Brent Key Media Availability (Aug. 20, 2024)

like belly flopping down I've always wanted to go skiing to do that I couldn't ski to save my life all right everybody ready all right uh game weeks here so um super excited uh team's excited put a lot of hard work in since January and you know uh to be able to go play an opponent like Florida State uh Mike does a great job with that team they're uh you know defending Conference champions and I think what Mike had in my notes uh it 12 straight ACC wins they've had and uh you know 23 and four over the last uh the last two seasons fourth uh fourth best record in the country so it's a great opportunity for us uh importantly it's a great opportunity for all of Georgia Tech our alumni our fans uh our students you know our band is going over I mean just a great opportunity to to have people see what Georgia Tech is see who we are uh and what this school is about uh and what our people are about hope to have a great crowd over there and it's a sold out game uh hope to have a really good loud uh crowd you know hearing all the people that have said they're going over it's really exciting so uh you know with I do want to say uh just what a tremendous job our Administration has done of you know put this thing together for the last two years and then and our Ops Team I mean and I do want to see sing go out Josh Thompson and and the job that Josh has done our DFO and really preparing really for about a year and a half now uh this trip and all he's done and and his staff that that works with him in football it's really allowed us as coaches and players not to have to worry about anything and this is really no different than any uh normal first game of the season for us because of the work he's been able to do and he has done really to make this as smooth as possible for everybody so you know thanks to all those guys and thanks to Josh for the work he does um you know but we're ready to go we're uh we got one more day of practice tomorrow we'll head over tomorrow night uh then uh we'll land Thursday morning be business as usual on Thursday same on Friday so get ready to play Saturday uh I know the depth chart I was told will be released later today uh one thing you'll see on there Brett Scyther uh is not on there uh he did suffer an ACL tear on uh the pre uh two weeks ago so uh he'll have surgery soon and it's in those types of situations it's a probably the best thing have in terms of how how and what happened but uh you just really thinking about him and have been and you know spend a lot of time with him as he he's going through that and some other things but he won't be on there but uh it also gives uh an opportunity now uh for Avery Boyd who uh was limited a little bit early in Camp with u you know some tendonitis whatnot but it's been full go really him and Jackson Halls to get the start at tight end so excited for Avery uh a guy that really bulked up and and uh you know embraced the transition to the tight end position uh 240 245 now uh and doing everything you really uh really consistent at that position so excited to have him back as you know as upset as we are about what happened to Brett you know it's exciting to have Avery back at the same time so uh you know really that's the only thing on the the depth chart that should be anything different than than what we've been rolling with so other than that we got a full healthy Squad ready to go uh play on Saturday uh Saturday afternoon so with that we'll open open up for any questions questions Chad let's uh you know stick with the tight end I know that's why you brought some of these guys in and and their role I would assume would increase now with with Brett going out yeah you know uh Avery made the transition you know through spring um to to the tight end spot and it has really done a really nice job there uh the thing I've been you know was going be shocking to everybody that I'm really been pleased with his blocking and uh and what he's been able to do not only uh you know as a guy that moves but as a point of attack on the line of scrimmage on the inline guy he's a big strong guy he does a good job but also that's a it's a testament to the amount of depth we've been able to bring in over the last year really 10 months I guess you'd say uh and the coaches developing those guys because just because you bring people in doesn't mean they're going to be ready to play in uh week one so the guys that we've brought in uh Ryland uh Jackson Halls uh Ryan go um and then the Freshman you know Luke we've talked about Luke before David Prince is going to be a really good football player so we've got depth of that position so it helps cuz it's game of football things are going to happen uh injuries are going to occur and the more depth you have and the more quality depth you have and that are coached up uh to be able to play you know the the the least amount of uh really ripple effect that you have the last time we talked to you was after the second scrimmage and you you mentioned that you're going to do a lot of evaluating on Sunday and you're interested in and excited about going and looking at the running back group and seeing what they did uh you know what did you see from that evaluation two weeks ago holy cow I don't know what I had for dinner last night Ro I know we've got five guys that are ready to go play football um is there a pecking order now we're going to flip a coin on Saturday and see who it's going to be uh I mean Jamal's Jamal is a starting running back uh that's uh that's not changing Jamal Haynes is a starting running back um you know then the other guys that have all been in the mix are still in the mix uh and you know we I think the depth chart will tell you exactly how it's going to be uh when once it's released and but but all those guys have gotten work uh they've also got all got a lot of their be huge part of their special teams so uh you know get in the flow of the game I mean you you need a bunch of those guys as the season goes it's one position that uh you know you got to have you four or five guys ready to play Any Given game Jackson uh Florida State's got a lot of new starters on the offensive side of the ball what what are some challeng what how challenging is it to face somebody with so many new starters in the first game of the season it's it's not really uh from that standpoint um you know Mike's called offensive plays for a long time uh you know he he's you know his offense is his offense in regards to what they do it's different week to week on how they uh what personnel groups what packages what you know shifts motions you know different things they they use within it um so those things haven't changed and you know there there's film of him for many many years and you see it it's it's the same type of thing and he believes in running the football play action you know spreading the field you know not not only vertically but horizontally working sideline to sideline getting the ball in his in the playmaker's hands it sounds pretty familiar to me you know it's what our defense sees every day out here so there's a lot of similarities in the two teams uh offensively and what they do um obviously we know the quarterback drives the drives the show but uh you know they we've got DJ there who who's you know has experience in this league um had a good season last year so how he Taylor makes it to the quarterback uh will be you know once we come out come out the gate we'll really see but it the important thing in your first game is it's everybody talks about the opponent the the opponent the opponent right the unknowns are what you don't you can't you can't predict so it's really about your team How Sound you are with your base offense defense and kicking game and then how quickly your coaches can make adjustments