Three Things To Watch For In Georgia Tech's Spring Game Tomorrow

Georgia Tech's Annual White and Gold Spring Game will be held tomorrow and it will be the first chance to see the 2024 Yellow Jackets in action. The next time will be in Ireland when they open the season against the defending ACC champion Florida State Seminoles. 

This is set to be an exciting afternoon for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech is bringing back one of the ACC's best offenses and is hoping that a new defensive coaching staff can fix what was one of the ACC's worst defenses. Obviously, there is only so much that you can take from spring game results, but it will be interesting to see how each side of the ball performs. 

So what are the top headlines to watch for this Saturday afternoon in Atlanta?

1. Defense, Defense, Defense...

While defenses tend to be pretty vanilla during the spring so as to not show everything they are working on, it will be interesting to see how they perform on Saturday vs what is expected to be a very good offense in 2024. It should be noted that the No. 1 defense might not face the No. 1 offense this Saturday, so pay close attention as to who is lining up against who. 

When asked about the defense's progress this spring, head coach Brent Key has been enthusiastic about what he has seen so far, while acknowledging there is still a ways to go:

" I'm really pleased to have those guys here as coaches number one, you know, it's a, it's a scheme that I'm very familiar with I'm not from I was just seeing it in the league for a couple of years and following those guys, but very similar to the scheme that Front coverage -wise, that Coach O 'Leary ran for forever when I was with him. So to be able to know it and know the ins and outs of it and know the expectations of it, and be able to really be comfortable with that as a good fit on this team. You know, it's about... a balance of offense, defense, and kicking game. It's not just about one side of the ball and what scheme they have. The schemes all have to go together, but they also have to be personnel-driven. You can't just say you're going to run a scheme on defense and not have the guys to do it. So as we continue to recruit towards the scheme, we'll continue to improve with it. The second to play the third. And I thought they really stepped up and did some good things. But like, you know, it's like anything, it's going to take time. But man, they are, the kids are all in as far as the coaching goes. I mean, they're in here, they're wanting to come in and get extra time and, you know, they're in the meetings. I go through and sit in all the different meetings throughout the days, days and they're attentive they're asking questions I mean they're there and they're being coached up they're being taught.

You know the job that Jess Simpson has done and Kyle Pope and Jess Simpson is a phenomenal teacher he's a phenomenal football coach phenomenal person you know Tyler (Santucci) is a I think I said it before you know it's hard to to believe he's 35 years old out there as the DC and he's almost like the and then the guys on the back end, you know really shown I mean Ahmari Harvey's really continued to improve, he's one that's got to continue to stay in the moment of every play not let those not let some of the external things get to him and that's what I was saying he could have had two block field goals and then snapped it, snapped out and poured it in, and got one that he probably had two of them in the scrimmage. Warren Burrell, I mean, just the coaching that he's getting from Ricky in accepting the coaching. So I've been all in all very pleased with the receptiveness to the coaching. The coaching has taken place. The scheme that's out there. there, but like all three phases, you know, thank goodness we don't play more because we got a long way to go."

Georgia Tech needs its defense to be better in 2024 and Saturday will be the first chance to see them. 

2. Newcomers on offense...

Georgia Tech returns a lot of starters on offense, but it would be good to find depth at different places and see if some newcomers can step up. There is going to be no shortage of guys to watch for on that side of the ball on Saturday. 

While Haynes King and Zach Pyron are the top two quarterbacks, Georgia Tech has two intriguing freshmen at quarterback (Aaron Philo and Graham Knowles) and it will be their first time on the field Saturday. While they are not going to see the field this season barring injury, they will be intriguing to watch. 

At running back, the Yellow Jackets are looking for depth behind Jamal Haynes, who had a 1,000-yard season in 2023. They are losing Dontae Smith, who was a reliable backup with big-play capability and will be trying to find guys to take that role this spring. The newcomer to the room this spring is four-star freshman Anthony Carrie, who has been getting praise from coaches so far this spring, including his position coach Norval McKenzie:

"I think Anthony's having a good spring ball. You always worry about as a freshman like how would he grasp the offense, kind of where would he be in pass protection. Is he a physical kid or is he gonna get bullied or whatever? And right now doing really good with the playbook and also doing fine and pass protection as well. So there's still some things he has to learn in terms of where he fit in protection, but when it comes to actually fitting up a guy and protecting, he's actually showed that he can and he's more than willing to. So that's the biggest thing too. Is he a willing blocker, which he is. So like I mentioned, man, I'm excited about where he is right now and the progression that he's taken from practice one to practice eight."

Carrie could start to create some separation in the backup running back competition with a good performance on Saturday and into the summer. 

At wide receiver, there are not many newcomers, but Leo Blackburn might as well be one. Blackburn was out with an injury last season, but during his limited time in 2022, he showed his playmaking ability, size, and athleticism. Georgia Tech does not have someone on the outside with his size and he could elevate the room from good to very good. 

Georgia Tech lost two tight ends this offseason and brought two transfers in, Jackson Hawes from Yale and Ryland Goede from Mississippi State. The Yellow Jackets did not use a tight much in terms of the passing attack, but Key has praised Hawes for his performances in both scrimmages so far. 

3. Finding difference makers on defense...

Again, the spring game will only tell you so much, but Georgia Tech needs to see if they can identify some playmakers on defense, at every level of the defense. 

On the defensive line, I am intrigued by the interior of the line. Zeek Biggers, Horace Lockett, and Makius Scott are players with experience and guys that could have a leap in production ahead of them this season. On the edge, Kevin Harris is now the leader of the group, while Key and the defensive coaches have praised players like Josh Robinson and freshman Jordan Boyd. 

At linebacker, Georgia Tech might already have one difference maker at linebacker in Kyle Efford. He really started to play well towards the end of last season and could have another step forward in 2024. The other guys to watch at this positon are the two transfers E.J. Lightsey and Jackson Hamilton. Trenilyas Tatum is returning and a freshman to watch is Tah'j Butler, who has been recognized this spring. 

In the secondary, Georgia Tech will have three veteran players to rely on with LaMiles Brooks, Clayton Powell-Lee, and Ahmari Harvey back. The competition at cornerback and nickel is intriguing. Transfers Warren Burrell and Syeed Gibbs are competing for playing time and have had good springs, as has converted wide receiver D.J. Moore. Omar Daniels could have the leg up at the nickel position and has had a good spring as well. 

This defense needs to be much better in 2024 and Saturday will give a tiny glimpse into their progress through the past month.