Georgia Tech true freshman safety Chris Hewitt Jr. has already been thrown into a demanding role this season, and after his career outing against Boston College, he made clear where he thinks the foundation starts: with the coaching and the communication around him.
Hewitt said he arrived on campus in the summer, which meant missing spring ball, but he credited coach Vinnie for helping him catch up fast.
“I came here in the summer so I missed out on spring ball and all that, but coach Vinnie is a really great coach. He was really able to just install because we got a lot of things in our playbook to learn especially as a young guy.
He really just did a good job in having one-on-one time with me and just installing all the defenses and everything and just giving me that attention that I needed. So it's really just all because of coach Vinnie.
He just did a great job with me,” said Hewitt Jr.
With Georgia Tech leaning on younger players in the secondary, Hewitt said the approach has been simple: be ready when the moment comes. He pointed to the mindset that carried him onto the field and into a bigger responsibility.
“It was really just the next guy up mentality. Um, my coach said when he called my number, I got to be ready and I was ready to go. And uh, it wasn't the outcome that the team wanted, but I just wanted to go out there and give my best effort and that's really all,” said Hewitt Jr.
Georgia Tech enters the week at 2-5, but Hewitt said the group isn’t losing faith in the people leading it. He said the defense is still buying into the work being put in by the staff.
“I really just have all my faith in my coaches. I have all my faith in Coach Key and my defensive coordinator and they're working just as hard as we are to fix all the issues that we have on defense and I have trust in them and I believe in them that we're going to fix it,” said Hewitt Jr.
That youth isn’t limited to safety, either, and Hewitt said the defense has had to make communication a priority on the back end. The answer, he said, has been repetition and constant talk.
“We just try to make a really big emphasis on it in practice. We're just trying to always overcommunicate especially now that we got like young guys out there and such.
So it's really important that we get that communication across and coach Vinnie has made a big emphasis on us trying to communicate across the whole defense. Yeah that's really all just putting a big emphasis on it,” said Hewitt Jr.
Looking ahead to Pitt, Hewitt described the Panthers as a tough opponent while noting the quarterback injury changed some of what he saw on film. Still, he said the focus has to stay on Georgia Tech’s own execution.
“Pitt is a great football team, and they did have an injury at quarterback. So, that did change around some of the things that I seen on film, but still it doesn't really change anything.
It's not I wouldn't say that it's more on them. It's more on us to really just get the team together first.
They got um they got twitchy guys and uh it's just important that we are able to get to the football, all 11 guys,” said Hewitt Jr.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Faces One Big Lineup Question Before Pitt
Georgia Tech heads into its matchup with Pittsburgh carrying a familiar late-week mix of concern and optimism on the availability report. The Yellow Jackets have been sorting through several injury questions, and the latest update brought a new name into the picture with left guard Kevin Peay Jr. joining returner Rahkeem Smith on the report as the team prepares for kickoff.
The bigger issue sits on the offensive line, where Georgia Tech may need another answer at left guard if backup Courtney Heard is unable to go. On the other side of the ball, there is better news in the middle of the defense, with defensive tackles Tawfiq Thomas and Vincent Carroll-Jackson expected back. Their return would give Georgia Tech a welcome boost against the run as it tries to settle in before a key ACC test. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Fans Should Watch How Florida Tests Georgias Defense
Floridas prep for Georgia is being shaped by a simple formula: keep mistakes to a minimum and make the game physical. SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic has framed the matchup around how the Bulldogs handle quarterback Gunner Stockton and running back Jadan Baugh, two players who could tilt the script if Florida can get enough pressure on the edges and stay on schedule. For Georgia Tech fans keeping an eye on how their rivals stack up, it is the kind of chess match that usually comes down to whether one side can force the other out of its comfort zone.
One wrinkle worth watching is how Florida chooses to attack Georgia before the Bulldogs settle in defensively. The Gators have not named a starting quarterback for Saturday, and Tramell Jones Jr. already showed how effective the read option can be against Texas. If Florida leans into that look again, the real issue may not be the play design so much as whether Georgia can avoid the turnovers Cubelic could end up deciding the game. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Suddenly Has A Serious O-Line Problem Before Pitt
Georgia Techs offensive line took a major hit this week, and it comes at a bad time with Pitt ahead. Brent Key said Ethan Mackenny and Kevin Peay Jr. are done for the season because of injuries, thinning a group that had already been dealing with lineup changes. Mackenny was hurt in week two and has not played since, while Peay went down in the recent game against Boston College.
Josh Petty is expected to slide in at left tackle, but the bigger question is what happens at left guard if Courtney Heard cannot go. That leaves the Yellow Jackets sorting out one side of the line on the fly, and it adds real pressure to a unit that has to steady itself quickly before the next test. [Read more 🡒]