March 28, 2007
ATLANTA–After nearly two weeks off due to spring break, the Georgia Tech football team resumed spring practice Wednesday afternoon at Rose Bowl Field. The Yellow Jackets practiced eight times before the break, and now conclude spring practice with seven practices in 11 days, culminating with their final spring scrimmage, April 7 at 11 a.m. at Bobby Dodd Stadium/Grant Field.
“There are two ways to look at it,” Tech head coach Chan Gailey said of the layoff. “On the one hand, we’re a lot healthier now than we were before the break. We’ve got some guys back who were out, and hopefully they can finish the spring and get some good work in. On the other hand, you can’t help but have some rust and some loss of continuity.”
Gailey announced Wednesday that rising junior Tony Clark has moved to linebacker after playing in the secondary his first two years, bouncing between cornerback and safety.
Clark, from Garden City, Ga., was one of the top tacklers on Tech’s special teams last fall, collecting 13 tackles.
“We didn’t have quite as much depth, with guys with speed, at linebacker as we’d like, so we’ve made this move,” said Gailey, who added that he expected to this to be long-term, not just a spring experiment.
“If you’re in flux, then he’s going be in flux, and you don’t want that. You want him to go 900 miles at the new position, so our thought is that he’s there, so he’s going to stay there,” said Gailey.
“We’re going to teach him the position and let him learn as much as he can. We think he can be a better player there.”
Gailey said that he would like to see Clark, who is about 205 pounds right now, bulk up to 215 pounds between now and August.
The Jackets return two senior starting linebackers in all-ACC honoree Philip Wheeler and Gary Guyton, and the third starting position is a battle between sophomore Shane Bowen and redshirt freshman Anthony Barnes. But beyond that, Tech is looking to develop more depth at the linebacker positions.
PLEASE NOTE:
Tech fans attending Saturday’s scrimmage (11 a.m.) are asked to enter Bobby Dodd Stadium via Gate 4 and sit in the lower West Stands.
SPRING PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Friday, March 30, 3:45 p.m. Saturday, March 31, 11 a.m. (Bobby Dodd Stadium) Sunday, April 1, 5:30 p.m. (Bobby Dodd Stadium) Wednesday, April 4, 3:45 p.m. Friday, April 6, 3:45 p.m. Saturday, April 7, 11 a.m. (Bobby Dodd Stadium)
