Tyler Santucci Answers If There Is Pressure On Him To Turn Around The Defense "That's not pressure, that's my job"

Can Santucci get Georgia Tech's defense playing at a higher level for next season?

Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci / Georgia Tech Athletics

One of the most underrated hires of the offseason was Georgia Tech landing Duke defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci. Santucci led the ACC's top-scoring defense at Duke last season and he is going to try and turn around a unit that was one of the ACC's worst last season. If he can get this defense to play at a higher level and Georgia Tech's offense remains one of the ACC's best, this could be a dangerous team. It might seem like there could be pressure on Santucci to get things turned around, but when he spoke with the media after practice on Friday, he said he does not see it as pressure:

"That's not pressure, that's my job, you know, it's just what you sign up for. There's an expectation that you do a good job, you know, and that's the world we live in. You know, it's stop people, create takeaways, and get the ball back to the offense, and don't let them score touchdowns. So that's not pressure, that's just our job."

Last season, Georgia Tech went from one of the worst offenses in the ACC to one of the best. Could the defense do something similar? Here is what Santucci had to say when asked:

"Yeah, I think our goal is to be the best version of the 2024 Georgia Tech defense that we can become. We've talked about that since day one. We don't put numbers on it. We don't set goals per se of like, "Oh, if we don't hit this goal, we didn't accomplish anything." We talk about like continual improvement, he accumulation of small wins over time. We are trying to build habits and routines each and every day so that we have the ability to improve. So I guess, yeah, we want to get better for sure. We want to improve. That's why we're here as a D staff. But just the foundational value of that thing is like, let's just do it every day and let the results happen when they come. So yes, we want to get better."

In one season at Duke (2023), Santucci directed the ACC’s top-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 19.0 points per game, which was good for 16thnationally. The Blue Devils also ranked among the nation’s top 50 in rushing defense, passing defense, total defense, tackles for loss, third-down defense, fourth-down defense, and red-zone defense. Duke allowed a total of just 10 points in a pair of wins over teams that finished the season in the top 25 – No. 20 Clemson (28-7) and No. 21 NC State (24-3) – and finished 8-5 overall after a 17-10 win over Troy in the 2023 Birmingham Bowl.