Apologies for the lack of posts up yesterday – busy day with Paul Johnson’s news conference, followed by Brian Gregory, men’s basketball media day, post-practice interviews and three stories for the paper. A lot of stuff that I’ll get out to you over the next few days. But, where else to start than with special teams coach David Walkosky? He had a few updates to share yesterday, particularly concerning how the Jackets will move on without Jamal Golden and, by the looks of it for this week, Broderick Snoddy.

Golden, you probably don’t need to be told, has been a godsend to Tech’s special teams, returning two kickoffs last year for touchdowns and ending last season as the only FBS player to rank in the top 10 in both kickoff and punt return average. He had kept it up this season with a healthy 27.8 yards per return average on kickoffs, but is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Walkosky said that with David Sims and Snoddy returning for the Virginia Tech game, “we left a lot of yards out there.”

(Talking with Walkosky and Golden the last couple years has been an education. Golden is not the fastest player on the team but is fast enough. I think just as important as his speed is the fact that he has good timing, quickness and can read returns well. If speed were the only required attribute, the best returners would invariably be the fastest players, which is not the case. On his return for a touchdown against BYU, for example, Golden went against the direction of the play because he saw that the BYU coverage team was closing hard on the left side. Returns are probably more chaotic or less given to diagramming than a scrimmage play, but there is probably more that goes into a big return than you might think.)

Sims will take one of the two spots and, so long as Snoddy is hobbled, the other slot will be taken by either DeAndre Smelter, Dennis Andrews, Jemea Thomas or Lynn Griffin (note: I originally listed D.J. White instead of Griffin. My error.) . The decision could be based on how much any of the four is playing or how they’re playing. Walkosky said that none had an edge at this point.

Those four are also the options for punt returner, as Tony Zenon, who was backing up Golden, will be replaced.

“I think those guys are all pretty special with the ball in their hands,” Walkosky said. “They catch it smooth, with a lot of confidence. It’s pretty much their confidence, too, that I look at, not so much our confidence in them. Those guys I mentioned all have confidence to go get the football. They want the ball in their hands, which is a special thing.”

2. Walkosky took responsibility for Harrison Butker’s out-of-bounds kickoff, his second of the season out of 24 kicks. Butker rushed and mishit the ball.

“I’ve got to make sure he’s right,” Walkosky said.

Tech is third in the ACC in kickoff coverage, with opponents having an average start around the 23-yard line.

3. Tech is No. 6 in the country and No. 1 in the ACC in net punting at 43.1 yards per punt. Punter Sean Poole is No. 1 in the ACC at 47.4 yards per punt and would be No. 4 in the country if he had enough punts to qualify (3.6 per game; he has 11). This is pretty staggering turnaround, I’d say. Tech was 99^th in the country in net punting a year ago.

Poole gets a big dose of credit, as does Walkosky. Poole has become vastly more consistent and continues to do a solid job holding for Butker.

“Sometimes they’re pretty, sometimes they’re rugby, sometimes they’re a great punt for 50 in the air,” Walkosky said. “Again, we want to make sure our net punt is pretty good for the day. That’s what we’re looking for, and he does a great job with that.”

4. Walkosky on Charles Perkins’ special teams play on the kickoff and kickoff return teams: “Awesome. He’s doing a great job. He’s got great energy.”