Technical Tidbits 4/5: Adams stands out at spring practice, Kuchar gears up for Masters

Defensive tackle Brandon Adams, a rising sophomore out of Brentwood, TN, has been one of the most impressive players on Paul Johnson’s 2017 roster so far during spring practice. There are big guys, and then there’s Brandon Adams — he is listed at 6-foot-2 and 349 pounds on Tech’s official website but has apparently come down from that number to some extent, per the AJC. He looked great on a couple of goal-line and general short-yardage plays last season but was reserved almost exclusively for those situations, likely a result of either inexperience or conditioning issues. If he can get that out of the way, he could be the run stuffing/lightly relied-upon pass-rushing presence inside that we haven’t seen since Adam Gotsis.

Meanwhile on the offensive line, fellow rising sophomore Parker Braun appears to be blossoming into a star at his own position. Once a four-star recruit, Braun has a strong football history behind him — including former Yellow Jacket offensive lineman Trey Braun — and was incredibly successful in year one. Paul Johnson doesn’t hesitate to redshirt players that he knows aren’t ready, so the fact that Braun played so many snaps as a true freshman is a great indicator of what the coaching staff sees in him. If the upcoming 2017 season is a success, it will almost certainly start up front. Parker Braun will be a huge part of that from game number one.

Tech great Matt Kuchar will get his 2017 Masters performance started on Thursday alongside defending champion Danny Willett and Australian amateur Curtis Luck, a formidable grouping for the one they call KOOOCH. Currently the 21st-ranked player in the world, Kuchar will be looking for his very first Masters win this weekend. Whether or not he is prepared to hang with the world’s best players remains to be seen, but we can at least have confidence in the fact that his trash talking will be on point as always. His shot at Phil Mickelson in that article is hilarious, likely reflecting some combination of cynicism picked up during his Georgia Tech days and built-in defense mechanisms from wearing Sketchers gear in public.