appreciate you guys being here uh was a good uh good ending of spring I thought we uh we had a good spring this uh for 15 days as I've talked about every week the progression of the team we look at being able to come out and uh take each week as a singular week and improve that week and then look back on it and see what we what we did well what we've got to continue to improve on um and I think over the course of the entire spring we made improvements uh as a football team uh but really to make any improvements as a team and I say it all the time that that football is the Ultimate Team game but players need to understand that they have to improve individually first they have to be an individ show individual Improvement coaches have to show the individual Improvement to them so they know that that they're progressing that has to happen before a position can improve a side of the ball can improve and then collectively as a football team we improve so I think they took that challenge and for 15 days of of practice um the days in between where it was meetings walkthroughs whatnot uh they they took those challenges and and they did that uh now that being said we have a long way to go before we uh kick off uh in in August in in Dublin Ireland but I think we're we're on the right track I think we have a chance to be a good football team this year that's not saying we are right now uh and but that's why this is spring and that's why we have spring practice so uh it was good to get out there today uh you know really appreciate the fans that came out uh that was outstanding I thought the the administration and the the marketing department and you know did a really good job of you know creating a good environment to come to a to a football game a spring football game in um you know we came out of the game injury free which is good uh we had as everyone knows Jackson the first scrimmage uh you know towards ACL but other than that we've had a very uh a very productive scrimmage and stayed very healthy uh the guys that have had Nicks and bumps and bruises and and things that happen in football you know credit to the athletic training staff for getting those guys back and able to participate and be out there today uh you know I thought the guys had fun out there I thought it was a fun environment um but they had fun but also went out and worked uh they knew they had to work they knew this was one more opportunity to improve as a football team uh you know and they went out and they had a very competitive scrimmage so uh everyone played which that's always a bonus to make sure we have everyone the football team play uh in the spring scrimmage people can see them they can enjoy it you know just the enjoyment of being out uh out in Bobby DOD uh and being on the field is is a really is an experience that you whether it's a scrimmage or whether it's a game play and you know some of those guys that work so hard for us they're going to remember that for the rest of their lives that might not have a chance to get into a game at some point uh you know captains for the game we took four Walk-Ons uh and that had had outstanding springs for us um and then you I think you saw another couple of those guys uh show up today doing some really good things on the field so uh thought thought our progress uh showed it was good to see the young quarterbacks all get in there and be able to get uh get some things done operating and really after the first series we started mixing and matching and putting different guys in different spots and it was hard at sometimes to tell what was swarm and what was wreck from the original uh original rosters based on uh getting guys in there that we needed to see play so uh you know all in all I thought it was a good spring um I'm pleased with our progression right now but that being said understand we have a long way to go to be a football a football team that we want to be uh this fall so with that we'll open with any questions Kelly how how fun is it to see a guy like Chris Elco so have a day like that it was if I had had to guess the first question of any player on the team I would have guaranteed everybody it was going to be about Chris Elco so uh man what an outstanding day he had you just but but people have been at practice every day and seen practice that you know it's not surprising uh he's uh guy that's come in going into his second year now uh and is really uh progressed as as a football player he was an outstanding High School football player and we're really lucky to have him here but just to see him go out there and have a day like that and have uh you mean that doesn't always happen with the you know that many balls go your way and just based on coverage or whatnot uh now the flip side the guys that are guarding them uh we've got to be able to uh you know keep covers tight and you know and the way I look at it it doesn't matter if the first team and the third team's out there everyone's coached the same standard uh everyone the same expectation is is expected out of everyone that's out there so uh we got some you know whenever something good happens on one side side means you got to clean up something on the other so but I was happy for Chris coach not only Ela but Bailey softon and Z Taylor also have big games at the wide receiver position just talk about the loaded wide receiver room that you guys have uh with veterans all the way down to your younger guys yeah gosh looking at right now Abdul had five for 47 bayy had three for 93 Zion three for 71 in a touchdown may or may not have been a little OPI on uh one or two of those out there I don't know what the officials were looking at out there so uh other side uh Malik uh Elco four for 136 holy cow uh go Ryland had three