Technical Tidbits 9/4

Georgia Tech defensive end KeShun Freeman could be one of the most exciting players on the roster in seasons to come, and his recent interview with the AJC only serves to justify that assumption. I really liked the comments he made about his sense of pride in being a player at a school like Georgia Tech, especially at a time when school pride is the last thing on the minds of many players, taking a backseat to NFL aspirations and parties. His thoughts on being a freshman leader on the relatively young Tech defense are also very interesting (and encouraging for that matter); freshmen are traditionally still vying to earn their keep on a squad, much less step into a leadership role immediately. Freeman's willingness to do that is relatively rare among freshmen and something I'm very excited to see develop throughout his Tech career.

This week's edition of Ask Jackets, a series of interviews with Georgia Tech players, has a focus on longtime Yellow Jacket Jamal Golden. Golden, who made his first start last week following an injury that caused him to miss most of last season, is expected to be one of the main anchors of the Tech secondary this season along with Isaiah Johnson, D.J. White, and a host of other contributors. He, like KeShun Freeman, is one of the Tech players who has really stepped up as a leader on the young Tech defense and will be an integral part of what will hopefully be a big turnaround for the Tech secondary following a disappointing 2013 campaign.

Every single fan of Georgia Tech football has, by now, formed their own opinion on whether or not the slim margin of victory over Wofford is troubling or not. Some say that it is indicative of a bad season to come -- after all, why should the Jackets have played an FCS opponent which finished with a losing record last season so close? On the other side of the spectrum reside those who see a tune-up game as just that -- a tune-up game, meaning that you still need to find answers at key positions in time for your first true test of the season. Whatever the case may be, the Jackets will certainly need to bring their A-game (at least compared to last week) if they hope to get a win at Tulane this weekend.

Florida just taught us all a very valuable lesson on why not to schedule cupcake teams when their matchup with the Idaho Vandals was rained out and eventually cancelled late last weekend. The Gators will pay the Idaho squad just south of $1,000,000 for flying to Gainesville, getting off the plane, and flying back. No football involved! This is not the first time Florida has made an oopsie in scheduling (and paying) a warmup team in the last year. The incident I'm referring to is of course the infamous Georgia Southern upset of the Gators last season in The Swamp in which the Gators paid the Eagles $550,000 to get embarrassed in front of their hometown fans. Hey, at least coach Muschamp's boys know who to block now. That's one step closer to no longer being a joke, right?

What are your expectations for KeShun Freeman this season and in the future?

Have a great Thursday!