ATLANTA (Mar. 26) — After viewing the tapes of his team’s first spring scrimmage, Georgia Tech head coach George O’Leary said he is pleased with the Yellow Jackets’ speed and athletic ability.
“You can see that we have more speed on the field, and more depth,” said O’Leary following Monday’s workout, the sixth of the spring.
After scrimmaging for the first time last Saturday, the Yellow Jackets will scrimmage again this week on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Rose Bowl Field. The “Springfest Scrimmage” is open to the public, free of charge.
“We’re trying to play a lot of players and see what the redshirts can do,” said O’Leary. “As we add more installation, we see more mistakes, but today was a good day. We’re into the blitz and pressure packages now, so guys will start separating themselves as far as who understands what’s going on and who doesn’t.”
Tech’s improved speed is evident on defense, especially at linebacker, where the Yellow Jackets return starters Recardo Wimbush (Blakely, Ga.), Daryl Smith (Albany, Ga.) and Ather Brown (Macon, Ga.). Backups Keyaron Fox (Atlanta, Ga.) and Anthony Lawston (Baltimore, Md.) also run very well. Four of those five are sophomores; Wimbush, a junior, is the lone upperclassman.
“We have speed there, but we just want to keep getting better,” said O’Leary. “All of those kids played last year, so we have some experience and we’re trying some new things.”
Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jeremy Phillips suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s scrimmage, sustaining a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. He will undergo surgery, and his status for next season is doubtful. The 6-7, 295-pounder from Watkinsville, Ga., is a promising talent on the second team who was expected to earn playing and challenge for a starting berth.
