Brent Key Coach's Show: Ireland Bound

[Music] [Applause] the defending ACC champion at Florida state seals can't wait to break down what lies ahead not only for this Saturday but this season of Jordan Tech football and another edition of the Bren key coach and show my name is Andy Demetra we are live tonight from new R Brewing Company on the east side belt line of Atlanta we have packed up the rooftop great to see so much white and gold here with us tonight just like we'll see plenty of white and gold at a via Stadium for the jackets and seminal on Saturday well the countdown is officially on and without further Ado let's welcome in the man himself set to begin his third season is head coach of your Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets he is Bren key coach good to see you well I'm going to round up and call it a third that's what people think I mean you won some of those games so you get credit for it right I mean how about that good to see him how are you good how's it going it is going well uh I know it's been a very businesslike off season for you and your players but I know also you have felt that excitement that energy from the fans and you can feel it here at new R Bruin Company because of what they saw out of your team last year and what that bodess for the future of Georgia Tech football what has that meant in general as you continue to build your program now getting set for full year number two unofficially year number three yeah I mean it's the we're so insulated with what we do every day uh and focused on you know the task we have to accomplish every single day throughout the week you know throughout the whole calendar of the year uh with the you know development of the kids and the program whatnot you know very few times do we really get to see what's going on externally so to be able to come to these things see the fans support uh you know start to hear people talking about the excitement and you know doing doing these types of things and different interviews and hearing people talk about the the fans and and then seeing the amount of people that are going over to the game uh it's just a it's a great state to be on as a program but not just as a football program as an Athletics program but as a as a school for people to really see who we are as who we are at Georgia Tech uh regardless of sports or not Sports well when last we talked with him you guys are pishing off a win in the gas Barilla Bowl to complete his seven and six season I know you guys are proud of last year and all that you accomplished but you weren't satisfied either based on what you've seen from your guys since January what has you confident that this team is poised to take that next step as a program yeah it was funny you bring up last season 10 months later 9 months later but I was we haven't had a show in the last 10 months so we got a little little bit of that's what the video person said today when they showed me the highlight video for Friday night and it was nothing but a bunch of clips from last season and I said I I'd rather I'm not either not going to either fix it or we're not going to show one cuz it has nothing to do with last year but that's sidebar but uh you know we addressed a lot of things in the off season uh and just the personality that that I have and and the people that that we have that Jay has I mean it's uh we we we look for perfection in what we do and and we're going to address those things when they're not and uh you know we've done a good job of adding depth to the roster uh I think there's 32 new players on the football team that weren't on the team last year so you know you can use last season as a reference but when you have 32 new players on the team uh that's a big difference so it really restarts every January to rebuild that team and rebuild the identity that they have as a team by the way if I don't at least touch on some of what happened last year this show might last 6 minutes so you have to indulge me a little bit but we'll focus on I can talk we talk more than that okay 6 S I can feel a buster pretty well Harper ask Harper she she could talk for that long oh I bet she does she's at that age now absolutely uh one guy among your 16 starters back is hannes King I know Georgia Tech fans really excited about what haynes's second year in a Georgia Tech uniform will look like so I know uh you said he could be as as underrated a quarterback nationally and and I forget on which program but you said he doesn't get near enough talk for what he has done where have you seen Haynes take that next step in becoming a more polished QB for you yeah I mean I firmly believe he's the best quarterback in the league uh and by the end of the season and look it's everyone around that that position that has to support him right you can't just look at the at the quarterback and if you want to talk about what the Improvement in the quarterback is you know me and him we meet once a week on Monday and just really talk about everything from football to life to the team uh school all things and the big Co the big point to him was you know last year if things weren't going well everyone looked at him of haes make a play you know it's now this year we don't want that to be the case we don't want it to be everyone has to look at him to make a play that's a lot of pressure on a young man all