Saturday’s matchup with Mercer gives Georgia Tech a chance to keep widening the roles of a few players who have already flashed enough to demand more snaps. Cayman Spaulding, Vincent Carroll-Jackson and freshman cornerback A.J. Stevenson all stand out as names to watch, and each enters the week with a different kind of opportunity in front of him.
Spaulding has been one of the most athletic linebackers on the roster, and Georgia Tech has been better when he’s on the field. The issue so far has been volume: he has played only about 50% of the snaps and has just five tackles this season.
That’s a big drop from last year, when he finished with 41 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a pass defensed. Coach Key made it clear that more is coming for him.
“Cayman's one that's been very productive when he's been on the field. uh you know, he's played probably about 50% of the snaps right now. Cayman's another one that we got to get on the field because Cayman can run.
Uh, you know, he's explosive, and I've talked about him since preseason camp. He's been the best version of himself, and it's shown with his production on the field, and we got to continue to put them in those positions,” said Key.
Carroll-Jackson has been trending in the opposite direction, with his week only adding to the momentum. He was named a student-athlete of the week and has drawn strong praise from the coaching staff after posting 10 tackles and a pass defensed through two games. His value shows up in the middle of the defense, where he’s helped clog the interior and played a major part in Tawfiq Thomas’s best game as a Yellow Jacket last week by taking on two blocks at once.
That kind of work doesn’t always fill up a stat sheet, but it matters plenty for a defense trying to clean up its run issues and create more disruption at the line. Georgia Tech has been looking for someone to pair with Thomas, and Carroll-Jackson has given them a real answer. His role looks set to keep growing.
“Vince is somebody I've been really proud of, coming in here and how he's acclimated and how he's improved himself. He’s really matured and grown so much in the last eight months and puts really productive play on the field.
The way he plays the game, big body in there that we've desperately needed. Been proud of him.
Vincent Carroll Jackson's played really good football. Can he improve?
Yeah, can improve. Everybody can improve.
But the reason Tawfiq is having a lot of success is number 99's eaten up two blocks a lot of times, a lot of times. It's a team game, team defense, consistently.
Gotta have 11 guys doing their job and doing the best of their ability, and why not show up as stat lines to people, right? They're pretty damn important in how they execute the defense,” said Key.
Stevenson is the younger name in the mix, but he’s already made the kind of play that forces coaches to keep finding him work. In the opener, he logged just eight snaps. Against Tennessee, that number jumped to 34, and he made the most of it by blocking a punt that turned into a special teams touchdown.
Now he may be in line for another bump. With Jaylen Mbakwe injured and possibly out this week, Stevenson could see more snaps at cornerback, giving Georgia Tech a chance to keep building his experience.
At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, he already brings size, and the source material describes him as technically sound. Mercer could be the first sign that his role is moving from spot duty toward something much bigger.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Needs More Than A Win To Quiet Early Concerns
Georgia Tech heads into its meeting with Mercer trying to do more than simply get into the win column. After opening the season with two losses against strong opponents, the Yellow Jackets are looking at this week as a chance to clean up a list of issues that have already shown up on both sides of the ball, even if the opponent on paper gives them some room to breathe.
Brent Key has already laid out the areas that matter most, from points per possession and red-zone touchdowns to third-down efficiency, turnovers and pressure on the quarterback. The bigger goal is to leave the game with a more convincing offensive rhythm and a better answer against the run defensively, because for Georgia Tech, beating Mercer would help only if it also starts to ease the early concerns hanging over the rest of the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Needs More Than A Win Against Mercer This Week
Georgia Tech heads into this weeks matchup with Mercer still searching for its first win after opening the season with two losses, and there is more at stake than just the record. The Yellow Jackets have revealed their uniform combination for the game, but the bigger focus remains on getting cleaner play up front and tightening things defensively before the schedule starts to get tougher.
Injuries along the offensive line have added another layer of concern, with no confirmed updates yet on the availability of key linemen. For a team trying to build momentum before conference play and a trip to Stanford later on, this game is about more than simply avoiding another setback. It is a chance to show the offensive line can stabilize and the run defense can hold up against what is ahead. [Read more 🡒]