want them here on this play. It puts some strain on you as a coach because you're scripted and you're like, all right, you got to be here. You got to be here. But what it does is it enables you to put the best guys in a position to make the plays.

And what we try to do and what his offense does is highlight their strengths. So, like, you know, we're going to highlight what they do well in their specific role. And that's not just the receivers. That's the running backs. There's a bunch of guys who are going to do a lot of things, the tight ends. We kind of look at it as all one group and how do we put the best 11 on the field."

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