right now he he he loves it he likes being in that position but sometimes you need to be able to uh have the other people around you to take up the slack at times and that's where I feel we are as a program now we've got other people around him both sides of the football that can take up that slack what is something about Haynes that you feel goes underappreciated in him or unsung talking about someone who doesn't get nearly enough talk say it again something underappreciated or unsung about hannes King that maybe as coaches you appreciate on a little more granular level than somebody who just might be watching on television listening on the radio that really uh as a coach you truly appreciate about the way he conducts conducts an offense to to sum up Haynes in in in one little story I think going into the bowl game last year he had a chance to break four alltime Georgia Tech passing records right it was either three or four I mean they it was held by Joe Hamilton and uh George gsy the records and at the end of the game we ran the football 27 straight times to close out the game and he was telling Buster upstairs run it again run it again run it again again cuz he knew that was the way to to finish the game and the way to win so just the unselfishness that he has really and puts the team first in and everything so you don't see a lot of guys nowadays that would have done that yeah it was a breakout debut season for Haynes King but like you said certainly not the only familiar face back in white and gold this year you do have a new defensive coordinator you welcomed in Tyler santui from duke where last year he let a Blue Devils defense that was number one in the ACC and scoring defense they were top 50 nationally and eight other defense of categories you said it was a no-brainer he was the first person you talked to to fill that position what was it about Tyler's philosophy his scheme defensively that appealed to you you know so as the season goes we always track uh statistics uh across the country and uh Pat Bole who does research and analytics and and then whatnot for the program uh as the season came to the end you started looking at the stats across the board and you know teams that would be considered outliers and you know Duke kept showing up in all these categories and uh you know talked to one person who talked to me about him and uh so we got on the phone call and we we talked for about an hour and a half and then he said I'm actually going to be in Atlanta recruiting on Friday and uh you know I think at that time the coach had left and going to A&M or and that was there and uh we got together and really I mean we talked ball a little bit but we talked just just life and personality and you know what makes him tick and not tick and you know all different things and and we looked down an hour and a half later and said we got to start talking some ball here and we got into that but it was you know right right away it was was it was a instant connect there and as I continue to go through the process um I think we end up talking about 12 guys uh for that position uh and there was a point in that time I didn't think I was going to be able to get him here I didn't had you know some other opportunities really good opportunities to go but I think the final thing that really connected with me was he loves the to coach the types of kids that we have here all right he's been at uh Notre Dame he's been at Duke he's been at wake he's been at those schools and and that's what he likes and that's what he wanted and when he looked at me and said that he thinks that Georgia Tech is Georgia Tech could be the top football school in the country with AC that has academic background behind it and this is where he wanted to be I mean that really that meant a lot to me that he recognized both sides of it but also he knew how to operate within that environment I know hearing that makes a lot of Georgia Tech fans happy is as well he'll make his debut on Saturday so with a lot of others for the air lingis college football classic your georia Tech Yellow Jacket at number 10 Florida State 5:00 p.m. to me leather on Saturday can't wait to kick off this 2024 season with you we're kicking it off tonight here at new round breu and Company on the east side Belt Line it's the debut edition of the brenty coaches show we'll take our first time out much more to come stay with us on the Georgia Tech Sports Network number 10 Florida State I know you hear number 10 but do know the man to my left br key against ranked ACC opponents in his head coaching career at Georgia Tech four wins zero losses and we look forward to making that record 5-0 come Saturday night uh it is pretty rare coach when the most popular sought-after player for interviews on a game week is the punter but I think we can make an exception this week for David Shanahan your native of Castle Island County Cary Ireland who gets a homecoming game he's head at to press conference he's been trying to teach you some uh Irish slang so you can sound like a a local once you arrive in Dublin yeah and it's not so I started looking looking them up and it's like talking about pigs flying and so I know he's like pulling my chain so I'm not going to listen to anything he says did he give you like what's the crack no that's a very popular seriously it's something about pigs