Everything From Special Teams Coordinator Tim Salem In His Tuesday Press Conference

Georgia Tech has been very sound on special teams this year, and it has won some games in 2025. Special teams coordinator Tim Salem talked about where the team is during the bye week.

On the fake punt pass against Wake Forest…

“Sure, it didn't work. I mean, just thought it had a chance. It was third and what's, or fourth and sixth. Thought I had a chance to gain seven yards a little bit more and took a shot. The ball's a little bit low on the outside. Great catch. But incomplete in Wake Forest ball.”

On the execution at the end of games and how the team does it at a high level…

“Well, we've had good operation times, clean operation times on snap to holder or snap to punter. And, of course, protections are involved, which no one ever sees. Everybody sees it when it goes between the uprights. The execution's been strong Aidan is what nine and nine or ten for ten I don’t think he's missed so it's good for us good for him um and the exciting part is like you say there's been you know down to the wire down to the last second tick tick tick and you know the ball's being kicked and people on the edge of their seats, and spilling their Diet Cokes, and all that, and whatever, but we're making it, but good for us.”

On the evaluation of how Shane Marshall returns kicks…

“Well, you probably saw in the previous four games that every time the ball on the end of his shoulder slumped, his head went down, like, you know, what am I doing out here? He's really good. And, yes, he's young. He's a freshman. I think he's special now. He's gonna be special as he gets older. He'll have more opportunities before the season goes out. And yes, nowadays kids are kicking the ball in the end zone, and high school kids kick in the end zone, and high school kids kick 50-yarders, and it's just the way the world's going right now. He'll have a shot. Somewhere I'll be hooting and hollering, he's running down the sideline, and you guys jumping out of the press box and having fun like we will. But he's a good player and just like the ball in his hands, one or two more times, he'll get another chance.”

On Aidan Birr kicks that lead to a touchback and the confidence…

“Well, it does. I mean, you know, they probably, one of their best players was number 10. So, you know, he's kicking out of the end zone, so he's taking out of the game. I told Aidan the other day, I said, you know, I found how good you really are when you go out there all by yourself. The other ten guys are on the sideline. Can you still do that? I'd like to see that someday, where he's putting Aiden out there by himself, and if he kicks it out of the end zone, there's nothing. It could be 11 on one. Guess what? No play. So, that'd be a fun play.

We might have to do that. It would be a treat, also to see another all by himself and less pressure, right? Better be out of the end zone. So, he's got a very strong leg. You know, really, he can do it. I mean, if he did it without any hang time, he could bang it to the dang stands every time. So, a big advantage for us is that he can do that. But there are a lot of kickers in our league. I mean, he's like fourth in our conference in touchback percentage. So there's three guys better than he is. But it's a weapon. You know, a weapon you have to have.”

On the coverage of special teams…

"With all those touchbacks, there's no really tackles for kickoffs, which then we played Garner Webb and we got him on the 10 and on the 2. Again, good for us. I kind of like when we kick it short and we've got to go tackle him because you get a chance to go splatter a guy. It's not always just on the 25 and oh hum, oh hum. It kind of takes the excitement out of the game a little bit. “

On Marshall Nichols….

"Marshall's been okay in punts. You know, they've had a number of fair catches. I know they had long when they got returns from yards, but we are, I mean, I'm forgetting all my numbers now, but we're like second in the ACC in net punt. So, you know, I look at it as, you know, net punt is more important, just, you know, your punting average. I just want to make sure on like Saturdays that our net punt is better than the opponent's net punt, which is more important than your punting average. I just want to make sure on Saturdays that our net punt is better than the opponent's net punt. Because if we net punt 38 and they net punt 32, we win today. So it's just your battles that day. Marshall's done a nice job punting the ball. We've done a good job wrapping up tackles a couple of times. Marshall's been doing a good job of bringing out his golf club and bringing out his nine iron and shooting the ball up in the air and knocking it down inside the 10.

There were four punts the other day: the 10, the 10, the 10, and the seven. So again, good for the good guys, George Tech. It's a field position change, and he's got a knack, he's got a talent. We work that way three times a week. It's not like just showing up on Saturdays and trying it. Today we spent a whole five minutes in pre-practice doing it, and we'll get it again probably on Thursday. We get it again on Tuesdays and Friday mornings of the week. So, I mean, it's practice because it shows up in games. You'd better practice because it's going to happen. When it happens, it's not just by luck. I mean, it's because he's got a good leg. I mean, coverage landmarks are good. He just got to punt a little better with his direction, if you're asking what he's got to do. I mean, we call it punt left, you know, left please. You know, not middle field. You know, that's like a major no-no.”

