Georgia Tech Freshman DL Christian Speakman Is Turning Heads Early In His Career

Christian Speakman is making quite the impression on himself in the early going as an early enrollee. He has taken the spring seriously and has continued to turn heads. Speakman came from Morrow High School here in metro Atlanta, where he played both sides of the ball as an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman. The Yellow Jackets were one of the rare Power 4 schools recruiting Speakman and were able to land his services. Defensive line coach Jess Simpson talked about why they recruited Speaksman and the type of player he is.

“It was a very interesting eval. It's just, really, an athletic kid. Has great eyes. His hands, his hips and his feet follow his eyes like he tracks blocks really well. He's big, and he's strong in the weight room naturally. He understands how to anchor and fight pressure probably naturally. These linemen probably don't get credit for the athletes and the coordination they have to have. But understanding how to feel and fight pressure is a big deal because of the hard jobs that you have to do. He has some natural instinct for getting off blocks and finding the football. I don't know if you're gonna see Christian Speakman starting on the third down package, but I'll be shocked if you don't see him on first and second down some. That's his goal. He's pushing guys. I am so excited we took him, man. I think he's got a high ceiling and a big upside,” said Simpson.

Two things stand out about what he said: how naturally gifted an athlete he is and how serious he is in the weight room. The other is his ability to push guys at such a young age and continue to be able to make an impact against a sizeable offensive line with a lot of experience. It means Speakman has a chance to see the field early as a freshman and potentially make a difference for the Yellow Jackets.

Speakman is not only getting the attention of his position coach, but also has a wily veteran who is teaching him and instructing him on the game in Tawfiq Thomas. Thomas sees similarities between when he came in as a freshman at Louisville compared ot what he is seeing in Speakman. Here is more on what he had to say about the freshman.

“I started at Louisville. So when I was there, I was a young guy that was big too, just like Speakman. So I came in at like 330, 350. So I was a bigger guy at Louisville, and I always got help by the older guys, and that helped me a lot. So when I see Speakman, he's very talented. He's an early enrolled freshman. So he's not going to be used to it. So I try to tell him, like, don't be, don't get too frustrated about it. You just got here like you're fine. Just keep on doing your thing, and just focus on the details, really. He plays fine when he does that,” said Thomas.

It is still early in the offseason with spring still in full effect, but one thing is for certain, Speakman is turning heads and garnering interest. If he keeps it up, it will be hard to keep him off the field this upcoming fall.