The Future

[AUFC]

I wouldn't bet my money on it. The way we got after Pitt's QB and Stockton points to other thingsss.

Yeah fair point - the defense was not so much the issue against Pitt. I do think putting any semblance of pressure on CJ Bailey might have tilted NC State in a different direction though.

 

[dirtybird]

I'm just going to stream of consciousness this post, so apologize in advance.

Next step 1 - send these seniors out with a bang. This year's team for whatever reason just hasn't played a complete game. We need to use this bowl game to get the team humming and show what we were really capable of. In my opinion, we had playoff potential, but 6-6 execution. If we can get the defense to play like they showed yesterday and offense like they showed in flashes and go blow the absolute brakes off a relatively big bowl opponent and get to 10 wins, it will be a much fonder memory. As much as HK is one of the best QBs ever on the flats, hard to be a legend without an ACC title or UGA win so getting to 10 wins will be a nice crowning achievement. These seniors have just absolutely put everything into this program and you can see the wear and tear on each and every one of them. They're all a step or two slower because of the physical toll of it all. For many of them, this will be the last time they ever put pads on. That's what is cool about the bowl system, let this be a reward and a celebration of their careers. This is a special group and 10 wins will go a long way towards their legacy. If we somehow backdoor our way into the ACCCG, we have to somehow give these kids an injection of confidence in a week rather than a longer bowl rest.

Next step 2 - Roster. We didn't evaluate well out of the portal on the defensive side of the ball. That needs to be fixed and now. On offense, we need to retain Philo, Canion, Allen and go get some help on OL, RB, TE. On defense, we need to upgrade at every position. On both sides, we're graduating so many people that we need to bring in at least 25 in the portal and most probably need to be starters/2 deep caliber. Go donate to the nil collective. Seeing as how Felton played yesterday, though, I wonder if maybe we have more players waiting in the wings than we think. Dude was an upgrade. How many more were in our 2 deep because of sunk cost fallacy? Maybe he's just a gamer and it wasn't obvious in practice. Maybe it's just one game and I need to calm down. Either way, we need 10 more starters on defense and backups. We also need to just simply get the low football IQ players off our roster. There's some guys on our team who repeatedly and consistently do dumb ****. The coaches need to move on from them, no matter how much better they are physically than the next guy because the dumb stuff is costing us. We don't have to be the biggest and strongest, but we better be tough and execute our assignments. Kind of hard to set that identity when you keep trotting out guys who don't do those things. For being such a smart school, we really should be better at not doing stuff like on the opening kickoff. We also need to upgrade OL, what's our 5 star doing aside from spending his nil check on legal fees. Key's approach to nil is to spend on QB, OL, DL. I think that's wise. This next year, we won't be hampered by having a large NIL package going to retain a backup QB.

Next Step 3 - I was surprised to hear that Buster may not actually want to be a HC. If I'm being honest, I feel like that's bs and he wouldn't be able to turn down a P4 offer, but maybe he'd turn down a G5 offer. Gideon I was told we'd evaluate at the end of the season. Well, 9 bad games 3 good ones as far as I'm concerned. If it weren't for the CB blitz on the play that gave up the TD, I wouldn't believe that he called the game yesterday. I mean, seriously, the entire approach was a 180. None of the spot dropping from the LB corps. Run fits night and day as a result, btw. DBs playing up on their guys. Don't remember seeing quarters coverage. Way more man coverage. I just simply don't get why we didn't play this way all year. Sure NC State and Pitt are way more multiple than UGA, but this style of play would've meant VPI and Cuse type blowouts all season. That confidence could've been a difference maker. If we played with this approach on defense from the start, we would be in the playoffs.

Next Step 4 - to take the next step, we've got to fund the next step. The price tag was $20m/3yrs back in October - mostly increased nil commitment. Don't know what it is now, don't care. Probably has gone up with the carousel inflating the market for coaches and arms race on NIL. I heard we're going to Cabrera to get something from the university to free up donors to cover NIL. Cabrera has gotten a lot of praise for athletics support, time to see exactly how much of a commitment is there. In this era, it's really less about the coach and more about the institutional support. You'd think eventually the money would realize that and AD/university president salaries would be the things being inflated rather than coach salaries, but the money can kind of be stupid at times.

Next step 5 - retain strength and conditioning staff, you ever seen a season with so few injuries?

