Tale of the Tape: Breakdown of Techs Center’s heading into 2018

GTFLETCH

GTFLETCH

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Kenny Cooper – 6-3/ 307
2016- Freshman
2017- Soph
2018- Junior
High School Notes: Named first-team all-state and Calhoun Times Gordon County Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. Was state runner-up in heavyweight class as a senior to cap his first-ever season as a wrestler.
Film Breakdown: Kenny has a very quick first step, which is very hard to coach. Not everybody at the ACC or SEC level has that great first step, and Kenny possesses that for sure. Very explosive and very tenacious. He plays until the whistle blows, and he knows how to play the game and he plays it very hard. He played five games as a true freshman and started the Virginia Tech game when Freddie Burden was injured. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 309 yards that afternoon in Blacksburg and claimed a very important win. In addition to that, Cooper more than held his own against Kentucky’s defense in the Tax Slayer Bowl when Freddie left with an injury. The person who saw the greatest fruits of his labor was BB D.Mills who had a career day, 169 yards and a touchdown. Last year Cooper was named ACC offensive line of the week after the 33-7 win over UNC. Cooper took 10 defenders to the ground in 76 plays (one every 7.6 snaps). Behind the Cooper-led offensive front, Georgia Tech had two 100-yard rushers for the third time in four games this season. Johnson isn’t prone to lavish his players with praise, but on a weekly radio show, Johnson said, “He’s got a chance to be our best center since we’ve been here and he may be the best offensive lineman we have.” Going into 2018 center Kenny Cooper is as vital as anyone in the Georgia Tech lineup.

Scott Morgan - 6-4 / 290
2015- Fr
2016- RS Fr
2017- RS Soph
2018- RS Jr
High School Notes: Named first-team Georgia Class 6A all-state as a senior and also named 2014 Defensive Player of the Year by Cherokee County Gridiron Club.
Film Breakdown: Backup center in 2017. Played DL in High School, made the switch to OL at tech. First thing you notice about Scott is how good his hands are, great punch off the snap, he plays low, but doesn't appear to have elite quickness. Good motor, plays with awareness. Has good lower body strength. He is very strong. Plays with a great base and seems to be getting technically sound with every practice. He's not getting pushed back and he plays with power, when he puts his hands on guys, they go backwards. His size and weight look good. If Kenny gets injured Scott will be able to fill in and the offense will not miss a beat. Scott is also playing so well he could be moved to backup guard if needed.

Chet Lagod - 6-0 / 272
2016- Fr
2017- RS Fr
2018- RS Soph
High School Notes: Earned honorable-mention all-state recognition as a senior. Also played one season of lacrosse. Received a PWO from Georgia Tech.
Film Breakdown: His High School (Marist) runs TO from 7th grade thru Varsity. Chet knows our system and has a motor. He is Smart kid that can scoot and he uses leverage really well. He is a bit undersized however he moves well and gets his butt downfield. This past year when Scott Morgan was injured Chet took snaps in warmups before the Miami and Wake Forest game. He has shown enough thus far to the coaches that he is a player to turn to if there is an injury.
 

takethepoints

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Thanks for doing these outlines. They will come in handy.

Hope both The Twins recover completely from this year's injuries. We'll need them next year.
 

Sideways

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GTFLETCH said:
Kenny Cooper – 6-3/ 307
2016- Freshman
2017- Soph
2018- Junior
High School Notes: Named first-team all-state and Calhoun Times Gordon County Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. Was state runner-up in heavyweight class as a senior to cap his first-ever season as a wrestler.
Film Breakdown: Kenny has a very quick first step, which is very hard to coach. Not everybody at the ACC or SEC level has that great first step, and Kenny possesses that for sure. Very explosive and very tenacious. He plays until the whistle blows, and he knows how to play the game and he plays it very hard. He played five games as a true freshman and started the Virginia Tech game when Freddie Burden was injured. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 309 yards that afternoon in Blacksburg and claimed a very important win. In addition to that, Cooper more than held his own against Kentucky’s defense in the Tax Slayer Bowl when Freddie left with an injury. The person who saw the greatest fruits of his labor was BB D.Mills who had a career day, 169 yards and a touchdown. Last year Cooper was named ACC offensive line of the week after the 33-7 win over UNC. Cooper took 10 defenders to the ground in 76 plays (one every 7.6 snaps). Behind the Cooper-led offensive front, Georgia Tech had two 100-yard rushers for the third time in four games this season. Johnson isn’t prone to lavish his players with praise, but on a weekly radio show, Johnson said, “He’s got a chance to be our best center since we’ve been here and he may be the best offensive lineman we have.” Going into 2018 center Kenny Cooper is as vital as anyone in the Georgia Tech lineup.

