A.J. Gray on track for more playing time in Georgia Tech secondary
Georgia Tech first-year freshman safety A.J. Gray may see more playing time Saturday against Duke. Coach Paul Johnson said that coaches are “trying to bring him as fast as we can” to play at free safety.
Gray’s athletic ability and his tackling skill are the two primary reasons he is being rushed to take snaps with the defense. Gray plays behind No. 1 free safety Demond Smith. Gray, a Parade All-American at Washington County High last year and arguably the Yellow Jackets’ most decorated signee last year, also has had a significant special-teams role.
Johnson said the defense “had way too many missed tackles back there (in the secondary). Way too many.”
A challenge for Gray is learning the defense well enough that he can align the defense and make and communicate pre-snap adjustments, part of the safety’s job.
“Being a freshman, all the information is a lot for him right now, but we want to try to bring him along so we can have him play to his capabilities and not slow him down with the verbiage and the alignments and the assignments and all the checks and stuff,” secondary coach Joe Speed said.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
