Fall camp continued on Tuesday for Georgia Tech
, and the Yellow Jackets were out there for their second practice of camp. After practice, running back Trelain Maddox
and left tackle Ethan Mackenny
spoke with the media, and here is everything that they had to say.
Trelain Maddox
1. On pushing for playing time in a room with Justice Haynes
and Malachi Hosley...
"Just being versatile, being able to do more than just running back, running routes, blocking, just finding a way to get on the field, find my role, and help them when they get tired or when they need help and need a break. Then I come in and running back and do all of that stuff too. So just pushing every day like I'm the best guy in the room, even though it's a room full of guys who feel like they're the best."
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2. On making a breakthrough in year three...
"Yeah, it's funny that you say that because, like, guys in the locker room, they call me unk and all of that. Like, they'd be looking to me to see what to do and set that example. And, yeah, I feel like I fit in Coach Godsey's offense. He has a... A bunch of things that just are going to blow the defenses away. And wherever I fit in my role, I think I'll do a good big part of it."
3. On how George Godsey uses RB's in the offense...
"It's great, honestly, because it doesn't limit you to only running the ball. He has us catching, blocking, doing everything, running routes, deep routes, short routes. He wants the best five skilled guys on the field. It doesn't have to be position-based, so wherever you get in, you fit in."
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4. On what he has noticed from the defensive line...
"A lot of new faces up front. Yeah, what are you seeing there? Made a lot of progress on the D-line. Some really big guys out there. Jordan Walker
, he's huge. Intimidation factor, but he also is a great player and is going to cause havoc in the backfield. So as long as they're giving the opposing defense the same treatment they're giving us, then I don't see no problem with them stopping the run."
5. On Jayden Barr moving from running back to safety...
"Well, he was at safety, so you got to get back used to carrying the ball and all of that. So we got him out of that throughout the spring, had to get him used to the formations and play calls because they're, especially with Godsey, it's the OC there a lot to go into each play. So you got to know where to align, what to do, who to get. So just bringing him along and making sure he has everything he needs and being there a shoulder if he needs."
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6. On bouncing back from past injuries...
"All of that just comes with confidence. And the more confidence you get, the better you're going to feel. Plays you're going to make based off your confidence um and it's just believing in your body making sure it's going to hold up and everything so i have the confidence now and I'm ready to go."
7. On Justice Haynes...
"It's great, because you know every day that you have to come and bring your all, and you can't coast like he said, because if you coast, you might get passed up or it's next man up, because it's a group of such talented guys that if you're lacking and coasting, you'll get passed up and lose your opportunity. talented guys that if you're lacking and coasting, you'll get passed up and lose your opportunity."
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8. On the team working to be better in short yardage situations...
"I mean, losing Haynes is a big part of that. He was a big power, a short yardage. So we're going to have to use some different plays, different packages. And then the new guys up front on the O-line just growing and getting older and getting better. So I think there."
Ethan Mackenny
1. On his health...
"Yes, sir. I'm fit as a fiddle. I'm ready to go."
2. On the development of young OL like Jordan Floyd
...
"I mean, being able to take this step up is one of the older. Older heads in the room now, if not really the oldest head other than Markell Samuel. But I've seen a lot of strides from Jordan Floyd. I think he's really grown up, matured as a player. A lot of the young guys made strides. A lot of the freshmen come in, the Heard twins. And, you know, seeing Xavier (Canales) come back from his wrist injury recently, watching him get back into football, he's gained his confidence back. And I'm just excited to see a lot of these young guys develop and take more of a leadership role for Georgia Tech."
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3. On studying the running backs running style to help out the o-line...
"Yes, sir. I say so. We need to know our running backs' tracks as well as we know our own plays and what our direction is on the play. We've got to know where the running back's going and where he's going to cut back to as far as run plays. And we've got to know if the running back's going to be blocking for us on which side. you know, all these different things. But we got to know the running back's job just as our own."
4. On working alongside other players at left guard after playing alongside Joe Fusile
for multiple years...
"Honestly, having Joe around for really most of my career here. He saved my butt more than a few times in practice, more than a few times in a game, especially when I was like a young freshman playing. And honestly, having a guy as great as Joe to look up to as a football player, as a person, as a man, it's been nice to learn from Joe, like how you're supposed to go about things here at Georgia Tech. And me playing alongside KP (Kevin Peay Jr), I feel like.
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We're learning, you know, how to play together, you know, like where we're at in our combos, how to communicate. Just like the smaller details that me and Joe, or really that Joe taught me how to like, you know, communicate in those smaller details is how I'm trying to talk to KP about this. I'm like, look, we got to talk about the little things. We got to communicate no matter what. But KP is strong. He's explosive. And I'm excited to play next to him."
5. On Keylan Rutledge
's success and how that can motivate him...
"I mean, Keylan, I mean, I remember when he came off of his foot injury and what he did was incredible. And, you know, thinking about how he did it and how he went about his business is how I need to mirror and take care of myself because that man was always in the training room, always in the hot tub, cold tub, contrasting, getting in early. You know, eating, hydrating, doing all the right things and watching him do those things as well as how he attacked practice. I mean, that man came into practice every day angry, like hot and ready to go.
And I've never seen an aggression such as Keylan Rutledge's. And he's inspired me to figure out how I can be better about my process and how to maintain my body and be healthy."
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6. On the offense's identity being a run-first team...
"Absolutely. I mean, we've always ran the ball. That's been our identity as a team. You know, it doesn't matter. The yardage would be third and long, and we still run outside zone if we wanted to. I mean, I'm excited because I know we can run the ball. We've got the assets. We've got the size. You know, Justice, Malachi, Chad, J.P. We've got all the assets that we need to get the ball down the field, and we've got the size, the speed on the offensive line to make it happen. So I'm excited to see what we're going to do this year."
7. On the blocking scheme this season...
"I think it'll be a good mixture. I think we've got a lot more tricks up our sleeve in the run game now. I think we've got a lot more help. Around the offensive line, I feel like last year a lot of the pressure fell onto the five up front to get the job done. And, you know, we'd have a tight end here and there. But I feel like we've got a lot more help in the blocking scheme, especially with the pro style offense. So I'm really looking forward to seeing how we can put a hat on a hat and get the ball to a touchdown."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/georgiatech as Everything From Georgia Tech RB Trelain Maddox and OL Ethan Mackenny After Tuesday's Practice
.
