Everything From Wide Receivers Coach Josh Crawford Following Monday's Practice

Georgia Tech wide receivers coach Josh Crawford spoke after practice

Jackson Caudell | Apr 4, 2023

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The receiver position for Georgia Tech is one that is going to be getting a lot of attention this season because of the departures, Leo Blackburn's season-ending injury, and the addition of Josh Crawford as the new receiver coach. Crawford is coming over from Western Kentucky after being the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Hilltoppers.

Crawford spoke to the media after Monday's practice and here is everything from Tech's new receivers coach:

1. On how he ended up at Tech and his connections with the staff...

"First and foremost, very excited and very grateful to be here. The place I was at for the last few years, we had a really good run and were able to do some good things, I didn't expect to come here and I did not have a relationship with Coach Key and he reached out and we had some conversations and it was very evident very quickly that we were on the same page in a lot of areas and as we had conversations, things moved along and fortunately for me, it ended up with me being here and able to coach. Very grateful and very excited to be here."

2. On the competition within this position...

"Well first of all, I am really, really excited about this group that I have to coach. I talk about having the cheetah and the gazelle mentality. And basically what that essentially means is that when these guys feet come into the building, their feet need to be running. If you are that gazelle, you are out running and there is a cheetah right behind you trying to get you. If you come to a practice and maybe you are not sharp that day, your eyes are not where they should be and you don't bring your A game, there is somebody right there behind you that is ready to get you so at the end of the day, we are a brotherhood, I want those guys to be teammates but at the end of the day, they know that they are competing and they are pushing each other and that is one thing that I have been pleased with, these guys are learning how to practice and they are coming to practice every day trying to push each other and eventually win a spot."

3. On how his familiarity and experience in the state will help him...

"Well I was very excited, you know I spent ten years in the state coaching high school football at some really, really good programs and that allowed me to establish some really good relationships with a lot of coaches in the state and have an opportunity to coach a lot of good players. From coaching in the state, that helped me from the relationship standpoint and I was very fortunate to be in some of the top programs in the state and the southeast and I feel like that prepared me from a coaching standpoint and a work ethic standpoint to be able to translate to this level and do a good job so I am grateful.

I tell and say that all the time, I am very grateful for my high school tenure, I think it has had a big time effect on any success that I have had at this level."

4. On the outside receivers...

Well first of all just let me say this about Leo, he is a great young man and I really felt for him as a coach. That was rough for him when that happened because he was having a great spring and he was 1000% bought in and doing everything that he was asked to do. I think he was excited about the future and where he was heading and he still needs to be excited, it has not been written.

Leo is going to come back stronger than ever and everything that he wants to achieve is still on the table and he will do that.

Now from the standpoint of the season is still going to come and spring practice is still going to show up and it is the next man mentality and that is why as a coach you try to develop depth in your room so not only are guys learning what their position is, they are learning multiple positions. My philosophy is hey if somebody goes down, who is the next best guy and we are still trying to determine who those people are and where they need to go but we have been trying to do that and build the overall depth in the room so I am excited, guys are stepping up and they are stepping in the roles and it has created opportunities and we will see where it all ends."

5. On Malik Rutherford...

There is no question that the kid is really special and he is electric and here is the thing... what makes him great on the field is his off-the-field. Great kid, he practices hard every day, tough, just never hurt, he is always available. He ca run a thousand reps in practice and never get tired. All of that also translates into him being a really good football player on top of that so he has God-given talent and ability and he has the intangibles that go along with it so we are excited.

He is a guy that has shown the ability to being able to handle playing multiple positions, very savvy route-runner, picks up everything and a smart player so he is creating value for himself because he is a good player in his own right and he can also play multiple positions so he has been someone that I have been really pleased with."

6. On how he and Coach Key clicked...

"Anytime you talk with a head coach, he is going to communicate what he is looking for and it was just throughout that process, what he was looking for, what he was looking for in this position, there was a lot of alignment just philosophically and the things that we want to see out of this position group and how that is not only going to effect the offense, but also the program, we were very aligned in that aspect.

Also what stood out to me when just talking to him, he is somebody that is big on family and that is important to me. This is something that coach says all the time, organizations are about the people and when he went out to put this coaching staff together, that is what he had in mind and when he is talking to you, who are you as a person right and in his mind, f he can take care of that, the coaching part will take care of itself and so the same way, to work for a head coach that is family oriented, it was very obvious once I got here that he stayed true to that philosophy and I am not only saying on the offensive side of the ball but his great relationships with coaches on the defensive side of the ball, we got a staff that is lockstep and we get along and I am as tight with some of our defensive coaches as I am with our offensive coaches and that is what I mean by that alignment just in terms of what coach was looking for and not only the type of coach, but they type of person and vice versa, I am very blessed to be under his leadership."

7. On Christian Leary...

I am not one of these coaches that has to see a guy and he was a particular player that we got out of the transfer portal... I am not the coach that is concerned with seeing a guy having 60 catches for 700 yards, I know that might see backwards but as a coach you always have to try and project so of the body of work that he did have, what we try to do is project players given an opportunity to catch X amount of balls, could he be as productive.

I don't know all of the factors of where he was but we did our due diligence and I will tell you this, both of his [position coaches and coordinator where he came from are very, very high on him, not only as a player but as a person and since he has been here, he has been one of the guys that has stood out making plays."

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