March 20, 2004
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s offensive line has been a strength the last few years, and as the Yellow Jackets look to maintain that level of play, Tech will have some new and old faces in new places.
The Yellow Jackets continued spring drills with a workout Saturday morning at Rose Bowl Field, their second practice of the spring.
“We’ve got to get our offensive line meshed back together,” said head football coach Chan Gailey. “We’re moving Andy Tidwell-Neal to center and Kenton Johnson into the left tackle position.”
Tidwell-Neal, a 6-4, 315-pound senior from Plymouth, Minn., started at guard last season but moves into the center spot vacated by all-ACC honoree and three-year starter Hugh Reilly.
Junior Brad Honeycutt returns at right guard, while senior Leon Robinson slides into the guard Tidwell-Neal’s former positon at left guard. Although he did not start last season, Robinson actually has 19 career starts.
“Being able to move Andy back to center is a giant plus for us,” said Gailey. “Leon has not proven that he can stay healthy for any extended period of time, so really there are two spots to fill over on that side. If he could stay healthy continuously, then we have a chance to have that spot fairly solid, and then we just have one spot to fill. If he can’t, then there are two positions to fill, and I’m not sure who is going to fill them. Matt Rhodes, Eddy Parker or somebody has got to step up so that we can fill that spot, and those are the leading candidates right now.”
Senior right tackle Kyle Wallace, a 6-6, 295-pounder from Lawrenceville, Ga., is Tech’s most experienced offensive lineman with 25 career starts. At left tackle, where Nat Dorsey started the last three years, the Jackets will look to Johnson, a senior who transferred from Morris Brown prior to the 2003 season. He saw some action last fall as a backup.
“I feel confident about what he can do,” Gailey said of the 6-6, 325-pound Johnson. “He’s not there yet. I think he can get there, but he’s got a lot of work ahead of him to do. He needs to work on his upper body strength, on being able to get low. He’s a little overweight, so he needs to lose some weight and gain strength. He is obviously the front-runner in that (left tackle) position.”
Kevin Tuminello (6-4, 275), Rhodes (6-3, 268), and Parker (6-4, 285) redshirted last fall with Tuminello actually earning a spot on the travel squad as Reilly’s backup at center, although he never played in a game. Other candidates for backup positions include junior Salih Besirevic and sophomore Brad Brezina, who has converted from defensive line but will the spring due to injury.
“Two years ago, we were solid on the right side with Hugh, Leon, and Nat (Dorsey), and when Leon was healthy, that gave us a pretty solid side,” said Gailey. “Now, we are just the opposite. Our right side is solid, and I feel very good about them. We just need to develop some depth behind them.”