flying okay I got to do a Google search during the time out here yeah I don't well I mean for him though I mean when he signed here at Georgia Tech the the the contract had not been signed yet for this game so I can only imagine his reaction when he found out that to begin his senior year he'd be going back home 3 hours outside of of Castle Island to play uh in Dublin I know you've shared some conversations with David all throughout the off season first off he's uh just an uproariously funny guy has that classic Irish wit but the conversations you've had with David about this game and and his excitement can you share a little bit of uh what you've learned from David about where his head is at heading home yeah I think the first thing about David he he's been he's in a really good place as a kicker right now he's been uh kicking the ball well uh I don't want to get him out of that routine and and you and make one game really out you know overshadow another game and get him out of his element of what he's got to go there and do and uh so really I have not talked about it with him in the last four weeks five weeks uh but I know since they since the game was announced a year and a half ago I mean he's been he's been so excited and you know taking he's took some guys over there uh to see where he's from uh you know I know he's got probably 100 plus family members going to be at the game so uh he he's he's had a really good camp so far and looking for him to have a good game on Saturday uh if you want to commit Petty Larsen in Castle Island County Carry uh do so on Saturday uh cuz evidently nobody in town will be left they'll all be at a via Stadium yeah I mean how many people how many people live there I I looked it up in the offseason it's like 3,000 okay A bit of a smaller town I I would say rello hey is also making a homecoming to Dublin but your new Rush end he's from Dublin Georgia so I I hope he has gotten the memo he's actually going to the Ireland version of uh of duin we'll ask about romelo by the way that's called teasing what's ahead um which players have asserted themselves and assumed more of a leadership mantle going into this season you know obviously Haynes is as good of a leader leader at that position as I've been around I mean the ability to connect with both sides of the football uh everybody in the locker room you know he does a tremendous job and and that's part of the territory with being a quarterback and the and the the separate the really good ones from the the great ones are their ability to have everyone else rise up and and play around them it takes the pressure off them like we were talking about earlier uh other guys I think Kyle ord's done a tremendous job uh Clayton Powell Lee uh you know Weston Franklin um uh you know then there's there's other guys I mean some of the newer guys uh Warren Burell Warren has really done a nice job on the back end in the back end uh of of uh of affecting the other ones you know he's really taking Amari Harvey under his wing Rodney Shelly those guys under his wing and and really shown him and taught him how to be a a really a vet uh and impacted him in a really good way uh you know I think uh Ken rutage is a guy that you know just plays the game the right way way up front he said he was like a throwback offensive linean he'll be your starting right guard on Saturday your transfer to Middle Tennessee yeah you know red is a you know he got hurt and he had a car wreck in January and got hurt so he missed Spring ball but uh he's somebody that he he wants to he wants to hit people hit them you know play through the echo of the whistle uh I think he's fun to watch so it's good to have him there uh so and another guy that's really done a tremendous job you talking about we were talking about David earlier Aiden Burr has really done a nice job as is a is a leader on the team and you don't see that a lot coming from that position but you know he he's not afraid to to speak up uh not afraid to to motivate people and the other one probably comes to mind is Brett CER you know Brett's done a really good job even with him uh getting hurt I mean Brett's done a outstanding job of being a leader yeah I know you to deliver the unfortunate news that Brett will miss this season after suffering a knee injury during camp we certainly send our best to him you'd mentioned Weston Franklin you'd mentioned kelen rutage you got four offensive line starters coming back uh which is part of the reason why there is so much optimism about how potent your offense can be you're an offensive line guy died in the wool uh H how much will it boil down to the offensive line setting the tone for what this offense can do this year yeah I mean that's it it starts up front you know just being able to establish the running game being able to protect the quarterback put everybody on the same page we've got experience there uh but I think the the cool thing about this it's a little bit of a different situation in that we've got some young guys that are really really good players uh they've really been pushing those guys uh for for playing time and I think we've got two or three uh freshman in in in the two deep now that that are going to get valuable playing time this year and they're ready to they they deserve it they've earned earned that right to do it um so it does start up front