Isn't the type of "pay for play" NIL fans can donate to no longer allowed under the house settlement? They closed Tech Way and now it redirects you to some dinky site that I have no idea what they actually do. I wish Tech would tell rank and file fans how we can support the program

 

[iceeater1969]

I'm just going to stream of consciousness this post, so apologize in advance.

Next step 1 - send these seniors out with a bang. This year's team for whatever reason just hasn't played a complete game. We need to use this bowl game to get the team humming and show what we were really capable of. In my opinion, we had playoff potential, but 6-6 execution. If we can get the defense to play like they showed yesterday and offense like they showed in flashes and go blow the absolute brakes off a relatively big bowl opponent and get to 10 wins, it will be a much fonder memory. As much as HK is one of the best QBs ever on the flats, hard to be a legend without an ACC title or UGA win so getting to 10 wins will be a nice crowning achievement. These seniors have just absolutely put everything into this program and you can see the wear and tear on each and every one of them. They're all a step or two slower because of the physical toll of it all. For many of them, this will be the last time they ever put pads on. That's what is cool about the bowl system, let this be a reward and a celebration of their careers. This is a special group and 10 wins will go a long way towards their legacy. If we somehow backdoor our way into the ACCCG, we have to somehow give these kids an injection of confidence in a week rather than a longer bowl rest.

Next step 2 - Roster. We didn't evaluate well out of the portal on the defensive side of the ball. That needs to be fixed and now. On offense, we need to retain Philo, Canion, Allen and go get some help on OL, RB, TE. On defense, we need to upgrade at every position. On both sides, we're graduating so many people that we need to bring in at least 25 in the portal and most probably need to be starters/2 deep caliber. Go donate to the nil collective. Seeing as how Felton played yesterday, though, I wonder if maybe we have more players waiting in the wings than we think. Dude was an upgrade. How many more were in our 2 deep because of sunk cost fallacy? Maybe he's just a gamer and it wasn't obvious in practice. Maybe it's just one game and I need to calm down. Either way, we need 10 more starters on defense and backups. We also need to just simply get the low football IQ players off our roster. There's some guys on our team who repeatedly and consistently do dumb ****. The coaches need to move on from them, no matter how much better they are physically than the next guy because the dumb stuff is costing us. We don't have to be the biggest and strongest, but we better be tough and execute our assignments. Kind of hard to set that identity when you keep trotting out guys who don't do those things. For being such a smart school, we really should be better at not doing stuff like on the opening kickoff. We also need to upgrade OL, what's our 5 star doing aside from spending his nil check on legal fees. Key's approach to nil is to spend on QB, OL, DL. I think that's wise. This next year, we won't be hampered by having a large NIL package going to retain a backup QB.

Next Step 3 - I was surprised to hear that Buster may not actually want to be a HC. If I'm being honest, I feel like that's bs and he wouldn't be able to turn down a P4 offer, but maybe he'd turn down a G5 offer. Gideon I was told we'd evaluate at the end of the season. Well, 9 bad games 3 good ones as far as I'm concerned. If it weren't for the CB blitz on the play that gave up the TD, I wouldn't believe that he called the game yesterday. I mean, seriously, the entire approach was a 180. None of the spot dropping from the LB corps. Run fits night and day as a result, btw. DBs playing up on their guys. Don't remember seeing quarters coverage. Way more man coverage. I just simply don't get why we didn't play this way all year. Sure NC State and Pitt are way more multiple than UGA, but this style of play would've meant VPI and Cuse type blowouts all season. That confidence could've been a difference maker. If we played with this approach on defense from the start, we would be in the playoffs.

Next Step 4 - to take the next step, we've got to fund the next step. The price tag was $20m/3yrs back in October - mostly increased nil commitment. Don't know what it is now, don't care. Probably has gone up with the carousel inflating the market for coaches and arms race on NIL. I heard we're going to Cabrera to get something from the university to free up donors to cover NIL. Cabrera has gotten a lot of praise for athletics support, time to see exactly how much of a commitment is there. In this era, it's really less about the coach and more about the institutional support. You'd think eventually the money would realize that and AD/university president salaries would be the things being inflated rather than coach salaries, but the money can kind of be stupid at times.

Next step 5 - retain strength and conditioning staff, you ever seen a season with so few injuries?

On Defense scheme "I simply don't know why we didn't play that way all year" Good question for Key: how his "systems people" allows for embarrassingly bad play. After this game , I feel bad for screaming in my mind at 44 - the other side).

