Georgia Tech football leans on these two key leaders during June workouts

Key’s squad is coming off a second consecutive 7-6 season, but optimism abounds for the Jackets to improve on that mark.

Tech returns quarterback Haynes King (and his backup, Aaron Philo), running back Jamal Haynes and wide receiver Malik Rutherford. The addition of key transfers to highly touted freshman and sophomore recruiting classes has given the offense perhaps more depth than ever before in the Key era.

But it’s King’s return that is most crucial to Tech’s hopes of higher success.

“Haynes is nails. I think everybody knows that,” Key said. “Just the way he plays the game, the way he goes about his business, the way he carries himself around the building, how he impacts others, impacts other quarterbacks in that (meeting) room — the relationship he has with those guys, it starts there in the quarterback room.

“For the first couple years, I think, at times, Haynes became kind of burdened with it. It became tiring, because he was the leader. He was the person everyone looked to. We had other supporting cast around him, but now, it’s not just him. He’s got guys around him that take that burden off of him, that back him up when he says something, so he doesn’t necessarily have to say it all the time now.”

If there is a quasi-concern for Tech’s offense, it lies on the offensive line.

But Key said he believes his freshman linemen may be the most talented class of freshman offensive linemen he’s ever had in his coaching career. The Jackets also return senior Joe Fusile, junior Ethan Mackenny and Harrison Moore, who have all played major roles in Tech’s offense in seasons past.

And then there’s Keylan Rutledge, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound guard in position to have another All-ACC first-team type of season.

“That O-line (group), I have a lot of confidence in that group — even though we have a lot of new guys — and that’s because of one person: Keylan Rutledge,” Key said. “They don’t turn right or left without going through ‘Red.’ He’s the enforcer on the entire team. When you can go out there and play the way he plays, practice the way he practices, prepare and train the way he trains — he’s out there winning gassers (Tuesday) on the whole team, screaming at people as he’s running full speed across the field.”

Along with Rutledge and King, Key said he has pressed all 27 of his seniors to step into leadership roles for this season. And his expectation is for many of those seniors to increase their leadership over the next month while Tech’s coaches take some time off and before the team reconvenes for preseason camp.

Key added he believes the next three to four weeks are a crucial time for his coaches and staff members to clear minds and spend time with family. When they return, it will be time to pick up right where they left off, especially if the seniors’ leadership has developed as expected.

“I think it’s really important for the players, too, not to have the coaches breathing down their neck all the time. They need that separation,” Key said. “By the time (director of football strength and performance) A.J. (Artis) and the strength coaches get done with them at the end of July, their message kind of wears on ‘em over the whole summer and now we pick up from them.

“It also allows the team to build leadership with the coaches not around. Whether the coaches are there every day or they’re not, it’s all gonna be based on the leadership you have on your team, what they’re gonna do when the coaches aren’t around.”