for 25 Leo you see Leo back out there for sure uh yeah you know just the the tight ends the wide receivers it's really good to have those guys it's good to have the talent but it's good the way that that it's stacked by class too you know as far as upper classman uh middle kind of middle time guys and those guys that are new to the team uh so that means we we should have a bright future there I think Trent's done an outstanding job of uh of coaching those guys up this spring really on the finer points of of playing that position and I think it showed today coach your two for you uh Second Spring Game of course you have quarterback battle last year how much different is it this year coming into this spring game and what you've learned from this team well every team's different every team's new uh in January I don't believe in Contin uation of any type of success or really failure I mean it's up to that team to establish its identity and really that starts in the locker room it's up to that uh the the leaders on that team to emerge as leaders and build that team into what it's going to be for the season so uh you know really there there's no difference than last year same preparation uh you know same attention to detail that we have to have as coaches and as a staff uh so really there's no different year one and year two when it comes to the organization and the operation of the spring football game coach Chris elco's side can you tell us maybe some of the other players that kind of stood out to you in terms of their Improvement and kind of the steps they took during the course of spring yeah gosh I mean I don't have a roster in front of me so I wouldn't be doing I don't want to do a disservice to anyone that uh that did but you know we had some young guys that just got here in January some High School uh really should be going to prom tonight uh most of them but now some of them might actually be leaving here right now to go to prom I don't know that but um I think we have what 11 of them that you know 8 9 11 something like that out there so it was good to see those I mean Jameson rigs he went went with the ones uh majority spring M Cory uh rolled his ankle up in the second week and you a lot of valuable reps um you know as good as you think freshman are that come in on that first week and that second week then as that installation starts to build and the the the multiples start to increase on the other side of the football uh whether it's offense or defense that's when they you really start to see that they're freshman uh so to have a a spring game to let those guys go out and play freely uh with not a lot of calls um on either side of the football uh pretty generic simple uh game plan on both sides it was good to see those uh all those young guys uh you know Carrie got out Carrie has had a really good spring um I thought the defense did a nice job of bottling up the run you know for majority of the time out there today uh then uh trying to think who else I mean I thought I saw Tate Seymour going into second year saw him flashing on a couple of things um and it's not even you know it's not all freshman I mean Warren Burell I I think today showed why I'm you know I've been so excited about him all spring uh and just the energy he brings on the field and uh the playmaking ability and the tight coverage he can play uh when he's in the game Amari was another one who's you know been here for a couple years but is really starting to emerge as a guy on this team uh you know uh Tana uh Harrison Harrison Moore on the offensive line uh Jordan Boyd uh you know a lot of I mean all those guys got a lot of reps today and they did a lot of in in the springtime so you that's that's the name of the game in college football is is to constantly be working to build the depth of your football team and uh you know to to still a note out of the uh you know the last place I was at uh before here from and I can talk about him now he's retired so I can uh but uh with Coach sa it's you know you you you build your roster and can constantly want want to build that roster from the bottom up and you know to improve that that part of your football team and you improve the competition and not part of the football team you continue to improve uh the competition all around so I think we saw that today with uh the depth we have uh you know that we're starting to build I say we have and we were're a long way away uh from being where we want to be but I think you're starting to see that depth uh show itself coach um know it's a spring game but on the sideline Haynes was very uh animated sended in signals he we talked about it how he hated to get get out the game like get still he was so animated and giving signals and trying to be involved to see that from your quarterback you know in a spring game can you talk about that leadership yeah I mean he's he's as good as a leaders I've been around on the football field and I don't say that lightly I really don't man he's he's outstanding all the way around when it comes to that the relationships he has with the different guys on the football team it doesn't matter what position uh what background what side of the ball uh Haynes is he he's a voice that's heard by everyone uh and that's him I would expect no different from him and it rubs off on others I mean Jamal Haynes you know he ran out on the field twice and begged me to put him back in uh Malik was wanting to go all day that's just you know same with Eric that's that's just the way they are uh and that's when you know you're starting to you know get going the right direction the football team when you were the interm coach you had at one point basically Scotch tape and Band-Aids pulling your quarterback room together now you