but you early first game of the year it's it's it's interesting to see you know how that Dynamic Works how the chemistry is working uh you know is as practic has gone this this preseason I think the best thing that the offensive line has been able to do is go against our defensive line every day and the increased uh depth and personnel and and and coaching and teaching that we've had there uh so they've had good competition really for four weeks now Jeep said earlier this preseason your offensive line coach Jeep Wade that it wasn't until maybe seven eight games into the last season where he felt his offensive line really embraced its identity and then the results showed for themselves was on the field did you sense that beginning this preseason that offensive line immediately knew who they were and that that has been able to that's enabled Buster fer to you know be a little more creative be a little more diverse dynamic in what he could call and what he can dial up compared to last year yeah the confidence they've had as a group really it was a continuation from last season throughout the offseason but like I said early on in preseason camp I mean these guys they got they got punched in the mouth uh the defensive line got after them pretty good and and that's that's not a necessarily a bad thing for the offense it's a really good thing for the defense so uh to have that type of competition but uh you know the with those guys back the the the key pieces that you know really are an extension of the offensive line are the are the tight ends and the what they can do in the Run game and uh that was a big addition to get Jackson Halls uh Ryland go uh you know we we've got J be as well Jos Josh beam so we got three guys there we've moved Avery Boyd uh at the beginning of the year we moved Avery into there uh added a different Dynamic uh and then Luke Haring uh David Prince we've got a full room there even though we've had you know had an injuries but you know those guys being able to establish the line of scrimmage as well allow us to do a lot of things uh because you mentioned him before the break Jackson Haws Avery Boyd are listed as your starters at tight end for the Florida State game Haws 65 260 he was all Ivy League at Yale what stood out when you evaluated him in the transfer portal what can make him an asset in this offense well we had a we had a need for one uh those guys are hard to find you know 65 260 plus I think it's 265 right now uh that that can you know block they can they can establish the sea area and and and own that uh but also be effective in the passing game with the the boot game the play action game uh effective in the Red Zone uh you know guys like that and and when you saw him and you watched the way he played the game and uh I knew a coach that was at yel uh the offensive coordinator and he called about him and said that you know he was out of eligibility in the ivys because of the way they do things but and he thought he was a big time uh tight end and he was what we you know the type of tight end that that that uh that we needed here and we put the tape on we're like whoo I mean this guy's this guy's really good and you know the cool thing about him is is I mean he's going to have you you know I think you'll have a chance to play play football for a long time but when he's done he's got to you know he's been to school at yell in Georgia Tech and he's already said he's going to be an investment banker so he's got his path pretty well set for himself I I'll probably need to get his business card before the end of the season and you know the irony is if he and the tight ends and your offensive line do their job David Shanahan and his homecoming to Ireland won't even see the field I Zer punt game from the Irish David Shanahan on Saturday that is the one thing that I told him about his trip home I hope I I hope none of his family members see him play yeah hope all he but he's the holder he's the holder that is true yeah now hope we'll just get some cardio in pregame and then watch a good game like the rest of us of deiva stadium and again Tomy leather at 5:00 this Saturday for your Jordan Tech Yellow Jackets will'll take another quick timeout first want to remind you new realm Brewing Company Atlanta's favorite Restaurant and Brewery And We Are Tonight live at new real breu on the east side belt line of at for the BR key coaches show on the Georgia Tech Sports Network together in Tech Innovation and progress with the new EV plant in Georgia Hyundai looks forward to Growing ties with the Institute and the community together we're building the future of technology right here in Georgia Hyundai and Georgia Tech it's our journey big thanks to all of you coming out tonight packing this rooftop here at new real Brewing Company on the east side belt line for our debut edition of the Brent key coaches show the Georgia Tech Alumni Association by the way wants me to remind you that if you're not joining us at a Viva stadium in Dublin this Saturday they are hosting a Georgia Tech watch party right here at new realm on the east side belt line so if you're enjoying it tonight enjoy the atmosphere on Saturday come right back here for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association wash party as your Yellow Jackets take on Florida State at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Coach