within the game because I mean look if you're waiting till halftime to make adjustments I mean the game's over Ian you you you're not you've got to make adjustments fast so then you have the ability to play for the full four quarters I mean I'm not I'm not a believer in you know huddling up at halftime and changing things was you just saying what for the last 25 minutes we've just been getting you know what I'm saying I won't go there so uh but no and then you you watch film of individual players from different schools you know to see but at the end of the day it's about the you know the the scheme that they're going to run that's been the same for for a lot of years and uh you know we have a a high volume offense ourselves so the defense has seen been exposed to pretty much everything you possibly could coach like you said it's game weeks have you seen the intensity kind of ramp up and where have you seen your team grow from the start of Camp to week zero yeah good question you know they I think they did a good job of you know building their individual selves from January all the way through the summer right and then August is when you come together as a football team and you can't predict how that's going to be you hope uh you hope the chemistry becomes good but it's the it's the shared adversity that they go through uh throughout Camp uh throughout their day-to-day you know lives that allows guys to bond together in the locker room and uh in order for all three groups you know offense defense and kicking game to to have the bonds that they do in the locker room to to be able to have relationships right it's a testament to to the leadership on the team it's a testament to uh you the people we have in the organization that that do a lot with our players our Player Development Group with with with ap and Don you know what they do with those guys um you know the work they've done in the summer of really we have a 10-week class that's taught in the summer uh about you know Champions mindset leadership uh and really breaks them down indiv ually and exposes you know their vulnerab vulnerabil I want Georgia teag I can't say what is it vulnerability vulnerability vulnerability yeah so exposes those things uh within the players and allows them to really you know find out true truly who the other guys are right then you put the pads on and you go through and you go you battle each day uh and it only brings those guys closer so you can't predict how it's going to be but I've been pleased with how this team has uh come together uh really as one uh over the previous you know really eight months and now like you said it's game week um you know things change a little bit in terms of you know going against Scouts that's the other thing I mean we got with the depth on the team we've been able to have really good scout practices uh you know probably some of the best I've been around in terms of those guys giving really good effort and giving really good looks uh they're not just sitting there as a you know tackling dumm they're they're giving good looks and uh doing things well so uh you know all that to be able to roll it out there on Saturday and go play a game trust uh what goes into uh making sure the team is you know physically able to handle things that are tough for anybody who travels internationally jet lag uh overnight you know Redeye kind of flights what what goes into that from your end to make sure they are ready to go Peak form on Saturday it's no different than going East Coast West Coast I mean I've said it a couple times this week when did that when did that new video game come out this summer right if you tell me these kids have been going to bed at 9:00 every night and waking up on time at 6:30 they've been up playing the game till 2:00 and 3: in the morning all right and then they come out and they practice all day long they're 18 20 22 years old man they we we make as adults we make way more of that than it really is and these guys go out they play the game all night long and then they come practice all day and they do it over again so I'm probably thinking like this might actually be on their schedule we might be interrupting it by trying to like do something different so uh they just fine haven't really talked about David Shanahan a whole lot no um he's done a ton of interviews probably more than you uh how cool is it for him to be sort of the face of the program these last few months and how proud are you of him yeah I mean you know look I don't care what position you are on the team right you play for as long as he has in college football you you you're a vet you've seen a lot of things and the growth he's had from his the time he got here to now really just understanding football and understanding that you know there's situations within the game that you have to you know work towards and you know punts just not a kick it as far as you can especially when you're on the 40 yard line or 43 yard line you don't just boom it so he's grown he's seen his growth you know the fact he's uh you know Deans List graduate Georgia Tech uh you know the the relationships he has with the guys and the things and I mean I think he's what been one or two time uh Grand Marshal of parades in town or whatnot St Patty's Day parades and he tells everybody we don't even have St patties over there so I don't know I I don't know trust David or not he tries to tell me these like sayings to say and I looked one of them up and it was something about pigs flying or something uh so I don't know when he's busting my chops or not but uh excited that David has a chance to go and um play in front of his family I think that's what's important is not not not everyone gets that in college be able to go somewhere and be able you know guys are from far away from home and you always hope that you know at least once once a year once every other year that they have a chance to be close to where their families are uh and to see him be able to do that and sane too I mean mean this is closest San's ever been to uh play with his uh by his family so I think it's a good good opportunity for both of them uh just back so you mentioned a little bit you know week zero the Limelight National stage all eyes are on game like how how important is that yeah I mean it's not just another game I mean we get coach speak and know the next game no it's it's we're going we're going to a different country to expose our game of football and be ambassadors towards American football In Another Country what a what an unbelievable opportunity that these kids and these coaches have and uh really to showcase our Sport and when you go over there we went over there earlier in the year to do some advanced work and uh you know the known still about American football or it's it's really kind of mind-blowing when you see it cuz it's every day to us and but to get over there and see the the passion people have for it and how much they enjoy the game how much they're continuing to learn about the game we played over there 10 years ago uh when I was at UCF and just seeing the evolution in the last 10 years of of that sport over there uh so it's it's a it's a really cool opportunity to be on to be on that stage uh to be the first game of the year uh to play the opponent like we have a chance to play in Florida State uh so it's uh it's fun a lot of these guys there's there's guys that probably haven't been on flights much less been out of the country matter of fact I don't think Buster's been out of the country he just told me that so he don't like flying either so got him sitting next to me you're okay Buster the window nah so but no it's good anything else for Coach Pete that's a lot of cameras for easy questions now all right coach thank you all right guys go jackets not if I see you first 25 minutes