Three Things to Look for in Georgia Tech's Next Scrimmage
Fall camp is coming to a close for Georgia Tech Football and they are going to be hosting their second scrimmage on Saturday.
The first scrimmage last weekend was a chance for quarterback Jeff Sims to impress and he did not disappoint. Sims has been talked about by the coaching staff throughout the summer and into fall camp as having improved under quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke and offensive coordinator Chip Long.
There have been other guys that have impressed as well so far. All three running backs have been solid and look to form a good trio. There has been competition at every position, as expected, and that is still going to continue after fall camp has concluded.
After this scrimmage, it is likely that the depth chart is going to start taking shape, as Georgia Tech will turn its attention to preparing the game plan for Clemson. This is going to be a huge chance for players to further their opportunities of playing in the rotation early in the season.
It is hard to limit myself to just three things in this scrimmage, but here are the three things I am going to be hoping to hear coming out of Saturday.
3. Separation at the slot receiver battle...
There has been a three-way battle for the starting slot receiver position and wide receivers coach Del Alexander praised all three guys after practice on Wednesday and talked about the competition amongst them. "The competition at the slot position, there is competition throughout the room. We just put together two weeks and this week the theme was to compete for playing time."
Nate McCollum, Malik Rutherford, and Jamal Haynes are all getting reps at the slot in camp and they are each going to have a chance to make their claim to be a starter on Saturday. I am eager to see which guy gets the most reps at slot, as this could be a position used heavily in the passing game.
2. How the secondary rotation plays out...
It seems like there are guys that are going to get the first crack in the rotation in the secondary, but the depth of that position is intriguing.
Defensive Backs coach Travares Tillman spoke this week after practice and when talking about starters at safety with Derrik Allen and Jaylon King, he made sure to reiterate that the competition is going to be ongoing. "Those guys are doing a great job. You might see them first, but that does not necessarily mean they are first. I am still evaluating each position, there are no starters right now, everybody is still on an equal playing field and we'll see how it ends up after this next scrimmage."
Zamari Walton and Myles Sims are other guys that are favorites to be starters, but the rest of the depth chart is going to be interesting to follow. The Yellow Jackets took five transfers at the position and Tillman also spoke this week about who has been impressive from that group.
"Kenny Bennett has come in and been a welcome addition. He brings a type of physicality and aggressiveness to the secondary that I like. Ahmari Harvey is a kid that is coming on strong and he is playing with really good technique, he is doing all of the right things. Khari Gee, he is having a pretty good camp. KJ Wallace actually has had a really good camp. I have been pleased with all of those guys, they are going to continue to work and hopefully help us during the season."
How the secondary rotation plays out is going to be very interesting to see coming out of Saturday.
1. How the offensive line looks...
There is not a position more important to Georgia Tech's success this season as a team than the offensive line, even the quarterback position.
There is one returning starter up front in tackle Jordan Williams, but the other four spots are up for grabs. The Yellow Jackets have been working with different combinations of guys in hopes of finding the best five to put on the field this season. Offensive line coach Brent Key spoke a bit about that after practice this week.
"It is not always rolling guys to see who is going to be those first five guys out there or what position they are going to be in. A lot of times it is, within practice, seeing who plays well next to each other and then also getting guys experience playing next to each other. A guy might be rolling with the second group one day and maybe it is because he was playing next to him in that group that day and getting used to that guy playing to the right and the left of him."
Georgia Tech is going to want to be settling on a starting five after this scrimmage and that will be the biggest thing to watch for coming out of Saturday.
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