I know the team leaves across the Atlantic tomorrow can you give some insight into uh the team schedule in Ireland once they arrive yeah we'll get there and really normal Thursday normal Friday and and then game day so uh we'll land and uh you go straight to the uh straight to the hotel have breakfast uh they'll set their BS down uh after breakfast they'll go into offense defense or special teams special teams meetings first and special teams then go OD meetings uh for 55 minutes and from there we'll we'll go to the practice field we'll practice for uh about an hour and a half and from there uh come back we'll have staff meeting um then we'll have coordinator meeting then we'll have dinner probably go to bed probably then the next day we'll get up we'll have meetings uh we'll go to practice then we'll come back and they'll be in the hotel for their downtime on a Friday before a game and then we'll have dinner that night and then meetings and walk through uh devotional staff meeting and and then wake up and game day hope your players pack their International adapters by the way Todd McCarthy I think gave them one two I hope so cuz that could be a lot of EA Sports college football that's going unplayed uh when they're hanging out in the hotel if they don't have the adapter yeah you know people ask about the making the adjustment and the the change yeah with the S and everything else yeah I said it today the press conference I said I mean these guys are 20 years old they're 20182 22 years old they stay up all night playing video games since it came out and then come and practice all day and go to school so I mean like we don't need to make more of it than it is really well youth is wasted on the young is it not you just do that and be fresh as a daisy go through a full practice be ready to go on Saturday it's must be nice it's Sun still comes up sun sun goes down it's not a lot different than going East Coast West Coast I mean you keep some pretty rigorous hours yourself n really you're going to put that on the dangerous right there not at all uh one of the changes in college football this year is the introduction of the in-helmet communications how long did it take for the coaches and maybe more specifically the guys who will have that in-helmet communication to be comfortable with it I know you started working with it back in the in the spring yeah so uh it it it was one of those things that we talked a lot about we went through all the different uh scenarios with it uh you know still obviously we got to go through a true game day but we've had had now six scrimmages from Spring until now using it uh we've got it you really the Kink's worked out there's and and there really hasn't been any it's been pretty smooth uh you know we we've cranked the noise up in the stadium as loud as it can go and and still been able to hear and communicate and uh look you still you still have to have other ways of going about it cuz if for whatever reason the communication signals go down uh for one team they're they're they're shut off for both teams so you still have to have other ways to be able to communicate to play in so uh I think it's going to lead to a cleaner game uh I think it's going to lead to less people sign stealing and trying to you know do you know have an unfair Advantage uh but I think the from the defensive standpoint is what I've seen is you know you know all the offenses including ourselves when we play with Tempo and try to play fast and you but what you're seeing you I mean you're not seeing defenses out of place you're not seeing a missal line because it's coming in so fast they're getting the call uh able to get it communicated uh you know so it it's I think you're going to see a cleaner game a smoother uh a smoother game yeah people are rightfully focusing on the in-helmet communications for the quarterbacks but that that's the other part of it there's inh helmet communication for the defense as well yeah you know that's you know whether it's a a linebacker or a safety whoever you choose to to to wear the single the singular uh earpiece they're getting those calls and getting them singled in just as quick as the as the offense is you know if not quicker as soon as you know you're able to see a for and you know you can call from upstairs so whether it's Upstairs Downstairs it's it's it's going to be a smoother process and I I think the game's going to be cleaner I really do I think it's going to be a fun game to watch is who will have the helmet come on defense is that is that classified can you share that so actually when I get back to the office uh you know there's there's T they they're green dots so the helmet will have a Green Dot on it uh and you're able to put you know five on offense five on defense right but only one guy can be on the field at the same time all right it's a uh it be be a game violation if you have more than one so you know the thing for people that watch games if you ever see two guys on a field all right and both of them both of them are covering up their their the whole the the ear holes in their helmet you know the team's cheating and they got two people in it ah okay so uh but no there's there's one uh one on each side of the ball that'll wear it obviously the quarterback will on offense and then like I said whether it's a linebacker whether