The narrative is that if Georgia Tech’s defense can vastly improve, thus allowing the team’s offense to continue to flourish, the Yellow Jackets could be that much better as a whole.
Seems like a lot of pressure on new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci.
“That’s why I got hired. That’s not pressure, that’s my job. That’s just what you sign up for,” Santucci said Friday. “There’s an expectation that you do a good job. That’s the world we live in. It’s stop people, create takeaways and get the ball back to the offense and don’t let them score touchdowns. That’s not pressure, that’s just our job.”
Santucci, who in January signed a two-year contract at a base salary of $600,000 for the 2024 season and $850,000 for the 2025 season, came to Tech from Duke where his defense there allowed an ACC-best 19 points per game. The Blue Devils also had a top-50 unit in rush defense, pass defense, total defense, tackles for loss and red zone defense.
Tech would love similar results in ‘24. Its beleaguered defense was one of the more porous units last season under the direction of Andrew Thacker first and Kevin Sherrer second. Neither was retained by coach Brent Key.
Key quipped earlier this month at the ACC Football Kickoff that Tech’s defensive coordinator opening was a coveted job given that there wasn’t anywhere else for the team’s defense to go but up. He gave that opportunity to Santucci, a man he had no strong prior relationship to before the hire.
And for the past seven months Santucci has been striving to create a defense that proves Key’s decision was the correct one.
“Our goal is to be the best version of the 2024 Georgia Tech defense that we can become. We’ve talked about that since Day 1,” Santucci added. “We don’t put numbers on it. We don’t set goals, per se, of like, ‘Oh if we don’t hit this goal we didn’t accomplish anything.’ We talk about continual improvement, the accumulation of small wins over time. We are trying to build habits and routines each and every day so that we have the ability to improve.”
In terms of personnel, Santucci certainly has some pieces to work with.
His secondary, including two safeties, two cornerbacks and a nickelback, features veterans LaMiles Brooks, Clayton Powell-Lee and Ahmari Harvey. Transfers Warren Burrell (Tennessee), Zach Tobe (Illinois), Jayden Davis (Cincinnati) and Syeed Gibbs (Rhode Island) provide depth there.
Tech could go four-deep at linebacker with returning starters Kyle Efford and Trenilyas Tatum and transfers Jackson Hamilton (Louisville) and E.J. Lightsey (Georgia). The defensive front, perhaps Tech’s biggest question and concern, returns Zeek Biggers, Makius Scott, Kevin Harris, Horace Lockett and Sylvain Yondjouen alongside transfers Romello Height (Southern California), Thomas Gore (Miami) and Jordan van den Berg (Penn State).
They are all learning the stylings of Santucci as much as Santucci is learning about them.
“Very, very, very energetic. He’s kind of like coach Key, just with a defensive mind,” Powell-Lee said. “He always explains reasonings behind everything. He’s never just gonna yell at you for just no reason. He’s always gonna have an explanation, he’s always gonna tell you what you did wrong, what you did right. He’s never just gonna downplay you. He’s always gonna show, ‘OK, you did good here, but let’s fix this as well.’
“With him he also takes in. He’s not just like, ‘I’m right all the time.’ It’s real fun learning from him. It’s a new defense, new scheme — it’s a completely different scheme than what I’ve ever been a part of. Learning, like, the reasons why we do everything is real fun for me and my group.”
Aiding Santucci’s work in building Tech’s defense has been the ability for him to work with the Jackets throughout the summer and not just during spring practice. And he lauded his defenders for their commitment to put in the offseason work as he said he explained to him improving one’s football craft should be a year-round mission.
By that same token, the 36-year-old insisted he won’t ever stop striving to improve his unit no matter what the results dictate.
“We are a work in progress. And I will answer (that way) for as long as I’m here. That’s just a mindset thing for us,” he said. “As a defense we’re a work in progress. We’re working to get better. We’re continuing to learn how to command the defense, for our voice to mean something when we say something and to earn that trust from the rest of our teammates. So, we’re a work in progress.”
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