Georgia Tech Football: News and Notes From Yellow Jackets Second Spring Scrimmage

There is only one week to go until Georgia Tech's White and Gold Spring game, and this morning, the Yellow Jackets went through their second scrimmage of the spring. After the scrimmage, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key met with the media and went in-depth about what stood out to him during this second scrimmage.

1. Key said the team had 18 drives and ran 156 plays today:

"So I'll have to wait until really summer to get to some of the elements and the heat out out there but a little bit warmer so provided a little bit more to go against and hit really what we wanted to get with 156 plays, really 18 drives involved in it. We started on the minus 25 and working the field to then going a session of you know backed up on the minus three yard line and working the length of the field and we started putting the ball at 50 and we go 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, working down into the red area there. But I wanted to see the guys really play the game today, not as much situational scrimmage, not really any situational scrimmage. We wanted to play them as they came up in the game, play the DNDs as they came up in the game. All four special teams were used today, utilized today. We're scrimmaging those and we weren't live or thud in the special teams part of it, but live, everything else."

2. All three quarterbacks led touchdown drives and Trelain Maddox impressed again today at running back. Maddox had a big scrimmage last Saturday and continues to have a strong spring.

3. Key announced that wide receiver Chris Elko has been put on scholarship

4. In terms of receivers, Key mentioned Zion Taylor and Bailey Stockton as two players that had good days today, another standout performance from both of them.

5. The linebacker group was particularly impressive, with Key singling out Tennessee Tech transfer Cayman Spaulding, Oregon State transfer Melvin Jordan, and sophomore Tah'j Butler:

"Melvin (Jordan) and Cayman (Spaulding), Tah'j (Butler), and Tah'j's really, I thought Tah'j showed up today doing a lot of really good things. We've got a really solid, deep core there that any of those guys can start on any given day. I mean, we're really, really happy with that group. And you see that group really, you know, Darius (Eubanks) got here what a week before practice started. And I think you really start to see the impact he's had on those guys as a whole. And the coaching and the teaching and the drill work they've been doing when they go out and play."

6. In the secondary, Ahmari Harvey, Clayton Powell-Lee, Omar Daniels, and freshman Elgin Sessions were praised by Key:

"On the back end, I was very impressed with Ahmari today. Ahmari was battling through some things. He went out there and played every snap, showed the toughness that he normally does, and his cover skills, his tackling ability. The whole back end as a whole, we tackled much better today than we did last week. We worked to get off well, it's ebbs and flows right you got to sustain them now on the other side of the ball so but I thought they were striking using their hands and that really started on Tuesday. You can tell the coaches really took the message that we had and delivered it to the players and the players Accepted the message and and worked on it all week You know CP and Omar (Daniels) I think continue to show up very positively, you see two older guys back there They play a lot of football, that they've seen a lot of things on the other side, and they're in the right places. And I think Clayton's picking a lot of pride and improvement, tackling. He's done a much better job of that. So I've been pleased with those guys back there. Elgin Sessions is another one that continues to impress and show up. "

7. UNLV transfer punter Marshall Nichols also saw high praise from the head coach:

"Man, We got something with the punter now. He is-- I'm not going to put a number on it. It was long, a lot of them. And then he's got touch. He can put it down inside the five. So that is a huge, huge addition for us. And he was a good football player last year. He was able to come back home this year for his final year."

8. Key likes what he is seeing from the defensive line still. Last week, he said they beat the offensive line quite a bit and it sounded like they had another strong day today:

