Georgia Tech defensive lineman Tawfiq Thomas is back in the mix, and Monday’s fall camp session gave him a chance to talk about what that return means - and what he sees in this defense.
Thomas said the opener carries extra weight because it comes against Colorado, the school he was just with. After missing time last season, he said he’s eager to get back on the field.
“I'm excited. I mean, I get to play the people I was just with.
I have a lot of respect for them and the Colorado program. I just can't wait to the first game.
I was hurt last year, so I've been out for a little minute. So, I just can't wait to get back on the field and it's just better playing my old team, and just a lot of emotions.”
A big part of his comfort level right now, Thomas said, comes from the way Georgia Tech’s coaches are pushing the defensive line every day. He pointed to the constant pressure to keep improving, down to the small details.
“Pushing me every day to be a better player. Um not letting me slack.
Uh even when it comes to hustling out of the stack after the play to hands and feet work. He pushes us every day because he know how good we could be and the potential we have.
So he's trying to get us to that potential and I just like how he on me every day and keeping me motivated.”
Thomas also talked about the responsibility that comes with being one of the older players in the room. For him, leadership means helping younger teammates process the game faster and be ready for what’s coming.
“Being a leader is something I wanted to do. I mean, I really had no choice, but it's something I wanted to do.
I'm an older guy and when I was a younger guy, uh the older guys helped me a lot. So just knowing the plays to seeing the backfield, knowing the blocks that's coming to you and just being ready and prepared for the play.
So that's what I try to help the youngest that's here.”
That veteran presence matters in a defensive line room that Thomas says is sharing the workload and building chemistry across different combinations. He mentioned Vincent Jackson, Shymeik Jones and Speakman, and said the group is focused on keeping the standard the same no matter who is on the field.
“I feel like we all rotate and we end with different guys. I mean, I began with Vincent Jackson and Shymeik (Jones) a lot.
So, I feel like our chemistry is a lot, but we're all trying to play off each other, and we're not trying to have any downfall. We're all trying to play the same.
So, whoever's out there, we all have the same standard. So, even if it's a young guy like Speakman, I'll take them under my wing and have them and tell them like, "Hey, this is coming, so be prepared."
We're all playing good ball right now. So, it looks good.”
He said the group’s identity is built around being “violent vertical,” with the goal of creating problems in the backfield and making life easier for the defense behind them.
“We got an identity, so we like to be violent vertical, and we just want our group to be violent vertical and just create havoc in the backfield. So that's what we're all trying to do. Stay vertical, just create as much havoc in the backfield as possible, being able to make plays and helping our back end fit easily.
Thomas said he likes what he’s seeing from Coach Semore’s defense because it gives big men room to move and play with athleticism instead of just absorbing blocks all day.
“Coach Semore’s defense I like a lot. It shows how big guys can be and how athletic we are.
We're moving. We're stunting.
So, we're just not taking doubles all game. So, like, it helps us make more plays, be more playful, less like we don't want to think and want to be sitting.
Our coach says just let it loose. Just get vertical, and he's fine with that.
So, we play with technique but try to get vertical. It helps all of us make plays instead of being on the line of scrimmage, staying in one gap.
I like this scheme. I never been in a scheme like this.
So, it's bringing more to me. I feel like it's expanded my game.”
And in camp, the defensive line has been getting plenty of live resistance from the other side of the ball. Thomas called it a back-and-forth battle, especially with Ethan MacKenny back and the offensive line rotating through different looks.
“It's been a battle. We compete every day.
They get on us, we get on them. It's back and forth.
Um, Ethan (MacKenny) came back, so the doubles that he's been setting have been harder with Melai, and then our old line has just been rotating so we all get good work. We compete, so we're a competitive group.
I like to get after them; they like to get after me, and they hold me to that, so like whenever they get on me they be like, “Yeah, 'Fiq, ' I just got you. I be like I got you right back, so it's a competition.”
In Other News...
Georgia Techs Defensive Tackle Battle Is Getting Hard To Ignore
Jess Simpson has made the middle of Georgia Techs defense a clear priority as the Yellow Jackets work through the offseason, and the defensive tackle room is drawing plenty of attention for the right reasons. The mix is deeper and more varied than it has been, with portal additions joining a group that already includes experienced pieces like Shymeik Jones and Landen Marshall alongside younger names such as Christian Speakman and Christian Garrett.
For Simpson, the challenge is less about finding bodies than sorting out how all of them fit when the season gets rolling. He is focused on player development, role definition and keeping a workable rotation intact, while also looking ahead to a 2026 recruit who could add another layer to the groups future. The competition inside the room is becoming hard to ignore, and that is exactly the point. [Read more 🡒]
Tawfiq Thomas Gives Georgia Tech Another Defensive Line Story To Watch
Georgia Techs defensive line has another new name to keep an eye on in defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas, who arrived from Colorado after two seasons in Boulder. He played in 17 games for the Buffaloes and is now in position to help give the Yellow Jackets added depth up front as the season opener approaches, with the added wrinkle of facing his former team right away.
Thomas has already talked up the progress he has made since joining Jess Simpsons room, and his comments have pointed to a player who feels he is in a better place physically and mentally than he was before. After dealing with injury and waiting to get back on the field, the chance to open against Colorado gives Georgia Tech another subplot along the line and a meaningful first test for a transfer who should matter in the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Still Has One Crucial QB Battle To Settle
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Graham Knowles and Grady Adamson are the names in the mix for that backup role, and both are still early in their development as they learn the offense. Quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke has liked what he has seen from each during fall camp, but Georgia Tech has not yet settled on a clear No. 2, leaving one of the most important spots on the roster unresolved for now. [Read more 🡒]