Ricky Brumfield Talks About Coaching Cornerbacks and Special Teams, As Well As Improvements He Wants To See

Jackson Caudell | Mar 26, 2024

Georgia Tech v Notre Dame / Michael Hickey/GettyImages

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Georgia Tech restarted spring practice yesterday after having a week off for spring football. After practice, it was the special team's turn to meet with the media, which meant that special teams coordinator/cornerbacks coach Rick Brumfield and the specialists were going to speak for the first time this spring.

Here is everything that Brumfield had to say after practice yesterday.

1. On taking on the role as cornerbacks coach and working with Tyler Santucci...

"It's going good. We have obviously with the corners and doing special teams and everything, it's a little more added on the plate. But last year I was helping out as well, you know what I mean? It went on the defense with the nickels in the corners. So, you know, it was a smooth transition 'cause I knew those guys, obviously I knew them from special teams as well, but just knowing those guys from a defensive perspective, it was just an easy transition for me."

2. On getting the associate head coach position...

"It meant a lot. a lot, you know. I didn't know coming in and just coming in and working hard for him and him seeing that, you know what I mean? It was honestly, it was an honor to be able to get that. And to be able to, you know, my future goal is I want to be a head coach and my future goal And so that's going to allow me to help in that process. And so for him doing that, you know, I'm very appreciative of him. it, grateful of it, and I'm not taking it lightly. I'm doing everything that I can to learn as much as I can from him and help him out as well. And that's kind of what I told coach. I want to try to take some things off of your plate. I don't want to just have a title and just kind of be here. I want to be able to take some things off of your plate. And then obviously help my career in the future as well.

3. On his second year being the special teams coach and having the majority of his contributors back...

"It's really, really good. Last year, when I came in in the spring, I'm teaching everybody everything. I'm teaching the coaches, I'm teaching the players, I'm teaching the grad assistants, I'm teaching everybody how we're doing that drill and the emphasis of the drill and the point of the drill and how that drill translates to... the game. And getting the kickers and the specialists and the punters to believe in what we're doing, whether it's rugby, whether it's how we line up for field goals, and all of those things. And this year is just a smoother transition. It's a, they know it, expect it. They saw the success from it, and they understand the outcome. And so they're more willing and they bought in more. They're more bought in, they understand, which makes it a smooth transition. It's really, really good, you know."

4. On newcomers Warren Burrell and Syeed Gibbs...

"They are football players, you know what I mean? Like, they love football. Warren is a guy that, you know, wants to be specific with his technique. He's always talking to me like, "Stay on me, coach." He's a pleasure to coach. You know what I mean? I don't want to talk too high on him because I don't like talking high on players until they leave. But he's been a pleasure to coach because he never gets down. He's never too down. He's never too high. And he wants to be perfect. You know what I mean? Understand that he's not going to be perfect, but he wants to work towards being perfect or as close to it as possible. And he's always wanting to be corrected on his technique. And he's a winner. willing player, he's a willing learner, and you know, he's just been a pleasure, and I think he's gonna be a really, really good player for us 'cause he cares. Syeed is another player like that, you know what I mean? He's different in the aspect of his mentality and how he goes about everything. You know, kind of one, it's kind of a little smiling and a laugh and a joke a little bit, and Syeed is more serious and just, you know, still face. But they both love football, and Syeed is gonna come in and get extra credit. time, extra work, and he's perfectionist as well. And they just go about things a different way, but it's all for one common goal. And it's been a pleasure having those guys working."

4. On how the special teams can be better this year...

"Um, you know, we obviously have to be better in a lot of different phases. Kickoff was the main one. We need to work on the most second half of the season. We kind of, kind of just started deteriorating for a lot of different reasons. Uh, but last year, year, the previous year we went from 131st in the country overall to 42nd in the country overall. So it was a major improvement overall from special teams, but we just need to be great throughout. You know what I mean? And the thing that we didn't do is we didn't score touchdowns, and I've always in the past have scored touchdowns whether it's kick or turn, punt or turns, and so I want to be able to not just change field position. position, but I want to be able to score touchdowns. I want to be able to change the game completely. And I think we can do better at that. We blocked kicks last year, which was pretty good. Had four throughout the year, but we just got to be consistent with tackling, you know what I mean? And I think what that is, is overall, defensively and offensively, the guys that's on special teams. So I need to do a better job of working with those guys on tackling so we don't miss any tackles. And we don't give up. any plays at all. But overall, it was a major improvement, but we just got to fix a couple of those minor details and like I said, kickoff was probably the worst phase, second half of the season and we're working on a lot of different drills to correct all that."

5. On finding the personnel for special teams...

Yeah, I know what we got in the kick return game, Christian Leary is back, and Jamal has been back there as well. We have a couple of other guys there. We're gonna start trying to work. We haven't got to that point yet. We just have those guys catching. Punt return, Rodney. Rodney kind of got back there last year towards, well not towards, but in the bowl game. And he did one against South Carolina State. The difference with Rodney and Dom is Rodney is more, he's more elusive and he's a little bit faster. Dom was a lot more reliable, and he got those yards you really didn't realize he was getting, you know, he wasn't that breakaway guy, but he was the one that was gonna catch very single time and get us 10 to 12 yards every single time. I think Rodney is gonna be that guy that he'll be able to break free one of those and take it to the crib. He's quite, he's got a little bit of a little bit of a we just got to make sure he's looking to ball in with his eyes every single time and he's willing, he wants to be back there and I think he's gonna be pretty good at it. We got Christian back there catching and we're trying everybody. Eric, Jamal, you know what I mean? We're trying all of those guys back there catching to see who can catch it consistently and make something happen when, when they get free."

6. On why he chooses a punter as a holder instead of the backup quarterback...

" I personally love the punters holding Because those guys work together and they work together all day long I've had it before where The quarterback was a holder that place place and he can care less about holding them. They come over and they only had a chin strap strap. They get about five and they coach them good and they ain't gone. You know what I mean? So it's just like, you know what I mean? Like I want the chemistry. I want the trust. And so if the kicker has trust in the holder and the snapper, the operation time is going to be bam. And they're going to understand each other. You know, when you start and a lot of people say, I'll use a quarterback for fakes. Like how many fakes are you really doing? a few throughout a year? You know I mean like one or two so you're gonna have a quarterback hold who really doesn't care You kick way more field goals than fakes And so just hopefully you have a punter that can do some fakes You know I mean to help with it but I prefer the punter to hold because that punter is always catching the ball. He's catching the ball from the long snapper the short snapper. He's always with the kickers. They all work together, they meet together they hang out with each other they leave to the private practice field early, they come off the practice field. You know what I mean? Like they have that chemistry together. So I always love the punter holding for the kickers, not the quarterback so much"

Cover Photo Credit: Michael Hickey/GettyImages