On the sense that Georgia Tech is a championship football team….

“Well, our head coach has a plan. A plan he's had a chance to develop through years of him working for some really good coaches and being around some good people, and the plan has worked, from you know, as soon as the season ends, the plans are already in the next phase. Players buy in, we got really good senior leadership on the team, these kids work hard, which you know, working hard is part of the equation. You know, you work hard, then usually you win, which then equals fun. It's not fun, you know, win, work hard. So we do it the right way, work hard, win, then have fun.

They're very focused. When you go through the dog days of August, and then before that the whole, you know, eight weeks of the summertime, and before that, that little parts of May and all that spring ball I mean it's a grind and these kids like appreciate the grind so and you know when kids do or don't and these kids do appreciate the grind. They just kind of know how to grind out a win or grind out a practice and get ready to grind out the next game, and just you know, put your nose down and go, but yes, is it a team you like to be around? Yes, because you don't have to pull their teeth to practice. They come to practice. It's not going to practice. It's go and practice. You know, and they practice. If you practice well, then you're usually going to play well. So, yeah, good for us.”

On if he has his own playbook of special plays…

“Oh yeah, tricks and those barnyard plays. Yeah, you do, but I mean, you want to try and pull them out at the right moments. I mean, you have them, whether it be lawnside kicks, or you know, little fake this or fake that, but every team does. When it all comes down to it, I still like to win the surest way, like we all would. I mean, you don't want to do anything stupid, and then you lose because you did something stupid. You know, it could be fun, but, yeah, it's stupid. Just winning the surest way, you know, for a long time, I know, usually wins. We're playing sound football, I think, in a kicking game just because we're kicking the ball in the end zone. We're punting well. We're punting at a distance. We're punting to good landmarks. We're making our PATs, making our field goals. They gotta keep that up. The thing I like about our kickers, punters, and snappers is that I can yell at them. You know, most kickers don't like to be yelled at.

I like to kind of coach these guys like they're o-linemen. You know, I mean, it's true, though. I mean, because when you coach them hard, then those kicks at the end of the game are no big deal. Because they were getting pressure all day long at practice, being, you know, kind of screamed at, yelled at, and harped at, and to them it's just, no, this is not a big deal. I get yelled at every day to do this stuff, you know what I mean? It's routine. So, we have a lot of football left. We played five games, we're only at the halfway point, but I'm glad we're 5-0 and not 0-5. A lot of work still to do, and these kids will do it. They will work.”

On the longsnappers…

“Yeah, I mean, any long snappers are unsung. I mean, only people know him as their mom because nobody cares about them until there's a bad snap. Do you know what Ronnie's number is? Yes, you had to hesitate 40. Yes, you, Sammy just you had to hesitate because nobody knows who they are, but yeah, they've done a good job. Marshall's a very good holder, so if there is a little errant snap, he gets the ball down.Aidan's got great trust in Marshall's hands, gets the ball down properly, nothing matters. If the snap is off, it's no big deal to him, but that's just experience. Ronnie, he's been a very adequate snapper. I think he acts like he's the damn mayor of Atlanta, walks around here like he knows everybody and just has a fun time playing ball. He likes to play ball, which is good. He enjoys it. He's a good kid to have around because he has some excitement to him.”

On the punt return game….

“Well, we haven't scored one yet. When's the last time we returned a punt for a touchdown? Text that to me, please. I know. We'll make that a goal. Yeah, so, I mean, that's what we have to do. I mean, it's, again, it's changing field position. Our goal is just to make 10 yards. Make a first down. Just make 10 yards. Anything beyond that is great. If we go into the cross that white line down at the end for a touchdown, that'd be even better, which, why not? Why can't we do it next week, or I guess in 10 days? Fielding the ball, you know just not let it hit and roll 20 yards and lose two first downs. You know, be able to field the ball and just get it. When the whistle blows, it’s Georgia Tech ball is, by you know, by far the priority, but yeah, I'd like to see a touchdown, but it's probably been a while.”

On if there is a standard for fielding a punt…

“Yeah, we do practice. Marshall does some nice punts. We practice that pretty much on Wednesdays. Don't be running back and turning your body and catching the ball on the four-yard line going the wrong direction, you'll let it roll on the end zone. I mean, those decision making processes that again, those hidden yards that you get or lose, have become crucial. We just constantly work and preach and talk and yell and scream, but they're still playing ball, so just whatever happens, happens.”

On the Eric Rivers jersey mishap against Colorado…

“Amused? That's the word you're using, amused? Sure. Yeah. No. Not my idea, but no.

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