Coaching transition challenges Georgia Tech's offensive line

Georgia Tech football coach Geoff Collins, center, shouts instructions during the team's spring game Friday night in Atlanta. Collins, formerly at Temple, is preparing for his first season with the Yellow Jackets and spent this spring trying to help them learn a new offense.
Georgia Tech football coach Geoff Collins, center, shouts instructions during the team's spring game Friday night in Atlanta. Collins, formerly at Temple, is preparing for his first season with the Yellow Jackets and spent this spring trying to help them learn a new offense.
photo Georgia Tech football coach Geoff Collins waves to the crowd while being introduced during halftime of a men's basketball game against Wake Forest in January in Atlanta. Collins was hired in December to replace retiring coach Paul Johnson, whose flexbone offense was the Yellow Jackets' signature during his tenure.

ATLANTA - Georgia Tech's offense spent the team's recent spring football practices essentially trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

The transition from former coach Paul Johnson's signature flexbone scheme, which is heavy on triple-option plays, to a no-huddle spread under new coach Geoff Collins is a daunting challenge on such short notice. That's especially true for the guys in the trenches.

"We're used to being on our toes," senior tackle Jahaziel Lee said. "Now we're on the inside of our heels."

The Yellow Jackets wrapped up their first spring session under Collins with an intrasquad scrimmage Friday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium, capping a period that began with the team struggling to cope with the death of defensive lineman Brandon Adams, who collapsed near campus just days before the first workout.

The season opener against reigning national champion Clemson, an Atlantic Coast Conference rival, is roughly four months away.

While much of the attention has been on how the quarterbacks and receivers will adjust to an offense that actually requires an ample amount of passing, the massive linemen have been working on techniques that don't come naturally to many of them.

In the flexbone, the linemen took their stance with their weight forward, up on their toes, so they could drive ahead quickly for the expected running play. Now they have to stay back on their feet, keeping the weight on the inside of their heels, because they're just as likely to drop back in pass protection as set up for a run.

"You have power on the inside of your feet, but you have to learn how to produce that power and generate that power," Lee said. "It's more natural on your toes. You have to just build the confidence to get comfortable in that stance, to allow yourself to adjust to that and build that power. That's the hardest thing to me."

Under Johnson, the Jackets consistently ranked among the nation's top rushing teams but used the pass mainly as a diversionary tactic. In 2018, they ran the ball on more than 85 percent of their plays out of the triple-option. Johnson built his entire offense around a unique skill set, which meant signing quarterbacks who were more adept with their legs than their arms and seeking out linemen who were used to going forward rather than dropping back.

That has all changed under Collins, hired away from Temple in early December to replace Johnson, who had announced he would retire after coaching the Jackets' bowl game.

The new offensive scheme is all about playing at a fast tempo and maintaining a balance between the run and the pass. Over time, Collins will be able to fully implement his vision in recruiting. For now, he has to make do largely with the players Johnson left behind.

Brent Key, who came from powerhouse Alabama to serve as Collins' chief deputy and offensive line coach, has tried to keep things as simple as possible for the big men.

"At the end of the day," Key said, "it's the offensive lineman's job to block the man in front of him."

Still, this is a major adjustment.

"It's been tough," said Kenny Cooper, another senior holdover on the line. "But every day you practice, it feels a little more comfortable."

The line will be bolstered by a couple of players who started their careers at other colleges. Jared Southers is a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt and eligible to play right away, while Jack DeFoor was a backup last season for the Jackets after transferring from Ole Miss. Both have been getting plenty of work with returning starters Cooper and Zach Quinney.

DeFoor is certainly used to change. He initially signed with Ole Miss to play for Hugh Freeze, switched to interim coach Matt Luke in 2017 after Freeze was forced to resign, worked under Johnson after transferring to Tech and is now helping kick off the Collins era for the Jackets.

Said Defoor with a smile: "This is my fourth offense I'm trying to learn."

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