Wanted a thread to post it in so guess I will use this one.
I had a nice chat with Tevin Washington after the game (there are always a ton of former players and also kids being recruited that hang out at the players entrance after the game). After such a big win I just wanted to congratulate the coaches or some players while the adrenaline still pumped before heading home. Saw Tevin so had to talk to him.
I told him that the last and only time I had a chat with him after a game was when he took down Clemson at Bobby Dodd, he said well that was a big win also so that I needed to talk to him after more games. He said he would make it back for the Homecoming game so I will be looking for him after that one as well.
Then I commented that it is so nice to see the offense being run, and especially to see the triple get run in the game, like he used to run it. His eyes lit up and he had a huge grin as he then launched into praising Justin Thomas. He said "I know, and he just looks so calm and collected running it!" He said Thomas is running the option really well but also with incredible poise and confidence so that he is only going to get even better at it. We talked about the Alabama QB connection as well as my opinion that Thomas has a similar style with the media to Tevin. Then I ended the chat by thanking him for his time at Tech as our QB and that he will always be one of my favorite QBs that we had here because he clearly left nothing back and gave it his all and he ran the option and the offense so incredibly well to the best of his abilities.
I meant to ask Tevin about if he ever gets to coach Thomas on how to take hits and go down soft? I think Thomas has done a good job at that so far, at protecting himself so he can pop up and be ready for the next play. But Tevin was a master at it. Since he didn't have the blazing breakaway speed he was pretty much going to get hit or tackled most plays but I was still impressed at his capacity to roll with the punches and play on. Now I need to just ask him that after a big homecoming win!
Tevin is polite and humble, soft-spoken as we all know. But I am telling you that Tevin got clearly so excited about Justin Thomas and how the team is doing. He is still living football vicariously through his love of the Tech program and through his friends still playing on the team. He was out there after the game hanging around to congratulate coaches and players after a big win just like I was.
Tevin is a great Tech man. I didn't go to Tech myself so by that I mean simply that he gave all he had and made me as a fan proud to have him and that he continues to love and support the program. It isn't just consensus All Americans that represent the best of Tech football.
I had a word and heard some nice comments from some others, Derrick Moore, Coach Roof and Pelton, etc. But the Tevin anecdote is most worth sharing because he deserves a pat on the back and thanks for his efforts for Tech football in his own right by having earned it; and secondly, because his enthusiasm for how Thomas is running the offense was contagious and satisfying. If Tevin praises you at running the option then it means you are doing a good job.