On who plays:
Its amazing how naturally gifted true freshman 31 Felton moved on the field.
The 85 Kid has been on bench all year. Going long or running jet sweeps takes zero practice. Tae Harris is elite.

(My coaching son worked for HS coach that's a very good friend of John KING. He coached against John and Haynes when they ran air raid, rpo and power i against him. He wonders where the gunslinger/ runner King went.)

Question for Key - how will we run busters counter option without a running qb? The rb got zero the last few games. Will we run the counter option that takes agile small ol at sacrafice of pass blocking?

Imo, key will solve these issues, but we need a POSITIVE PORTAL RANK ( JAN 2-16). THE PORTAL RANK WILL SUFFER IF WE GET THROTTLED IN BOWL.
Can we win big?
Be there or be square!

 

[ramblineck]

I wouldn't bet my money on it. The way we got after Pitt's QB and Stockton points to other thingsss.

The hidden truth….the offense and largely the OL. Could not execute the run game the fast few games like we had been most of the season and HK running for his life most of the time

 

[g0lftime]

We have a LOT of young DL and DBs that will be rising So/R-So. Strength training, training table, and Spring training will be very important. Also, need to develop clear back-up QB and get him early PT.
Portal has never been so important, as is need to get another class like '25 in '27.

We need more size on the DL IMO. We miss Biggers this year (and Height) and will miss VDB next year. I dont see who will replace him. We better hit the portal with some big $$$ because i don't see it in our committed HS recruits so far. Recruiting DL has not been Keys strength so far. Lots of OL.

 

[GTBandit22]

Priority number one is retaining guys.
Philo, Hosely, Canion , Allen top priority.

After that, we need DT. Top 4 graduate leaving a gigantic hole.
Then any spot on D where we can add talent, OL, TE. L


If Buster sticks around, I’m excited to see what he cooks up. I think the QB power game will be abandoned for more zone read and passing.

 

[MonroeJacket]

I honestly think the offense will be better next year..AP is a really good QB who can spin it alot better than HK, he can also move really well. I think we are in for a pleasant surprise

Would be poetic if we flipped it on the mutts with a quarterback from their backyard. “The boy from Bogart” has a nice ring to it. They would be livid and confused. “Why would anyone from Oconee Co wanna play for annyone other than for the dawgs?”

Would be nice after all the hype around King if the guy in the wings actually turned out to be the chosen one.

 

[g0lftime]

Isn't the type of "pay for play" NIL fans can donate to no longer allowed under the house settlement? They closed Tech Way and now it redirects you to some dinky site that I have no idea what they actually do. I wish Tech would tell rank and file fans how we can support the program

I think one more year of wild west NIL. NIL will be allowed 2027 but must be cleared by Deloitte if paid more than $600 for NIL. Schools allowed to pay athletes within a $20M budget. How it will be actually enforced is a mystery. The NCAA couldn’t enforce anything once the lawsuits started. I expect this all to be challenged in court because the big boys want to keep their NIL advantage.

 

[BainbridgeJacket]

Isn't the type of "pay for play" NIL fans can donate to no longer allowed under the house settlement? They closed Tech Way and now it redirects you to some dinky site that I have no idea what they actually do. I wish Tech would tell rank and file fans how we can support the program

I haven't paid any attention to the house settlement whatsoever. Seems like something to let the lawyers figure out. The whole Tech Way management change could've been handled better, but dealing with compliance people is like dealing with HR at work. They only make things worse, but if you don't have them then you have too much risk.

 

[Root4GT]

On Defense scheme "I simply don't know why we didn't play that way all year" Good question for Key: how his "systems people" allows for embarrassingly bad play. After this game , I feel bad for screaming in my mind at 44 - the other side).

On who plays:
Its amazing how naturally gifted true freshman 31 Felton moved on the field.
The 85 Kid has been on bench all year. Going long or running jet sweeps takes zero practice. Tae Harris is elite.

(My coaching son worked for HS coach that's a very good friend of John KING. He coached against John and Haynes when they ran air raid, rpo and power i against him. He wonders where the gunslinger/ runner King went.)

Question for Key - how will we run busters counter option without a running qb? The rb got zero the last few games. Will we run the counter option that takes agile small ol at sacrafice of pass blocking?

