Some interesting tidbits in this article-
While most of his teammates spoke of their confidence and comfort in playing football this fall, Georgia Tech safety Tariq Carpenter expressed other sentiments. On his Twitter account, he questioned the wisdom of playing games through the coronavirus pandemic, asking “how is playing a contact...
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”I can tell you what – I’m fast as I’ve ever been,” Carpenter said. “I’m up to 240 now (he was listed at 223 pounds last season), and I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my life.”
On Wednesday, coach Geoff Collins said that he was “just excited to see him in the next week or so be back to full speed and be back completely healthy, and he’s going to make a huge impact.”
Carpenter, the team’s third-leading tackler last season with 62 stops, is part of a secondary that could be the strongest position group on the team.
“Everybody’s buying in,” he said. “Everybody’s playing everything.”
From his vantage point, he has been particularly impressed with the defensive line, which last season was a young group that was often outplayed. Tech tying for 111th in FBS in sacks per game last season (1.42) was an indicator of the line’s performance.
“They’ve been going crazy all camp,” Carpenter said. “They’ve been holding double teams for the linebackers, opening up the holes for everybody, so they’ve been doing a pretty good job.”
The line’s play has been so effective, as Carpenter has seen it, that the offense hasn’t been able to throw deep often.
“(Wide receiver Ahmarean Brown) isn’t going over the top of us as usual in practice because our D-line is getting back there to the quarterback,” Carpenter said. “Us as a defensive unit, we’re getting more hands on balls and stuff because the quarterback doesn’t have all day to throw.”
In his own position group, Carpenter touted redshirt freshman safety Wesley Walker, who played in three games last season in a minor role.
“He’s been ballin’,” Carpenter said. “I’m not going to lie. He’s been doing everything. He’s teaching me some stuff.”
Among linebackers, Quez Jackson has been “going crazy.” He said of Demetrius Knight, a high-school quarterback, that “it’s just crazy how he can adjust to playing defense like that.” Senior David Curry is “doing his thing. He’s teaching everybody everything he knows.”