it's a safety uh you know probably going be somebody up the middle up the middle gotcha as far as the identity of that person though we'll keep that a secret until Saturday I mean yeah okay just figured I'd ask doing my journalistic duty I'm sure you can narrow it down pretty quickly probably yeah um I will ask you a question with no segue whatsoever intended about Kyle eford since he's one of those up-the-middle guys linebacker guy yeah uh Kyle eord by the way became the first freshman to lead Georgia techken tackles outright last season since 1999 people loved the neck roll they love that he kind of carried himself like a throwback linebacker and he was not afraid to get his nose in there and be physical as well where is that next step in Kyle ef's development to make him now an all ACC caliber linebacker yeah I mean he's he's got he's he's a foot he's such a football player and that's probably the the best compliment I can give Kyle but uh his leadership uh his ability to affect others uh you know the way he plays the game uh how I mean he he is obviously people know when we practice we have a lot of contact and uh scrimmages are live I mean we had couple scrimmages 160 plus plays uh but even when we're not in full live to the ground and we're in the th I mean he he tries to he tries to run through people um you know he's really comfortable in in the defense and making the calls and the adjustments um the impact and the effect he's had on chelus Tatum holy cow you I taught of Tren for a long time today and tren's the best version of himself he's ever been and and and a lot of that you probably split it down the middle between uh between Tyler and between Kyle you know toch and uh Kyle what they've been able to do to impact Tren and and him in a good place he's 220 plus pounds I mean it it's such a good version it's so good to see that but it's awesome to see the impact me I've had guys come in the office at times that were struggling with something and and they say one you one if if it w for Kyle I wouldn't even be able to still you know be going through with what I do every day I mean just you know the the he just is such a he's he's Sunday nights he's at FCA he's the first one in there he's in the front row uh just just all around what a great great kid he is great kid and a really ferocious linebacker on top of that K Pope is uh one of your new defensive coaches is also Jess Simpson is your new defensive line coach very familiar name to those who follow Georgia high school football one I think it was seven state titles at Buford and you said he's the best defensive line coach in the country how has he helped Elevate the competitive consistency of that defensive line room uh well first the the combination of Jess and Pope is is it's outstanding just the way those two complement each other uh not just on the field coaching and teaching but you know in the recruiting Trail the way they're able to complement each other uh but Jess is hands down the best teacher of the game that I've been around on that at that you know on that side of the ball at that position the way he's able to break it down with those guys he's able to coach them hard but not degrading uh he demands Perfection out of them in at a position that's never going to be perfect uh the you know he has deep relationships with these guys where they they want to go and sit in his office and hang out to be around him you know to soak up the knowledge that he has he's done it at at every level and been successful at every level and uh you know you know storied High School career as a high school coach um you know owned to the to the NFL and the college ranks back to the NFL uh just the amount of players he's coached and the players that you know come back and you know want to be around him and uh really really been pleased with Jess and glad that Jess is part of the program a lot of credibility in his resume and you fortified your defensive line group in the off season you not only have Zeke Biggers back and he could be bidding for an all ACC season again was honorable mentioned last season you got Micaiah Scott back horse Lockett is back he brought in Thomas Gore out of the transfer portal spent last season at Miami prior to that was all Sun Belt at Georgia State just down the road Jordan vandenbberg another guy I know you're high on uh your defensive tackle from Penn State and Jason Moore is also back so certainly some good defensive line depth and as you alluded to earlier uh making it rough sometimes uh on that offensive line when you go one-on-one ones versus ones in practice but of course that all sets the table for Saturday when we get to hit somebody in another uniform and in another color and for Georgia Tech that will be number 10 Florida State fth time in the last six seasons Georgia Tech will open a year with a conference opponent as they look to Vanquish the number 10 seminal at a via stadium and the Air Lingus college football classic our Network air time will be 3:00 in the Georgia Tech Sports Network can't believe we're nearly 40 minutes into the show and we still have not really delved yet into your all ACC running back Jamal Haynes we will do that though to begin our next segment do want to remind you first Aero exterminator proud presenting sponsor of Georgia Tech football Aero exterminators going beyond the call we