South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier once described Ray Rychleski as the most organized special-teams coach he had ever worked with in his career. Rychleski, now in charge of Georgia Tech’s special teams, pointed out that Spurrier added the qualifier “thus far.”
“That’s what I love about Steve,” Rychleski said.
Regardless, Rychleski’s attention to detail and efficiency have caught the notice of members of the Yellow Jackets’ special teams. Returner Jamal Golden noted Rychleski barking at players who had failed to notice the day’s plan that he wrote on a board before a practice.
“He’s very specific about what he wants done,” Golden said. “If you mess up, he’ll let you know, he’ll get after you. He’s a good coach, and he’s doing it the right way.”
Rychleski, hired in May after Dave Walkosky’s abrupt resignation, inherited a talented group that could provide a critical edge for a team with inexperience on both offense and defense.
“We’re preparing to be champions,” Rychleski said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. If you’re asking me, I think it’s going extremely well.”
Coach Paul Johnson hired Rychleski after he had been let go by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He worked previously with the Indianapolis Colts and held jobs at Maryland and South Carolina before that, part of a 34-year career. Kicker Harrison Butker was particularly intrigued by Rychleski’s work with Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, perhaps the most clutch kicker in NFL history.
“I think he’s going to bring a lot of knowledge,” Butker said.
Butker, for his part, is highly optimistic about the season ahead. Among his goals are to have no out-of-bounds kickoffs and more touchbacks. In 73 kickoffs last season, he had 30 touchbacks and put four out of bounds. More notably, his goal for field goals is to be perfect. He was 10-for-14 last season on field goals, with a long make of 49 yards. His range, he said, has extended to 57 yards with no wind.
In a recent drill, Butker made 14 of 14 on kicks, ranging from the 18-yard line to the 47, each within Rychleski’s required snap-to-kick time of 1.25 seconds for snapper Sean Tobin, holder Ryan Rodwell and Butker.
“I think my leg’s gotten a lot stronger, but I’m just really confident going into the season,” Butker said.
Rychleski’s schemes differ from those of Walkosky, who worked two seasons as Johnson’s first special teams-only coach. For instance, on kickoffs, Rychleski uses one returner rather than two. He has slated Golden, who two years ago returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, as his No. 1 returner on both kickoffs and punts. DeAndre Smelter is the backup punt returner, and Tony Zenon and D.J. White will back up Golden on kickoff returns.
Special teams, though, is only part of Rychleski’s job, as he is assisting offensive line coach Mike Sewak.
Typically, Rychleski works with the specialists before practice and leads 12 minutes of special-teams practice. From there, he’ll leave the specialists in the hands of a coaching assistant and work the remaining periods, usually 21, with the offensive line.
Often, Sewak, Rychleski and graduate assistant Preston Pehrson will each take a group of linemen to run through drills and rotate them over three periods. For a group that has been going at least 15 deep in camp, it has been a productive addition.
“You get a lot more personal attention, a lot more reps,” guard Trey Braun said.
Sewak said earlier this week that younger players’ understanding of their assignments was better at this point of preseason than it had been previously. That development is particularly important this season, as there are six freshman linemen. For Rychleski, the multifaceted job is similar to what he did at Maryland and South Carolina, where he coached special teams, tight ends and, at Maryland, H-backs.
“I’m really enjoying it,” Rychleski said. “I want to be a part of it. I think we’re getting better as an O-line.”
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