have two guys who could start games and and two really exciting young guys and even some walk on are impressive can you talk about the growth of that room and and what you're seeing there yeah first off I can barely remember yesterday much less two years ago so uh why' you have to I mean that you did bring up some things there wow we did Scotch tape it was more like duct tape and Gorilla Glue like keeping things together um you know it's credit to the system it's credit to the recruiting uh you we it's credit to the evaluation that takes place uh and it shows up the most obviously a quarterback you know everyone that's the position everyone sees but the evaluation that that that we take in at every position in recruiting is really important um it's a credit to the the offensive scheme that buster has in that you know it's quarterback driven but also allows every uh position to play to its strengths um you know the development of the quarterback coach you know I've said it before I think you know you Chris does an outstanding job of evaluating those guys bringing the right guys not just as players but also the right guys that fit Georgia Tech that's a big thing for us uh you know that they complement each other and fit the football team so all around you know we've got to continue to do that and continue to do that with all positions B would make from 62 I know this depends on the conditions of the day of that game but say it again I'm sorry bur he making from 62 I know U the range depends on the the day and conditions but how far would you trust them to Temp from 62 now let me ask y'all this do y'all really think I would have done that in the first game of the season not knowing probably so because I got a lot of confidence in that guy I would I mean it's yeah everyone was excited but no one was surprised I I I mean it was we see him do it every day and if you'll notice I called the punt team out there and then I saw him look at me from the sideline he was just staring at me his do number 33 did it threes um he just staring at me and I told him waved him out and he goes yeah I can all right let's go field goal time out field goal uh and then the other one was was probably more challenging I don't know what the distance was on the other one 59 59 yeah 60 in there but the way the wind was blowing at the time and where it was offset on the hash um you know the wind blowing from behind but also the way it does in our Stadium uh all the time it that was that was a lot more of a challenging kick and you know he almost put the exact right on you know English on it to get it to to go in he was he was he was pretty mad about that one but uh now he's got a strong leg he's he's really good he's really I'll say this he's a really good football player that's what he is he's a football player Patrick coach ke if you would talk to us about Jamie Felix's day please yeah um yeah Two Carries uh 20 yards yeah so he have a long of 15 on a little Flip Flip play out on the perimeter so you know like I said everyone was able to get in play and uh show what they can do and he had one explosive and uh you know other one 5 yard gain so you know 10 yard 10 yard average so uh no he's it's a talented running back room right and you guys have to come to work every day to to be able to uh you know to get in the picture we nothing nothing is deserved here you know everything's earned and you out every day and you earn the Reps and you earn the carries that you get you earn the touches you get you earn the uh the Reps the you know whether it's o line D Line running back receiver doesn't matter so back in the corner kind of going off the running back room what's it like to have Jamal Haynes a guy a thousand yard rusher last year kind of a luxury to go into 2024 with a guy who's already had a lot of experience in big games yeah I mean experience there's no there's nothing that they can you can't substitute anything for experience but uh you know he had some good runs early on uh no different than he has all spring no different than he has last year he's continue to improve and you know I think there were two runs he had that he didn't like he came out and asked me he was like hey was I doing such and such or such and such he he's constantly working to critique himself and get better off of every play um as I told you already he was pretty he wasn't he wasn't happy when I set him down uh out there uh so uh he's he he's he's fun to be around he is he's fun to have on the team I'm glad we have him and he he's continuing to develop and I'm excited for what he's going to be this year but you know we also had a couple balls on the ground at the running back position um you know we can't do that you and I don't care if the ground causes the fumble or not right the ball you know ens up out of your hand so you we can't leave anything for chance and those are the things we have to work on really hard and we have to be you know Ultra critical of this of this entire spring not just the spring game today you in the back coach obviously a new defensive staff this year what did you kind of see today from your defense that you liked or uh what you did yeah I mean I like the fact that you even early on in the game there were the first group was running into the football uh you know the the line of scrimmage was was St made the line of scrimmage was flat walled which is what we want to see uh we we've got you know first group of guys we got some good players uh you we've got to continue to develop the depth on our defense that's the thing and that's what we wanted to see today we wanted to see a lot of those guys uh get in there that had not gotten as many reps before uh but but that that's a main focus we have moving forward uh that