After an off day on Sunday, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets opened a ‘critical’ Week 2 of preseason camp Monday.
“It’s a critical week, it really is,” coach Brent Key said after practice, the sixth of the preseason. “The next, really, 12-13 days moving forward, if the kids look at it, it seems like a long time. That’s why we focus on constantly just being where your feet are and making the most out of every day.”
As far as the first few practices of the preseason are concerned, Key noted that “you’re really starting to see who can tackle and who can sustain blocks and who can catch the ball in traffic and maintain possession and gain those extra yards.”
Key, in his first August as the program’s full-time head coach, guided the team through its first full practice in pads and will continue to ramp up the workouts as it continues preparations for the 2023 season opener Sept. 1 against Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“You’ve got to simulate what you do in games in practice. That’s what it comes down to. That’s what we’re trying to do,” Key said. “We’re trying to simulate game activity in practice. You’re going to have physical practice, you’re going to have full pads on, you’re going to have those things. If you want to be great, you’ve got to buy in to what greatness is. And you’ve got to make it your habit.”
“It’s got to become a habit. It’s got to become a habit. It’s got to be what you do everyday, it cannot be an exception. We’re looking for guys that can sustain. Not only sustain practice, but sustain having good days and stack them together. A wise man once said, ‘You can have a bad play, but you can’t have a bad day. Everyone is going to have bad plays. A bad, that’s because you didn’t come out in the right frame of mind to go out there and practice.”
The Jackets are scheduled to practice at 2 p.m. each day this week before an early-afternoon, closed scrimmage inside Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday.
Haynes moves to running back
Former prep star Jamal Haynes has moved to running back, Key confirmed Monday. Haynes, a Grayson High graduate, signed with the Jackets as a wide receiver.
“In the depth at receiver, just kind of a guy that was kind of buried behind some others,” Key said. “He had some talents. You’d see him catch the ball in the spring and the more we ran the jet sweeps and did some different things – he does a good job with the ball in his hands.
Haynes has played in 11 games over two seasons for Tech, mostly appearing on special teams. At 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, and with Tech having nearly 20 wide receivers on the roster compared to seven running backs, Haynes may be able to see the field more often (and with more impact) by moving to the backfield.
Considered a three-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite in the 2021 signing class, Haynes had 110 yards passing, 71 yards rushing, 891 yards receiving, 398 returns yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. He signed with Tech after being recruited by Maryland, Pittsburgh and Purdue, among others.
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