Had a chance to take in some practice and scrimmage this week and thought I’d share a few thoughts.
First off, this isn’t breaking news or earth-shattering, just some takeaways.
Second, I’m definitely a Red Kool-Aid guy, so if you’re looking for hard-hitting, critical analysis, this is probably not your thread.
That said, here’s some observations……
I am sure that I missed a LOT, as it's impossible to catch everything. That being said, what I did catch and picked up on, I got really excited about. We look different, plain and simple. That said, we have to keep the QB upright. We do that, and I think it's going to be a really fun season.
BONUS
The SEZ and FTF are incredible. I might have spent more time looking at what we are building than the team, LOL. The amount of detail in the SEZ is mindblowing. Also, because of it's verticality, it is a menacing part of the stadium when are on the field. The Jones is going to be LOUD LOUD LOUD. The FTF, or Womble Pt2, is equally incredible. Pictures, blueprints, renderings just don't capture how freakin big it is. It is much larger than I thought is was going to be, and they have a ton of really cool things that will set it apart. Pumped.
Like I said, there's a fair amount of sunshine in this thread, but honestly, I don't care. I am excited about this team, excited about the growth of this staff and excited for this season.
TLDR version - I like Tech Football
First off, this isn’t breaking news or earth-shattering, just some takeaways.
Second, I’m definitely a Red Kool-Aid guy, so if you’re looking for hard-hitting, critical analysis, this is probably not your thread.
That said, here’s some observations……
- We are noticeably faster and more athletic, especially at the skilled positions. Across the board, I feel like we REALLY stepped up our athleticism and speed.
- The team is fully engaged and bought in. The family culture that surrounds this program is fun to watch. From the players to the staff to the admin to the trainers, recruiters, everyone is all in
- Fast and athletic. That is across the board, full stop. I believe we might be faster at every position. QB, fast. RB, fast. TE, fast. WR, fast.
- QB's - With Morton being out and Jake being sick this week, I got to see Hammond and Brown take a ton of reps. Yes, they are young, and yes, they are new to the system....but man, these kids are good. They are both fast and have run 19+ MPH multiple times this spring. Hammond can absolutely spin it and does not look like a HS QB. He doesn't really look like a freshman QB either. Brown is the one the truly surprised me though. I knew that he was athletic and could run, but he commands the offense very well, given how new he is. He threw the ball very well every time I saw him out there. I think JM said that he was over 70% for the entire spring. I don't think we've seen that in a while. Also, when C Brown takes off running, he is on another level. In the open field, he is gone....and he is 230 lbs. Not a lot to report on Morton. I will leave that to the coaches and RRS staff. I do expect him to be running this offense come August 31
- RB's - Taj is Taj. He is an all conference back that will greatly benefit from a better skilled offense. Cam Valdez has put on legit good weight (around 210+) and looks great. The staff said he has had a great spring, so that is exciting. Speaking of exciting, Tech fans are going to LOVE Cam Dickey. He is big (220), athletic (can catch and has open field moves) and is our fastest RB. Really excited to see his production over the next few years
- WR's - We went from operating at a deficit to having a legit WR room. Fast, athletic and will battle for every ball....all of them. This is the case where I believe a rising tide has raised all WR boats. Douglas is more polished and ready than was expected. Brown is still fast and gotten better, as has McCray. Eakin is an absolute bucket and has taken a huge leap forward as a lead WR. Valsin and Boyd had some standout moments as well. The guy that stuck out the most was Kelly. He's a pro, plain and simple. Catches everything that is thrown his was, creates separation and gets out of breaks like Crabtree....that's not a joke.
- TE's - Wish I would have gotten to see Conyers, but not worried about him at all. Tharp is a mountain, as we know. If he stays healthy, which he looks great right now, he is a force and really can't be matched up against. Llewellyn and Jackson also had some solid reps and will be huge going into 2025. The real deal is Miller. Runs and plays like a WR in a TE body. And yes, I have reason to believe that the TE's will play a much larger role (beyond blocking) this fall
- OLine - Our interior line can MAUL. Any combo of Rogers, Vinny, Carter and Wilson will be very strong in both the run and pass game. At the tackle spot, Buchannon is steady RT and coming into his own. Porcher is a very solid LT and better feet than I expected. We are definitely better and more athletic than last season, but we have to find depth pieces. The 6 that I mentioned are a step up from last year, just need another 2-3 guys to step up this summer. Carr, Shaw, Merriman, Rodkey, Rodriques.....need these guys to find it. Biggest difference at OLine.....C McGuire. He is a teacher and tactician, plain and simple. The players love him and it shows in their effort and performance
- Depth.....we have it across the board, especially in the front 7
- Speed.....we have it where we need it: CB, DE, DB
- DLine - We are flat out deep here. The effort across the board is what stuck out to me. Banks, Ledet, Cofield, McAlpine, Carroll....all these dudes can play and they play with max effort. Where we lost two stud DT's that had to play a lot, we flipped that with depth. Being able to run 5 dudes out there with little to no dropoff will allow us to stay fresh and keep pressuring.
- LBs - This is my favorite position group. Outside - Ramirez, Spencer, Esters, Dyson, Adedire, Smith....depth. Dyson has had a "wake-up" spring which gives us even more depth. Did not get to see Adedire or Smith, but they will be back and ready to go soon. Spencer and Esters are just straight up menaces out there. Would hate to have to block them. Inside - We stay healthy and we will be VERY hard to deal with in the middle. Rodriguez and Roberts are the real deal, but Curry is not far behind. He has passed a lot of folks up IMO. He is playing at 230 right now and looks lean. He will be a 240 stud ILB for many years
- DB's - This is where I think we surprise people. We lost several guys, but, IMO, outside of Rabbit, we were not as physical as we should have been. I do not believe that is the case now. These guys are physical and athletic, just young. Ramon-Edwards looks ready for Sundays right now....dude is a unit. Baskerville, Jordan, Lewis are all ballers. Lux, McCarty, Horn...all players. There are so many out there, it was hard to keep up though.
I am sure that I missed a LOT, as it's impossible to catch everything. That being said, what I did catch and picked up on, I got really excited about. We look different, plain and simple. That said, we have to keep the QB upright. We do that, and I think it's going to be a really fun season.
BONUS
The SEZ and FTF are incredible. I might have spent more time looking at what we are building than the team, LOL. The amount of detail in the SEZ is mindblowing. Also, because of it's verticality, it is a menacing part of the stadium when are on the field. The Jones is going to be LOUD LOUD LOUD. The FTF, or Womble Pt2, is equally incredible. Pictures, blueprints, renderings just don't capture how freakin big it is. It is much larger than I thought is was going to be, and they have a ton of really cool things that will set it apart. Pumped.
Like I said, there's a fair amount of sunshine in this thread, but honestly, I don't care. I am excited about this team, excited about the growth of this staff and excited for this season.
TLDR version - I like Tech Football