are live tonight at new real Brewing on the east side belt live in Atlanta much more to come here on the Bren key coaches show on the Georgia Tech Sports Network edition of the Brent key coaches show live tonight from newm Bruin Company on the east side belt line of Atlanta next time we will visit it with you is in dumblin Ireland in the air lingis college football classic Saturday your Yellow Jackets versus Florida State 5:00 to me leather that is Atlanta time uh as Georgia Tech will uh look to uh win a season opener for the first time since Florida State back in 2020 by the way good to see so many of you uh here at new realm enjoy the hel ofan loger the AL of an engineer clearly coach getting their practice reps in uh for making that trip to Dublin Ireland so I I I like the thought process of a lot of the folks here Up on the Rooftop if there is one person who deserves a beer or a three on your staff it's got to be your director of football operations Josh Topson who has been the main Logistics leader in helping you guys get set for the next several days in Dublin Ireland yeah Josh is Josh Thompson is what he's done the last really year preparing for this I and and you know so many in the administration uh you that that have gone to so many lengths to make this a trip but what Josh has been able to do within the football program to keep this off of my plate and to allow me to focus on what what what's important in in coaching and the recruiting and the development of these players and the coaches uh you know it's really no different than uh than a normal uh opening week which always opening week There's always things you're checking double- checking and and triple checking to make sure you have all the right you know things in line you know the charts the the reports and then you know there's a couple rule changes this year within the game with the clock management so we you know adjusting some of the charts we carry on the sideline uh and those things and and Josh has allowed us to be able to do that no different than any other game yeah your operation staff your equipment staff your nutrition staff it's like a bll trip except there's an ocean between you and it's not a BP it's not like a bll trip at all well in that you're you're sort of relocating everything to another city for a set period of time but yeah it it's like a bll trip and then it's nothing like a bll trip it's 24 hours longer than a regular away game I guess when you look at it like that it is we fly there we we we wake up we land and wake up yeah we eat breakfast we go to meetings we go to practice I don't get it I'm thinking more from the logistics standpoint you speak English Logistics you went to Georgia Tech they put put stuff on the plane just just like if we go to Miami or Raleigh or a few other things as well uh no Jamal what what what's great about Jamal is and really putting it all together with with Jamal with the offense with way Buster uh calls the game the way it's put together through the week uh you we have so many different guys on offense we're able to get the ball to right and and every play has different Outlets different options so but we also build in certain Touches for certain guys certain guys we know we need to get the ball and so when we know we have those certain plays we want to get them the ball right they're they're specifically designed for them uh we put them in position that that it's hard to take them take them out of the game uh but then you know look if the ball's not going to Jamal uh and different things whether it could be a run whether it's an add-on a bubble a screen an RPO uh you whatever it is or you know you're faking it to him to for a play action or you know he's involved in the passing game I mean but but the other guys uh the other guys at that position have also been able to do uh do those things and we that that's where we've elevated those guys to to all be able to have that versatility and en able to have versatility in an offense or defense you got to have knowledge and you got to be you know knowledge of the full thing not just your position so uh Jamal's really set the bar with that and the other guys uh behind him have really followed suit and and allowed us to have a lot of options on offense you had damp in that backfield last year now you do lose a 1500 yard career rusher and Dante Smith but what have you seen from the rest of your running backs your Trey kouy your Evan dickens's your Anthony Ker's your Chad Alexander they can compliment Jamal and make sure that even if number 11 is off the field that running game can be just as efficient yeah well you know you talking about the o line earlier that starts with the guys up front uh you know some guys some guys might get you know explosive runs after they h through the the first wave uh some guys might you know get what's get what what's there you know the four yards the five yards three yards whatever it is right but as long as we can stay efficient in the Run game as long as we stay you know moving the chains and the offensive line can you know get the running back through the line all right and and they can read their keys and do the things the right way but the biggest thing for the running back position in in in my opinion number one hands down is ball security right we've got to main maintain possession of the