"I actually got Brayden Manley's name written down here. Brayden and, and you know, (Ronald) Triplette, I had a really good camp. Tell him I started seeing Amontrae (Bradford) show up the other day, which was good. He's, I just told him he's got to stop over thinking things, just go play. And he's long, he looks apart, he can run, so he's starting to show up. That's been very encouraging, very encouraging to see. Christian, talk about an athletic big man now. I mean, he can move, he can bend, he can do those things. He's also got that, you know, he was out with the shoulder surgery previously. So he's getting back to the, you know, the strength levels and whatnot, you have to play it. Then inside on the D -Line, I think we all know who 99, I think everybody knows who 99 is. JJ's a good football player now. He's disruptive. And he's the heart and soul of this team, and I believe all great teams are bred through the lines of scrimmage. And the way him and Keylan Rutledge go about their business every day, and compete, work against each other, motivate by any means necessary others, man, after my own heart. And they are, those two right there, that's the poster child of what I want this program to be defined as. Physical toughness and Matt Alexander's been a really good addition for us. And the young guys are growing up, they're coming along. We had some offsides today, with a lot of those young guys, Landen's another one that's really come on. So I've been pleased with the development.

Look, I don't say it lightly when I talk about Jess Simpson either now. Jess Simpson and Kyle Pope, I mean those two guys, and they're as good as there is anywhere. And you see guys that, being able to come into this program, whether they came from you see guys that, being able to come into this program, whether they came from somewhere else, or they came from high school, and how quickly they're able to develop, when you look at the progression last year of JJ, from where he came from, and what he was able to do last year. And look, in the day that's coaching. That is coaching, it's one two in his part, but that's coaching to. And we have a great group of men over there that work to develop these guys and do it in a short amount of time and make impact on guys very quickly."

9. Key also went in-depth as to why he decided to put Chris Elko on scholarship:

"It's everything, you know what I mean? I'm not gonna put a guy on scholarship, all right, for a feel -good story. All right, feel -good stories come from when guys perform and earn those things, and that's what's occurred with him. I mean, he's a he's a viable target. I mean, look, you can't, you know, there's not gonna be the, the, when the numbers and things, you know, when they put the numbers to us and how many people are, you know, you can have when you're roster. I mean, you got to do some different things and think outside the box a little bit, but you got to, the guys been in the program for two years, okay? There's not one person on the good Lord's green earth that can say that person wherever is gonna come in and be better than that. I know that person. I know that non -commodity, right? I know how he goes about his business every day. I know how he practices. I know how he works. I know how he works on his craft. All right, his route running, his hands, he's a reliable target. All right, I can get open, I mean, you know, all four special teams. I don't know that about other people. We try to make our best judgment. All right, but when you got a guy that performs, he goes out and he executes and he makes plays. I'd be stupid to look past him. And he's not the only one. There's others that could be in that same situation, moving forward over the next, you know, whatever, six months, seven months, eight months. But, you know, I've been proud of those guys."

10. Key was asked about two true freshmen, OL Peyton Joseph and DE Andre Fuller and said both are progressing well, but playing as a true freshman is a very hard thing to do:

"I don't know. I do not know if they won't play as a freshman. Ask me in five months, like we had a long time before now and then there's a lot of guys that can play as freshman But it's hard to play as a freshman. It's hard to play as a true freshman be careful what you wish for a lot of the ones that do end up about halfway to that year. Oh, holy cow I mean, it's hard. It's hard. I talked about Andre earlier, I mean, he makes some plays out there today, but he's also I think he's got to continue to get better at... There's not one freshman out there that's ready to walk on a field and play a football game, all right, there's not one player on our team that's ready to do that, much less a freshman. So to be able to predict that with another four months of strength training and weight gains and you know, look, they'll go through this, they'll go through installation another three times, you know, in the summer, in the preseason camp. And I mean, next time they put pads on, they're gonna go out and be like, wow, man, this is so much easier than it was before. Things have slowed down. So, yeah, and he's one of them that has a chance, you know, because he's got some strength, Plays the game the right way, but time will tell if he is, but he's definitely in the mix to be one of those guys."

Additional Links

Everything From Georgia Tech Head Coach Brent Key After the Yellow Jackets' 2nd Spring Scrimmage

Former Georgia Tech Forward Duncan Powell Reveals Transfer Destination

Former Georgia Tech Point Guard Nait George Reveals Transfer Decision