Who were the standout players in today's scrimmage for Georgia Tech?

Brent Key talked with the media after today's scrimmage

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Aug 12, 2023 5:25 PM EDT

In this story:

Saturday marked a big day for the Georgia Tech football team, as they held a scrimmage. There are plenty of position battles taking place on the team, most notably at the quarterback position, which head coach Brent Key made sure to address afterward with the media.

In terms of standouts, Key made sure to mention a few guys that stood out today:

"I thought the defense came out today and as the scrimmage went on, showed some toughness in the front and that is what I was looking for. We did not have any live sacks but to be able to go out there and affect the quarterback, it is not always the sack that shows up on the paper, it is the ability to affect the quarterback, move him off of his spot and some of those guys did it.

Having (defensive tackle) D'Qua Douse out there full speed, (defensive end) Noah Collins showed up and was doing some good things on the line of scrimmage on the defensive side so it was encouraging to see that.

You know, (running back) Jamie Felix is a guy that has been sitting on that two, three, four spot on the depth chart and make no bones about it, we have to run the ball better. We have to be able to hit the hole, we have to understand our pass protection, I don't care who is in there. The same standard applies for the seventh-string guy, sixth-string guy, first-year walk on and those that have gotten starts.

But I thought Jamie got in there and ran and got where the play was designed to get and when that happens, you start to move the chains. You start bouncing plays outside that were designed to go inside and that is where penalties occur on the edge and there were some that could have been called on some of the plays that bounced but I thought Jamie did a nice job.

(Running back) Jamal (Haynes) got in there and made a couple of plays and we have a lot of work to do at that spot. (Tight end) Dylan Leonard had a couple of nice catches. Some of the young guys looked like young guys, some of the guys you think will be good players but that is what practice is for and what the scrimmage is for, we tried to make it just like the game.

Georgia Tech Running Back Jamie Felix — Jamie Felix was one of the standouts for Georgia Tech today in the scrimmage
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

All of those are encouraging signs for Georgia Tech. Felix is a guy that I have written about and I think a breakout season could be on the way for him.

When you glance at Felix's stats, they are not going to blow you away. 23 carries for 80 yards and an average of 3.5 yards per carry are not mindblowing, but when you watched Felix get carries toward the end of the year, he was a tough runner who showed physicality and he finished with six catches for 41 yards, showing there is potential for receiving upside.

For the 2022 season, Felix finished with a PFF (Pro Football Focus) grade of 59.4, with a 55.9 grade in running, and a 58.0 in run blocking. There is clearly going to have to be a step taken in his development and he needs to show an ability to make the big play, but I think Felix adds a different element to the offense that perhaps Dontae Smith and Louisville transfer Trey Cooley don't bring.

Haynes recently made the switch from running back to wide receiver and the coaches have been pleased with his transition to the position so far and have praised his ability to make plays.

Douse is another guy that I think is in for a breakout season and you could see him start to figure things out toward the end of last season.

D'Quan Douse is going to be a leader on the defensive line for Georgia Tech this season
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

He finished the season with 26 tackles and 3.5 sacks, which was tied for second on the team with linebacker Ace Eley.

You could see him get better in each game, especially his performance against Virginia Tech, where he had 2.5 sacks and earned a high grade on PFF (Pro Football Focus) for his performance. Douse finished as the second-highest-graded player on the entire Yellow Jackets' defense, finishing behind safety LaMiles Brooks. According to PFF, Douse played 450 snaps and finished with a defensive grade of 75.2, a run defense grade of 80.7, and a pass-rushing grade of 66.1.

According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Douse is going to be one of the highest-graded returning defensive tackles in the ACC next season.

It is also encouraging to hear that Leonard was making plays today. No tight end on Georgia Tech's roster topped 100 yards or caught a touchdown and that was a problem. Most offenses are going to function better when they have a threat at the tight end position and that will be something that Buster Faulkner is going to be working on.

During the 2022 season, Leonard led the tight ends with 90 yards receiving on 11 catches and zero touchdowns. He caught four passes for 43 yards in the spring game and I think it is safe to assume that he will be either first or second in the amount of snaps played for the tight end position in 2023.

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

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