football right second thing is pass protection right and you know you know it's not we're not going to sit there and drop back drop back pass you know 50 times in a game all right but we have a lot of different variety of ways we we push the ball down the field whether it's play action whether it's different rpos those guys are factors in that so they've got to be able to protect and and as well you know just as just as much as an offensive lineman if they're protecting a backer blitzing up the middle they're like an offensive guard if they're protecting on the edge they're like an offensive tackle at times so uh you know the ball security and the protection really cuz that's the key to maintaining possession of the ball obviously all right converting on third down getting explosives so they got to they got to possess all those talents yeah a lot that you put on the plate of your running back you will be facing a uh pretty stingy Florida State Defense at least last year coming up on the other side of the break we'll start to break down Georgia Tech's opponent this Saturday in the seminal Georgia Tech versus FSU Aviva Stadium to there 5:00 on Saturday in the airling is college football classic we'll hit our final timeout we'll wrap up with head coach Brent key in just a moment it is the Brent key coaching show right here on the Georgia Tech Sports Network if you're not there with us we know we will hear you right here in Atlanta for Georgia Tech and Florida State the 2024 season opener I think I had it flipped around a couple of times here in the show I don't want to lead anybody astray because I've been switching between Dublin time and Atlanta time in my mind all week long didn't you say 3:00 though no it don't put words in my mouth here I said 3:00 for the airtime of our pregame show which would be 3:00 3:00 Dublin time pregame 5:00 Tom me slather in Dublin which means noon kickoff in Atlanta for the record I don't need any angry emails that uh begin bkey athletics. G tech.edu okay let's talk about Florida State believe me I don't read them I know well you'd be sending them but I wouldn't be reading them either they go straight to my spam that is my spam box oh it is that's nice I like that one of these days I'll get the actual email n no going to keep that close it's like it's like the Pentagon with you no it's not you got I mean you want no go ahead never mind how about we talk about Florida State I know you've been deep in the uh preparation for the seminal allegedly hopefully I think you are uh very familiar guy at quarterback DJ ouang spent his first couple of years at Clemson then I kind of rediscovered his Mojo at West at Oregon State last year how does he come back from Oregon State maybe a better quarterback than when tech fans saw m Clemson oh I was going to say by a plane probably yeah I don't know I mean I don't what makes him a a a tough quarterback to to account for well he's big he's strong uh he has the ability yeah that that's a better question otherwise I'm like you're asking hypothetical so I don't know how he's going to be this year I hope head coach part-time journalism Professor no he's uh you he's done both you know he's he's shown the ability to run the football whether it's uh and more designed quarterback runs he's a big strong guy and uh you know and and then he's got a he's got a really good arm uh you know he can push the ball down the field uh you know I think we know what to expect uh from from those guys and and the game plan that Mike's going to put together uh offensively for them uh but you know he he poses challenges you know he's a he's a big strong guy got it he's tough to bring down uh you know he's you know especially you start get into those short yard situ situations you know the the third and twos third and ones the you know the the those the the Downs where you want to keep the chains moving he's able to do that with his feet or also you know same thing you say at the second two second ones you're able to take your shots and push the ball down the field and Mike's an aggressive play caller in terms of uh you know four down territories you know going forward on fourth down so when you have a quarter back like that it really uh it helps you in your play calling uh by your field position ones what you're doing so it'll be a challenge for us I know they have to replace seven starters on defense very aggressive in the transfer portal but defense is still in the DNA of Florida State last year fourth in the nation in Sachs what accounts for those numbers what we have to be aware of on Saturday well starts up front with those guys on the be line they've got two uh two really good inside guys defensive tackles they big big body run sto and push the pocket type guys uh and then guys on the edge you know they've got number 11 who's uh who who's a really good football player and you know he's got the ability to to to Really rush the passer get after the quarterback uh to pursue guys chase them down run them down uh and then they got to transfer on the other side so yeah it'll be a challenge but I think Florida state knows the challenge that awaits them as well on Saturday and with that we'll wrap up our first edition of the Brent key coaches show Brent appreciate it thank you go jacket he's Brett I'm Andy we'll talk to you next week on the Georgia Tech Sports Network