Georgia Tech's Defensive Backs Are Looking Ahead To A New Season ...With A New Position Coach
It's the earliest part of a new college football season– not quite yet to the Spring game and well before summer camp. And at Georgia Tech, in the wake of a 2023 Gasparilla Bowl win over Central Florida that earned the Jackets a winning season record for the first time since 2018, the mood is upbeat. In front of Brent Key's second full season at the helm, Tech's offense is much more settled than a year ago, with multiple returning starters and the confidence that stems from averaging over 31 points per game, third most productive in the ACC.
The defense is another story. Last year Tech finished 13th of the 14 ACC teams in scoring defense, yielding nearly 30 points per game. That number , of course, belonged to all areas of the defense– linemen , linebackers and the secondary.
Brent Key knows that his Jackets must show substantial improvement on defense to have hopes of earning a better season record in 2024. And if Tuesday's input from Tech secondary coach Cory Peoples is any indication, good help is on the way. Peoples and several of his players shared their thoughts with the media following Tuesday's morning practice.
Peoples came to the Flats from Georgia State , which was only the most recent of several stops in the Peach State, including Clark Atlanta, Georgia Southern and Albany State among others. He will be heading up a unit with several returning proven performers . Peoples praised his group's energy and communication during an April 9 press conference . He said his charges are doing well with their new calls and formations. He also noted that the Jackets' defensive staff will expect returning safeties LaMiles Brooks and Clayton Powell-Lee to be comfortable playing either deep position, depending on the situation at hand.
For their part, Brooks and Powell- Lee agreed that the Spring drills have gone well, especially with regard to the communication among defenders.
Brooks said he doesn't have a strong preference on which position he plays, and he stated he could play at nickel or even cornerback if needed there. He acknowledged the importance of good communication, especially pre- snap, after "...getting the call and looking at the final picture that the offense presents you."
His partner in deep coverage, Clayton Powell- Lee said Spring practice has been " a fun challenge ", with coaches quizzing the players regarding formations and terminology. When asked about his tackling skills, Powell- Lee described himself as a " a player who likes to critique himself" . Regarding his personal preference on position, Powell- Lee laughed and said that he and Brooks ".. always say that the more versatile you are, the more money you're going to make,"
One interesting side topic was Coach Peoples' commentary on teaching tackling techniques in the modern era. As opposed to his playing days just 15 years ago, he said the tackling technique ".. is completely different" now , with safety concerns requiring continuous emphasis on a head- up technique, more like a rugby tackle.
The overall tone from the secondary group is one of optimism and raised expectations. The fisrt glimpses of that optimism will be on display at Tech's Spring game in four days. All indications are that Georgia Tech will be a better football team this year than last. But the schedule provides plenty of good tests, so exceeding last year's total of seven wins will require a consistently better performance by the defense throughout the season.
Patrick Conarro
RamblinSports.com