AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August > 27
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Here, there, everywhere … where am I?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Apologies in advance for some rambling! My thoughts are increasingly disjointed as I wind down my final few days covering Tech as there are a lot of loose ends to tie up professionally, etc., and that kind of thing is keeping me busy and occupied.
Plus, today is a big-time lull day, as there is not much news left with the football team prior to the opener. So, I’ll dump some thoughts.
Walk-ons are going to be a significant part of what Paul Johnson does at Tech, particularly in the next couple years.
As Tech emerges from the scholarship reductions brought about by NCAA sanctions, they’re at 76 scholarship players this year (limit is 85). Three of those are former walk-ons that Paul put on scholarship (Troy Garside, Andrew Smith and James Liipfert).
By my count, no walk-ons or former walk-ons will start tomorrow, unless you count PK Scott Blair and P Chandler Anderson.
But a bunch are on the two- and three-deep depth chart and will play this season.
Garside, A. Smith and Jonathan Malone will all see action at A-back, in my opinion. WRs R.B. Clyburn and Zach Fisher will as well.
Backup C Andrew Folkner is a walk-on, although an injury to C Dan Voss might prompt someone else to slide into that spot.
There are others, but this makes my point: Walk-ons matter plenty.
When I sat down with Paul back in June, we talked a little about walk-ons. I’ve used some of this in a previous blog, but here ‘tis anyway:
“If guys come in and walk-on, that’s an area that I want to work on because I think with the Hope Scholarship [program] and the in-state kids … we had some really great football players who walked on at Georgia Southern. They became captains and All-Americans and played in the NFL (NOTE: I believe former Grady High DB Earthwind Moreland fits this bill). I don’t see why we didn’t do it here. My philosophy is if a kid comes in and plays, I want to hold a grant for them because they’ve earned it.
“I think as we get going, and we help a couple walk-ons and the high school coaches realize that and the kids realize that, then the walk-on program is going to get better and better. This year, we have several walk-ons coming in who had scholarship offers to other places, smaller schools or maybe schools farther from home. Who’s to say those kids aren’t going to be better than the ones you [signed to letters of intent]?”
Some of this ties together with recruiting. Some of these future walk-ons are likely to come from schools where Johnson has ties, and maybe can obtain more info in recruiting kids with potential than some other coaches will be able to acquire. Having coached at Georgia Southern and — this is important — graduated quite a few future HS coaches while there, he’s very well connected for a guy who’d been out of state the past six years.
I’ll write a story next week, I think (don’t hold me to that), about the very high number of high school coaches and assistants in Georgia who played for Paul at GSU either when he was the head coach, or when he was an assistant.
You’re going to be surprised by the numbers, which I’m still tallying.
Other random thoughts, and observations:
My last blog will be Friday, or possibly Saturday. I’ll write a few stories after that to help with the transition as those of us leaving the AJC via buyout depart.
I erred last week in mentioning the future Tech writers for the paper. One, D. Orlando Ledbetter, will stay on covering the Falcons instead. So I’m not going to speculate more on my successors. I will say that one seems pretty much a lock, the other TBD.
In talking last week to AD Dan Radakovich for the Russell story, I asked about last year’s AA budget. He said Tech finished the fiscal year roughly $1.9 million in the black. That’s a pretty big development considering the mess he inherited. The economy, and even gas prices, plus the ongoing construction of a new softball facility, may make the idea of matching a pretty tall order. I’m not saying it can’t or won’t happen, though.
He also said he still hopes to break ground on the basketball practice facility adjacent to AMC in Feb. or March. Budget stands at $7 or $8 million.
A personal observation here: I think Jaybo Shaw is developed beyond his years in his ability to understand what’s required of his position (QB). He doesn’t process information like a freshman. But I think it has been a little bit unfair to him, and even to starter Josh Nesbitt, that so much has been made of him before playing any games. First, it has created some expectations that may be unreasonable (we live in a society that loves more than ever to create expectations, and make predictions; ask Paul Hewitt his theory on this), and the fuss also discounts the possibility that Nesbitt may prove to be very good in this offense. Yes, he’s been bothered by injury, and the everybody-ALWAYS-loves-the-backup-QB storyline (especially if he’s a freshman).
But I’d wait before anointing anybody or anything.
Won’t have to wait much longer, though, to start making real-time evaluations instead of those based on passing drills and scrimmages against backups.
Matt
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