Georgia Tech OL coach Geep Wade loves the progression the freshmen have made

Georgia Tech signed five offensive linemen in the 2023 class

Any team's offensive line is going to be one of the most important units on the team. The game is won in the trenches and for Georgia Tech, they are going to need to be much improved in that area if they want to win more football games than they have been. 

The Yellow Jackets return nearly every player from a year ago that played meaningful snaps and are hoping that those guys take a leap. To add depth, Georgia Tech might have to rely on some of the five freshmen linemen that the program signed in the 2023 recruiting class. 

When talking with the media after practice on Tuesday, offensive line coach Geep Wade, who is beginning his first year on The Flats, praised this freshmen group and the progress that they are making:

"Very satisfied. Ethan Mackenny is running with the twos every rep since he got here and he was not here in the spring. Ben Galloway is very twitchy for his size, then you got Gabe and he has been running with the twos. He has been out there in 110-degree heat and runs 50-60 plays with the twos and he had some freshmen mistakes in some critical situations, but that is to be expected. I hope that he learns from it to become a great player in the future.

We have Pat Screws and he has been limited a little bit and Elias Cloy has gotten tremendously better since the spring, we are playing him at tackle right now but I would like to move him around when we have that chance to do so. 

While a team might not want to have to rely on freshmen and have them play significant snaps, it is good to hear that this group is coming along nicely. The offensive line is a position where a program wants to have depth in case of injury and not have any drop-off. The Yellow Jackets need to be building that depth early in Brent Key's tenure and from the way that Wade talked about the young players, things are progressing nicely. 

When talking about the center position in particular today, Wade praised Fortson for the job he was doing: 

"Yeah you know, Weston has kind of been the main show for the past year, he played as a young kid and has really progressed and he is a kid that has really worked himself into what he has become, through our weight program, through our offseason program. Behind him, last spring Brandon Best, we gave him a shot there and we told him some things that he had to do over the summer to continue to progress where we think he needed to be at this level to win and he did it.

Gabe Fortson has come in and being a freshman, I am really proud of where he is at. He missed practice today, he had an illness but he has really progressed and we are also working Joe Fusile there a little bit.

We have different combinations but as a coaching staff, we have to get it honed in the next four or five days before next week starts."

If Georgia Tech can improve upfront while building depth with the five young freshmen, this program is going to be trending in the right direction soon. 

Georgia Tech kicks off the 2023 season against Louisville on Sept. 1st at 7:30 on ESPN. 

Follow us for the latest on Georgia Tech Athletics!

Facebook: All Yellow Jackets

Twitter: @AllYellowJacket

Follow Jackson on Twitter: @jacksoncaudell

Follow Madison on Twitter: @Madison_Meyers7

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @kistner__

See all of the latest Tech News at AllYellowJackets.com

Check out the Georgia Tech Homepage

Listen to the Goal Line Stand Podcast for the best Georgia Tech and national college football coverage!

More Georgia Tech Related Content:

Everything from offensive line coach Geep Wade post-practice 8/15

Damon Stoudamire adds another member to his coaching staff

College Basketball analyst gives realistic expectations for each Georgia Tech transfer this season

Georgia Tech cornerback Kenyatta Watson II named to Bruce Feldman's college football freaks list

Sylvain Yondjouen focused only on the 2023 season, not his NFL future

Everything from Marco Coleman post-practice: 8/14

Georgia Tech safety LaMiles Brooks named to the Bednarik award watch list

2023 AP Preseason Top 25: Georgia Tech will face four ranked teams in 2023

2023 AP Preseason Poll: How Many ACC Teams start the year ranked?

King, Gibson, or Pyron- The case for each

ACC Football Power rankings: Preseason