Competition on Tech’s D-line wide open
Georgia Tech defensive line coach Mike Pelton described the competition at the position wide open on Tuesday.
“At this point, there’s no trying to find a rotation,” Pelton said. “Just trying to get guys reps and evaluate them. You’d like to say you are trying to come up with a depth chart but each day’s been different. The biggest thing is you are just trying to get those guys to go out there and play full speed.”
The Yellow Jackets returned several players with experience on the line, but not all of them have been able to participate in the entirety of camp. Junior Keshun Freeman, who started 12 games and led the line with 44 tackles last season, has been injured. Redshirt senior Rod Rook-Chungong, who started eight games last season, recently return from an undisclosed injury. Pelton indicated that freshman Jordan Woods hasn’t been practicing, saying coach Paul Johnson would have to talk about that.
Pelton said he likes the effort his players are giving, but they need to find consistency. That was a lesson learned last season when Adam Gotsis suffered a season-ending injury. Pelton said the loss “shocked” them.
“The next guy has got to be ready,” Pelton said. “Whoever is out there, I expect the best out of them. They understand that and try to answer the call.”
One of those players, Francis Kallon, started camp slowly, according to Pelton, but has improved the past 5-6 days. The group also returns Antonio Simmons and Kyle Cerge-Henderson, among others.
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