Who were the standouts for Georgia Tech in the final preseason scrimmage?

Georgia Tech opens the 2023 season against Louisville on Sept. 1st

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Aug 19, 2023 5:21 PM EDT

In this story:

Preseason camp for Georgia Tech is now over.

The Yellow Jackets held their final scrimmage today and ran around 80 plays, which is a lot less than last week when they ran nearly 150 plays.

Brent Key spoke to the media today after the scrimmage and broke down the scrimmage, including who stood out today.

Last week, D'Quan Douse, Jamie Felix, and Dylan Leonard were the guys that made the biggest and a great scrimmage.

Let's break down today's standouts.

Makius Scott and Zeek Biggers

Georgia Tech defensive tackle Makius Scott — Makius Scott was a standout player in today's scrimmage for Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Athletics

Once again, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key singled out someone on the defensive line as a standout in today's scrimmage.

Last week it was Douse and this week it was both Makius Scott and Zeek Biggers.

"The defensive front did a nice job of trying to control the line of scrimmage and Makius Scott did a nice job and he has had a really solid couple of weeks of practice in situational things. He really showed up, we did some live reps on Wednesday and he showed up again today. Zeek (Biggers) has also been really solid throughout the entirety of camp."

This echoes what the coaching staff has been saying about the depth on the defensive line, defensive tackle specifically.

Defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker praised this unit for its depth and size earlier in fall camp:

"It is hard to talk about one player, but it is more of a collective. We feel like we are starting to get more size and depth at the position and (defensive line coach) Marco Coleman has done a great job with that group. Brian Baker is a great mentor and help for us to be in that room and to give Marco some advice and I am really happy with their progress.

But to that point, it will take me some time to talk through those things. On the interior, we feel like we have some guys that look like Zeek Biggers and Horace Lockett, who look like power five defensive tackles that will allow us to be a little sturdier in there. We have a lot of experience with guys like Makius Scott and D'Quan Douse who were our two starting defensive tackles this past season. They have quite the amount of experience and then we even have a young man like Jason Moore, who has been in real matches and played against North Carolina and got a sack for the inside."

Defensive line coach Marco Coleman had this to say about Biggers just this week:

"A big part of it has been the way that he has transformed his body and you can see it in his play. He gets to the ball more, he is even more stout, he can sustain being in more plays and even his attitude, he is being a little more aggressive. His confidence has grown more with all of the positive things that have come along with the transformation of his body and he is going to be a big part of our success with him and what he has been able to do for himself."

Being strong in the trenches is a huge plus for any team and it looks like the Yellow Jackets could have just that.

2. Christian Leary

Key pulled a big win this offseason by getting the former Alabama wide receiver to transfer to Georgia Tech and his speed and playmaking could pay dividends for the team.

Key talked about Leary and the receivers as a whole today after the scrimmage:

"We got to roll some of the young receivers in there and put them in different situations and that is why we went live. When you get hit in the college game, it is different than getting hit in the high school game. It was good to see Christian do some good things."

Leary is one of the fastest players on the team and is going to be seeing time in the slot, along with Malik Rutherford.

Leary was well thought of as a recruit and here is what 247Sports recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins wrote in 2020 about Leary:

"Has the looks of a true slot receiver given short stature. Thick trunk. One of the fastest prospects in the class of 2021. Posted a school-record 10.5 in the 100-meter dash as a junior. Speed allows him to take the top off a defense. Capable of creating separation while working across the field. Uses sharp cuts to weave in and out of traffic once the ball is in his hands. Might be on the smaller side, but runs hard in-between the tackles. Took plenty of direct snaps in high school, which frequently moved the chains. Serviceable hands, but limited catch radius. Not the most spirited blocker. Ability to get deep faster than most is a unique trait in an era where almost everyone is trying to air it out on offense. Has the tools to develop into a multi-year starter and a weapon at the Power 5 level if he buys into the process. Potential is there to play on Sundays."

Ivins projected Leary as a day-three pick in the NFL Draft and compared him to Marquise Goodwin, one of the fastest receivers in the NFL at the time.

Georgia Tech lacked explosiveness through the passing game on offense last season and if Leary keeps progressing then it will be huge for the team.

3. Brett Seither

For the second straight week, Georgia Tech has had someone standout out at tight end in a scrimmage. Last week it was Leonard, this week it was Brett Seither, a transfer from Georgia.

Key said that it was good to see Seither make plays from the tight end spot today. Hopefully, that will continue because Georgia Tech has to get more out of its tight ends this year.

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 new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is going to be working on.

Seither might be that type of player who can be a vertical receiving threat, but he has had little opportunity to show it so far. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Seither played six snaps in 2019, 16 snaps in 2020, 68 snaps in 2021, and 26 total snaps last season. Now, that does not mean that Seither is not a talented player. While in Athens, Seither was stuck behind Brock Bowers (the best tight end in the country), Darnell Washington (an NFL Draft pick), and last season, four-star freshman Oscar Delp. It was going to be tough for him to get snaps over those players (even with Washington leaving) and his move to Tech is going to give him a chance to be a factor in the offense.

4. Paul Moala

Georgia Tech is working on replacing two good linebackers in Charlie Thomas and Ace Eley and that competition has been a huge focus in fall camp.

Trenilyas Tatum is looking like a likely starter, but the competition for the other spot is still going on. Key singled out transfer linebacker Paul Moala today when he spoke with the media:

"Paul has had an outstanding camp. He really has. Paul has done well."

Moala started his career as a three-star recruit (247Sports) from Mishawaka, IN. He played for three seasons as a member of the Fighting Irish, totaling 22 tackles. He transferred to Idaho last season and had a career-high 44 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions

5. Taye Seymore, Nacari Ashley, and Jacob Cruz

Key made sure to point out three true freshmen that stood out today. Defensive back Taye Seymore, Nacari Ashley, and Jacob Cruz were guys that he says have been getting a lot of reps in the last week or so and they have been throwing a lot at them.

"Nacari and Jacob Cruz are two freshmen that we have really thrown into the mix this past week to see what they can do. You have two big, long bodied guys that can run and they might not be the best two right now but when you have guys that are long and can run and are not afraid to hit people in a game, shoot, those are the guys come October 1st, they might be in that position."

"Taye Seymore was another young guy that was out there on the backend of the defense that I thought did some nice things today"

Georgia Tech will return next week to begin preparing for the season opener against Louisville on Sept 1st.

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