that we have to develop the depth because you might have you know 11 guys that 11 starters that that are good players players but you know on defense you've got to have you know 25 30 guys that can go in there I mean you you want to play five or six defensive tackles you want to play uh four or five defensive ends you want to play three to four linebackers uh you know and then the value those guys bring on special teams so that's a major major emphasis we have moving forward of uh being able to increase that that depth on that defensive side of the football okay anything else Chad what's your challenge to these guys for the next couple months before they come back this summer I mean there there's too many to even list but you know to walk in and and challenge a team and make a big deal about it and a big uh celebration and have a a team meeting and stand in front of them I'm going to put a challenge every day is a challenge right and we truly want to live every day is a day that we work to get better leave live that day a day in its own not look forward not look back be where your feet are and and and and work to get better and that was what we did this spring uh that's the way we want to work every single say Monday when I walk in there the biggest challenge is going to be to make sure that we have finals coming up all right they get their bodies rested up but most importantly that we go out and we we we were better than we were uh the semester before academically um we're we're in a strong place right now and we've got to continue to work and uh make sure we finish strong academically and then they'll come back and be ready to uh you know start up in the summer summer program you you didn't have two of your primary offensive linemen for most of the spring Cory getting hurt and then Kean obviously recovering from this foot thing just how I guess satisfying is it for you to see how the line is played Without You know two starters and developing that depth for the future and finally having you know maybe a full rotation of guys who can play in a game comfortably yeah I mean in a perfect world you going to play Five Guys and and that's why you you have success is when you do have some continuity and then that group all right so I was pleased with the line now I'm not they we we've got a ways to go now I mean we're being very uh very generous on some of those sacks or those pass rushes that could have been sacks out there I mean there uh there were several where I think they got some heat on the quarterback um you know the nature of our offense we get the ball out quick um you know but there were there were times that pocket was collapsing you know pretty strongly uh we've got to continue to get bigger and stronger in the weight room uh we've got to continue to work on our fundamentals and technique and like I said the expectation is the same with the third group as this the first group uh we've got to be able to get to a point where you you'd love to have 10 guys that you're confident going and play and uh I think we're increasing that depth uh they're very young there's only so many reps between now and the time they're going to end up getting in the game for the first time um just because you're talented that mean you're ready to play and we have a lot of a lot of time between now and the first game but it ain't going to seem like a lot of time at all and every rep every day uh every every opportunity they get to to get better we have to do that uh in the weight room uh on the field doesn't matter but uh it's it's good to be able to have a scrimmage like this and not have to uh play a tight end at offensive line yes last one right here coach you talked very highly obviously of your freshman quarterback S screen practice How would just rate the performance today gr no obviously Aaron what are you kind of set for their performance they were see Pho Pho 69 for for 120 and two touchdowns uh was gram Haynes was 11 Zack P look first off we all talk about Haynes and rightfully so and we're talking about these young guys but let's make sure we talk about Zack pyron and what he did out there today he did an absolutely outstanding job of leading that group and when he was running with the first group uh he he did a really good job and he finished you 8 of 14 for 162 yards and in two touchdowns I mean we can talk about all the young guys and and right you know look they deserve it they did a good job today but let's don't lose lose get lost in the shuffle Zack pyron and what he does what he means to this football team and uh had some fun with him out on the field today after some of the plays he made uh that one trip down to the red area you can tell we were trying to get the ball to Leo it was like he threw the one ball off the back back shoulder and Leo just stared it was a death stare just staring right at Zach and Zach was like I'm coming back to you I'm coming back to you uh and we got him we got him one down there so uh but those young guys I think it was good just to see him out there leading the team you know at that position getting the calls uh you know being able to execute the play uh it was good to see uh but like all freshman it's ups and downs ups and downs what you what what the public SE in one day is not necessarily what happens all the time so not saying they've been bad at all but uh you know they're they're freshman quarterbacks and uh quarterback's the hardest position to play in in in all of sports right it's hard from a physical standpoint from a mental standpoint from a pressure standpoint uh from from a mental toughness standpoint so it was good to see him in the game atmosphere to get out there and make plays it really was all right thank you all right thanks go jackets