Imo, key will solve these issues, but we need a POSITIVE PORTAL RANK ( JAN 2-16). THE PORTAL RANK WILL SUFFER IF WE GET THROTTLED IN BOWL.
Can we win big?
Be there or be square!

Money matters. Playing time matters. Bowl results matter little. Times have changed!

 

[Wrecked]

Completely agree that the future looks good. One note of caution, do not be surprised next year when our record slides to 7-5 or 6-6 next year. The schedule is more difficult and the heartbeat of the entire organization will be in the working world as opposed to under center.

Sorry, but that is not an acceptable season. Tech fans should expect this season to be our new floor, nine wins and competing for the ACC title game in November every season going forward. 7 win seasons should be a thing of the past. The resources we are putting into football now put us in that position. I think Key would agree.

 

[Eli]

Maybe, but I think that had more to do with a lack of blocking for the types of plays Jamal was good at combined with the wear and tear of the past few seasons taking away some of his shiftiness. Our TEs kind of sucked at blocking all year long. We really need a couple good blocking TEs for next year.

I like the freshmen TEs. 6’8 kid from Connecticut i am excited to see how he develops. Played lacrosse in high school i believe he will be a stud.

 

[Eli]

Would be poetic if we flipped it on the mutts with a quarterback from their backyard. “The boy from Bogart” has a nice ring to it. They would be livid and confused. “Why would anyone from Oconee Co wanna play for annyone other than for the dawgs?”

Would be nice after all the hype around King if the guy in the wings actually turned out to be the chosen one.

I’m still intrigued in how we use Knowles. Played in the largest classification in Texas. 6’7 230 and runs like a deer. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have some packages for him.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

We just received 10 million from Investco QQQ was for playing at MBS...we should use that immediately, ... Recruiting can invest on depth and save $$$ for future development

Are we even allowed to use that for NIL?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I’m still intrigued in how we use Knowles. Played in the largest classification in Texas. 6’7 230 and runs like a deer. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have some packages for him at TE.

Fify

 

[GT1990CHAMPS]

Sorry, but that is not an acceptable season. Tech fans should expect this season to be our new floor, nine wins and competing for the ACC title game in November every season going forward. 7 win seasons should be a thing of the past. The resources we are putting into football now put us in that position. I think Key would agree.

Wait, I didn’t say it is “acceptable” but we are not recruiting at a level where 9 wins become the floor. Given the few number of teams that win 9 games a year and the level at which we recruit, are you sure you understand P4 football?

The recruiting classes would need to have a four year average in the 20’s before that is realistic

 

[Eli]

Fify

Kevin Rouche from CT. 6’8 255. Redshirted this year. I think he will be a stud

 

[Wrecked]

Wait, I did t say it is “acceptable” but we are not recruiting at a level where 9 wins become the floor. Given the few number of teams that win 9 games a year and the level at which we recruit, are you sure you understand P4 football?

The recruiting classes would need to have a four year average in the 20’s before that is realistic

I’ll clarify, we should be in the conversation for the ACC title game every November. If the number is nine wins, eight wins so be it. That is my expectation, and I am fairly sure I understand p4 football. We don’t have to recruit in the 20’s to do that, just outrecruit our conference foes.

 

[GoldZ]

We need more size on the DL IMO. We miss Biggers this year (and Height) and will miss VDB next year. I dont see who will replace him. We better hit the portal with some big $$$ because i don't see it in our committed HS recruits so far. Recruiting DL has not been Keys strength so far. Lots of OL.

Agree with the size issue. Many of the impressive stops last night were from youngsters who will get bigger. The vast majority of our past DL players you can remember the name of, both DTs and DEs, were good as So/R-So. Landon, Jones, and Boyd will not be small by September, but it takes about 4 guys at a minimum who are run stopping/OL absorbing on the interior, who can rotate to get the job done. As for rush DEs, we have to stop missing on guys from the Portal.

 

[Root4GT]

I’ll clarify, we should be in the conversation for the ACC title game every November. If the number is nine wins, eight wins so be it. That is my expectation, and I am fairly sure I understand p4 football. We don’t have to recruit in the 20’s to do that, just outrecruit our conference foes.

The ACC has some teams with lots of money for football, way more than GT. Miami, FSU, Clemson, SMU and Louisville. GT won’t have top 3 talent level in the ACC. Doesn’t mean we can’t compete for ACC Titles. It will never be easy though.