Scott Morgan - 6-4 / 290
2015- Fr
2016- RS Fr
2017- RS Soph
2018- RS Jr
High School Notes: Named first-team Georgia Class 6A all-state as a senior and also named 2014 Defensive Player of the Year by Cherokee County Gridiron Club.
Film Breakdown: Backup center in 2017. Played DL in High School, made the switch to OL at tech. First thing you notice about Scott is how good his hands are, great punch off the snap, he plays low, but doesn't appear to have elite quickness. Good motor, plays with awareness. Has good lower body strength. He is very strong. Plays with a great base and seems to be getting technically sound with every practice. He's not getting pushed back and he plays with power, when he puts his hands on guys, they go backwards. His size and weight look good. If Kenny gets injured Scott will be able to fill in and the offense will not miss a beat. Scott is also playing so well he could be moved to backup guard if needed.

Chet Lagod - 6-0 / 272
2016- Fr
2017- RS Fr
2018- RS Soph
High School Notes: Earned honorable-mention all-state recognition as a senior. Also played one season of lacrosse. Received a PWO from Georgia Tech.
Film Breakdown: His High School (Marist) runs TO from 7th grade thru Varsity. Chet knows our system and has a motor. He is Smart kid that can scoot and he uses leverage really well. He is a bit undersized however he moves well and gets his butt downfield. This past year when Scott Morgan was injured Chet took snaps in warmups before the Miami and Wake Forest game. He has shown enough thus far to the coaches that he is a player to turn to if there is an injury.
Click to expand...

Fletch: Thank you for your compilation of information on our players. Everyone knows about the starters but the backups tend to be overlooked. I appreciate them as much as the starters. Hopefully, many of them will get a chance to play in blowouts this year. My takeaway is that, as usual at Tech, we are in good shape at center. Funny, it seems that one constant through the years going all the way back to Dodd's time is that we always seem to have good centers. Coach Dodd's last All American was Jim Breland a fine center.
 
ilovetheoption

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Cooper is a monster, and the reason that I am higher on guys like Jump and McKeehan than I am on Maye.

I am FIRMLY of the belief that athleticism is more important than size and strength in GT's offensive line. You can get by with guys like Devine if you run right behind them, but I'll take a super athletic OL like Cooper 10 times out of 10. Braun is that way, too. I think GT is probably going to have their best GCG of the Paul Johnson era this coming year with Braun/Cooper/Bryan.
 

Sideways

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ilovetheoption said:
Cooper is a monster, and the reason that I am higher on guys like Jump and McKeehan than I am on Maye.

I am FIRMLY of the belief that athleticism is more important than size and strength in GT's offensive line. You can get by with guys like Devine if you run right behind them, but I'll take a super athletic OL like Cooper 10 times out of 10. Braun is that way, too. I think GT is probably going to have their best GCG of the Paul Johnson era this coming year with Braun/Cooper/Bryan.
Click to expand...

Yes this group will be the best. Now let's get those tackles up to speed. They are almost there. A truly great offensive line will go a long way to making life easier for Quon, Benson, and the guys in the backfield for sure.
 
stech81

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ilovetheoption said:
Cooper is a monster, and the reason that I am higher on guys like Jump and McKeehan than I am on Maye.

I am FIRMLY of the belief that athleticism is more important than size and strength in GT's offensive line. You can get by with guys like Devine if you run right behind them, but I'll take a super athletic OL like Cooper 10 times out of 10. Braun is that way, too. I think GT is probably going to have their best GCG of the Paul Johnson era this coming year with Braun/Cooper/Bryan.
Click to expand...
Would be nice if Bryan could play at the same position all year and not have to move all the time.
 
GTFLETCH

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stech81 said:
Would be nice if Bryan could play at the same position all year and not have to move all the time.
Click to expand...
I agree, but Braun is not only a leader, he is the most athletic and talented of all and can play any OL position.. for what it is worth I think W.Bryan will be in the NFL on a roster after next year barring injury.. He is that good
 
TromboneJacket

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Sideways said:
Fletch: Thank you for your compilation of information on our players. Everyone knows about the starters but the backups tend to be overlooked. I appreciate them as much as the starters. Hopefully, many of them will get a chance to play in blowouts this year. My takeaway is that, as usual at Tech, we are in good shape at center. Funny, it seems that one constant through the years going all the way back to Dodd's time is that we always seem to have good centers. Coach Dodd's last All American was Jim Breland a fine center.
Click to expand...
Not to mention Bill Curry, who was part of the first ever Super Bowl winning Packers and became a Tech head coach.
 
iceeater1969

iceeater1969

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GTFLETCH said:
I agree, but Braun is not only a leader, he is the most athletic and talented of all and can play any OL position.. for what it is worth I think W.Bryan will be in the NFL on a roster after next year barring injury.. He is that good
Click to expand...
I agree on will being really good. Worried he didnt play much at end of year. Our season seemed to decline as his playing time declined. Imo we have some internal issues . Hope he blows the doors off in spring soi there is no way he is the utility backup.
 
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