Spring Position battle - B-Back

Eric

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Gone from the 2013 team is leading rusher David Sims. Now the Jackets will be trying to find a new force at B-back for the upcoming 2014 season.

Competitors - Zach Laskey, Travis Custis, Matt Connors and Donovan Wilson.

Favored - Zach Laskey

I will start off with the favorite...Zach Laskey. Laskey has proved to be a good backup the last couple of season and has shown that he is a hard nosed runner. Laskey is also very dependable as I cant think of many times that he has fumbled...in fact I cant think of any off the top of my head where he has fumbled from the B back spot. I personally think Laskey is a little underrated by Georgia Tech fans. The one area that Coach Johnson is always harping on with Zach is his blocking...hopefully we see that improve this upcoming year.

The new guy on the block is Travis Custis...Custis was a member of the 2013 class but had some academic issues that prevented him from arriving at Tech until this semester...I really like what he brings to the table. Custis runs with great pad level (lower than Laskey from what I have seen) and has good vision and cutting ability. He isnt a speedster but he has a step on David Sims. If Custis can pick up the blocking I think Laskey could be in for a tough fit.

Donovan Wilson is an A back as of now but a switch over to B back this Spring isnt out of the question...Wilson is a physical player. He runs hard as well..I hope to see him stick at A back long-term.

Matt Connors is a former walk-on who could leave the team come Spring team...Connors is simply a tough kid who keeps his legs moving. He has been a great walk-on for the sheer depth purposes..I honestly think he would be putting up good numbers at one of the service academy's.

Prediction - Zach Laskey

I think Laskey will start game one due experience but I expect Custis to see a lot of playing time as well...I expect that Custis will see more and more time as the year goes on and would not be surprised to see him as the starter before the season is over with if his blocking is what it needs to be. We will have a good 1-2 punch with Laskey and Custis.
 

Eric

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He's pretty close to Allen from what I've seen...hopefully we will get to see this Spring.
 

Eric

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Snoddy will likely start the Spring out at B back but make the move over to A back before it's over.

I counted Wilson at B back and Snoddy at A back in my breakdown... but that could be switched.
 

Rodney Kent

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From my perspective, Laskey is the best BBack on the team since Dwyer. He has been more consistant than any of the others, and he always runs hardnosed into the line. He is also a good receiver from that position. He may not be the fastest or block as well, but I really don't care, since he is able to gain positive yards on most every play. If we passed more, his ability to pass protect would be better, but none of our teams gets that much practice in games at pass blocking, so all I look for his running ability.
 

takethepoints

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I think Laskey starts and probably rushes for 900 - 1000 yards this year. In 2012 he led the team in rushing (697), had two games where he rushed for over 100 yards, and averaged 5.2 ypc with only one (1) carry for negative yards. All this was while sharing the position with Sims for the last 8 games.

I don't know what he has left to prove, but most Tech people seem to want more. If he improves just a smidgen on his pass blocking, I think many of you (not me) will be surprised.
 
ATL1

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I'm gonna throw Leggett into the mix as well, although I think he'll get redshirted.

Personally I hope to see Custis and Wilson punishing the DL in tandem.
 
gtdrew

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wingsrlevel

wingsrlevel

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Oldgoldandwhite said:
How fast is Custis compared to Dwyer and Allen?
Click to expand...

Cook said last year that it was Snoddy then Laskey as far as speed went at the BB position. This was said when Custis was practicing last spring. Custis seems to be another Sims ...speed wise. I tend to agree with TTP as far as if Laskey stays healthy he'll be a 1000 yard rusher in this offense.
 
ATL1

ATL1

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[quotesrlevel, post: 34525, member: 346"]Cook said last year that it was Snoddy then Laskey as far as speed went at the BB position. This was said when Custis was practicing last spring. Custis seems to be another Sims ...speed wise. I tend to agree with TTP as far as if Laskey stays healthy he'll be a 1000 yard rusher in this offense.[/quote]

Custis wasn't at Tech last spring
 
techman78

techman78

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I think Wilson could end up being a dark horse candidate at B back. He was a bruiser between the tackles in HS. His senior season he had a game with I think 50+ carries and 300+ yards. He was a true work horse for his team.
 
Techster

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techman78 said:
I think Wilson could end up being a dark horse candidate at B back. He was a bruiser between the tackles in HS. His senior season he had a game with I think 50+ carries and 300+ yards. He was a true work horse for his team.
Click to expand...

Yup...my thoughts exactly. Custis got all the hype (deservedly so), but I thought Wilson was very underrated by GT fans. His tape looked great for a BB. He also seemed to get better as the game wore on. Very physical runner. I said in another thread that his game is the closest to Kyle Eckel that we've had at BB.
 
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