Everything From Georgia Tech Tight End Jackson Hawes After Tuesday's Practice

Hawes spoke with the media after practice on Tuesday

Nov 21, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets helmet is seen on the sideline in the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Fall Camp rolled on today for Georgia Tech and today, the pads came on for the first time. After practice, tight end Jackson Hawes (Yale transfer) spoke with the media and here is everything that he had to say:

1. On how he ended up at Georgia Tech...

"Yeah, I mean, I graduated from Yale, obviously, and then entered the transfer portal just because I had another year of eligibility. And, you know, I think right away from the get -go, of the schools that were talking to me. I saw something really special with Georgia Tech, you know, kind of one of the schools where I had like a one -on -one conversation with Coach Key over the phone, which was really special. And not only that, but the entire offensive staff. And, you know, they were, you know, just, I think from the get -go I saw something really special and, you know, what they're building here. And I wanted to really be a part of that, you know."

2. On what it is like playing in the offense...

"Man, it's a blast. I mean, it really helps having Coach Faulkner. I think that he does a really good job emphasizing the tight end. watching practice today there was there was some fun stuff we were doing in there so um yeah i mean it's it's it's truly really fun and i think they all the coaches come from a background that really is a kind of run heavy which is something that i you know specialize in and that's kind of another reason why i wanted to come down here i think that it really plays to my strengths being down here."

3. On his degree at Yale and what he plans to study at Georgia Tech...

"Yeah, so I got my degree in economics at Yale. Here, you know, I would have loved to get a master's if they had any accelerated programs. But just because I'm here for a year, the Scheller College of Business offers a bunch of certificates. So I'm doing one in information systems. You know, Obviously, I'd love to keep playing football as long as I can, but, you know, something in finance I think would be really interesting. I've done an internship in, you know, a private equity firm that was really fun. So, yeah. And being in Atlanta, I think, you know, to kind of go back to another reason why I came down here is just there's so many networking opportunities that I've seen. And it's been amazing, you know, you get to know one person and then they introduce you to two others in different industries. and you kind of just grow from there. So that's been something that has been really fun so far."

4. On if playing in the NFL was part of his plan...

"I mean, you know, I felt like I had really good film at Yale. I, you know, played a good bit three years there. And I did just kind of want to kind of, I don't know if, like, play it safe is the right word, but just get another year of experience it under my belt. Playing in the ACC, you know, it's a step up, definitely, from the Ivy League. So I wanted to kind of, you know, prove to myself that I can, you know, handle it against tougher competition for sure."

5. On how the step up in competition has been...

"Yeah, I mean, the biggest, I think the biggest adjustment, it hasn't really been, guys are just a lot faster, you know, stuff just happens a lot faster out there. You see a lot more unique kind of twists and tweaks on defense that, you know, I'm kind of not really used to. I'm used to seeing a lot more basic stuff. So that has been kind of understanding the defense has probably been the biggest area that I've seen that I've had to step up in for sure."

6. On if he prides himself on being a target in the redzone...

"Yeah. I mean, I think mentally, just when I get the ball, you know, it's kind of funny you bring that up because every time watching football when I was a kid, my dad would always point out, you know, when someone was running the ball, he'd be like, oh, you see how he fell forward or you see how he didn't fall forward? He's like, you always want to fall forward so I guess maybe just having that kind of in the back of my mind every time I get the ball like I can't fall backwards I just got to be behind my pads and yet to go to your point like I think you know in the past Georgia Tech's done a bunch of cool stuff with the tight ends in the red zone so I'm really excited to see what they scheme up this year."

7. On the freshmen tight ends...

"It's kind of, it's fun just kind of being like the old guy of the group and kind of remembering my days as a freshman, you know, a little knucklehead and around. You know, I definitely, that's one area I think I could really improve on is kind of being a leader for those guys and spending extra time with them, you know, learning the offense. And, you know, I mean, I already had the spring and I do feel like I'm comfortable with the offense so far. I do think that's probably an area of growth that I need to improve on is being better for those guys and helping them get it down. But they've impressed me so far. There's a lot of athletes. We've got three, you know, ballers in that class."