With virtually no external expectations to distract, Georgia Tech begins preseason practice Thursday, starting the push to the season opener in Ireland against Boston College and the remaining 11 regular-season games.
After the 3-9 disaster in 2015, the Yellow Jackets are off the radar, a place that has often served as the headwaters for successful Tech seasons. Coach Paul Johnson, by three days the longest-tenured coach in the ACC (over Duke’s David Cutcliffe), begins his ninth season with typical disregard for the opinion of outsiders. He believes Tech can exceed expectations.
“Chemistry and the way we’ve worked,” he said, giving reasons for his belief. “And I think they’re hungry.”
To get there, the Jackets will have to meet these objectives as they prepare for Boston College.
1. Get Justin Thomas back in his groove
Tech quarterback Justin Thomas’s performance took a precipitous fall last season, a decline accelerated by the number of skill-position players who hadn’t played much or at all with him and inconsistent line play. To the degree that his play can be separated from the rest of the offense, though, Thomas himself was not the same dynamic playmaker he was in 2014.
As prognosticators take a dim view of the Jackets in 2015 – they were picked sixth in the Coastal at the ACC Kickoff by media – the possibility that Thomas could return to his 2014 All-ACC form doesn’t seem to gain much traction. But, if Thomas (and the rest of the offense) improve play from 2015 – hardly unlikely – it could be a significant determinant in the team’s rise from 3-9.
After the 2015 season, spring practice and summer 7-on-7 workouts, Thomas and skill players such as wide receiver Ricky Jeune and A-backs Lynn Griffin and Qua Searcy have more confidence in themselves and each other. Thomas will need to continue that development in August.
2. Stay healthy
Last August, Tech started already without its top two B-backs from the spring. A-back Nate Cottrell went down for the season with a knee injury in the first few days, beginning a season-long run of injuries that Johnson said he’d never witnessed in his nearly 40 years of coaching.
At last check, Tech was in good shape from an injury perspective. Offensive tackle Chris Griffin, who was a question mark in his recovery from an ACL tear, is expected to be ready to take part in practice. Cottrell is ready and “looks just as fast as he did” prior to the injury, Thomas said.
As always, coaches will try to strike the right balance between contact drills to prepare the team for the season and keeping players out of the training room. With inexperienced second-teamers across the depth chart, this isn’t a team that can stomach many injuries.
3. Bring the offensive line together
The offensive line struggled in the spring for a variety of reasons, a primary one being that center Freddie Burden was out recovering from thumb surgery. Having Burden, a two-year starter, back on the field should bring stability.
Offensive tackles Eason Fromayan and Trey Klock have started a combined four games. Left guard Will Bryan moved from tackle during the spring and himself has started six games. Right guard Shamire Devine is a relative veteran with nine starts and 25 games played.
The Burden-Devine combo could be devastating if Burden, who struggled last year as he coped with off-field personal issues, can play as he did in 2014 and Devine can master the weight issues that have limited his playing time. It’ll have to start in the preseason.
4. Find freshmen who can produce
Three Augusts ago, linebacker P.J. Davis played his way into the lineup. Two years ago, it was defensive end KeShun Freeman. Last year, linebacker Brant Mitchell, safety A.J. Gray, A-back Clinton Lynch and B-back Marcus Marshall were among freshmen who made immediate impacts.
Chances are, one or more of Tech’s freshmen will make a push for playing time and give the Jackets an unexpected boost. Redshirt freshman wide receivers Christian Philpott and Harland Howell made an impression on Johnson last fall on the scout team. Early-enrollee B-back Dedrick Mills played his way onto the second string. First-year freshman defensive end Jordan Woods and linebacker Emanuel Bridges (an early enrollee) were two of the more highly-recruited players in their class. Redshirt freshman cornerbacks Dorian Walker and Meiko Dotson will have a chance to get on the field.
Tech also needs depth help on the offensive line, which traditionally has been a tough place to play as a first-year freshman. Johnson liked the physical play of guards (and twin brothers) Brad and Scott Morgan in the spring.
5. Develop the pass rush
Improving the pass rush has been a near-constant mandate, and this August will be no different. Tech was 115th last season in sack percentage at 4.04 percent, according to teamrankings.com, the lowest rate in Johnson’s tenure.
Tech has three returning starters in ends KeShun Freeman and Rod Rook-Chungong and tackle Patrick Gamble, which is a good start, but more will be needed. Defensive tackle Francis Kallon has not distinguished himself in his first three seasons, but coaches hope a light has turned on and have penciled him into the starting lineup.
Also, the more backups such as Desmond Branch, Anree Saint-Amour and Kyle Cerge-Henderson can improve, the more productive the group can be. Whether due to throws off short drops or a weak four-man rush or ineffective blitz pressure, Tech has allowed opponent quarterbacks to be too comfortable. That can’t stay the same.
