Gameday is almost upon us and that means it’s time to wrap up what we learned this week, heading into the Jackets game on Saturday afternoon against The Citadel.
The Yellow Jackets Get Two More Commits This Week
On September 7, offensive lineman Ryan Spiers, coming out of Biloxi, Mississippi, committed to Tech. Spiers stands at 6′ 4″ and weighs in at 275 pounds.
Spiers had offers from Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, and UAB, but decided that he liked the culture that Coach Collins has brought to Georgia Tech. This commit marks the sixth offensive lineman to commit to Tech, as the Yellow Jackets continue to beef up their O-Line.
Kicker Steven Verdisco, a five-star kicker recruit per Kohl’s Kicking coming out of Tampa, Florida committed to the Yellow Jackets on September 9. That being said, Verdisco will be a preferred walk-on for the Jackets, not counting against their scholarship count.
Proud to announce that I will be committing to Georgia Tech!! @GeorgiaTechFB @CoachWiesehan @CoachCollins @CoachGreg11 @CoachPopovich @Coach_Conner @RHS_FB_Knights @KnukleheadKikin @KohlsKicking @Chris_Sailer @KornblueKicking #404Takeover pic.twitter.com/sauePozWAU
— Steven Verdisco (@StevenVerdisco) September 9, 2019
Tech also has an official visit from 4-star DE Jay Hardy, coming out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, set for this Saturday’s game against The Citadel. Hardy, according to his recruiting profile, stands 6′ 5″ and weighs in at 290 pounds.
Charlie Thomas ACC Linebacker of the Week
Sophomore Charlie Thomas, who recorded nine tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble last week in a 14-10 victory over USF, was named ACC Linebacker of the week.
Coach Geoff Collins Press Conference
Coach Collins is adamant to stand by his ATL (Above the Line) depth chart. Speaking on it during his weekly press conference on Tuesday, September 10, Coach Collins said in his opening statement:
"“We had 27 guys play on offense and on defense. So, it just goes back to the ATL philosophy that we have. A bunch of guys playing, a bunch of guys earning reps, and they earned their right to play and did a really good job playing together as we rolled guys through.”"
Coach Collins also had a few things to say on Linebacker Charlie Thomas:
"“ACC Linebacker of the Week, Charlie Thomas, really proud of his performance. And it goes beyond just what you see production-wise. How hard he played, the effort that he showed throughout the game, really proud of the way he approached last week in practice and then it paid off on Saturday.”"
When Coach Collins was asked about any defensive changes when having to play The Citadel and their triple-option offense this Saturday, Coach Collins stated:
"“Every single defense that we put in, regardless of who we’re playing, there is a dive/quarterback/pitch component in every single thing that we do. Because even though not everybody runs the option, you still have to be option-sound every single week. And so based in everything that we do schematically, we have those components in there.”"
When asked about whether he is happy with how the team has grown from Game 1 (Clemson) to Game 2 (USF) Coach Collins replied:
"“Absolutely. And I think that’s every day. This is a monumental transition unlike any that has happened in a long time in college football. Every single day, our guys come to work with a great attitude, had a massive transition along the offensive line in-game on Saturday and guys, because they have position flexibility, they’ve been cross-trained across the line, understand concepts of what we do. Coach [Brent] Key was able to mix and match on the offensive line to produce yards, produce points, seal the win at the end of the game for us and move the ball, and those kinds of things.”"
All quotes are from RamblinWreck.com, the official website of Georgia Tech athletics.
Jackets Set To Don “Tech Gold” Jerseys This Saturday
It was announced this week that Georgia Tech will be wearing “Tech Gold” jerseys during this Saturday’s game. The gold jerseys will have navy numbers and will be worn with white helmets and white pants.
The Yellow Jackets next game comes against The Citadel this Saturday, in what looks to be another hot and humid day in Atlanta. The Citadel brings a familiar offense in the triple-option, and the Jackets defense looks to keep their solid performances from the previous two games rolling. Expect the offense to click and show their best performance of the year so far as well. Kickoff time is set for 12:30 on Saturday afternoon.