Georgia Tech solid in kicking game
One area that has virtually no competition this spring at Georgia Tech involves kicking. There is no question that Harrison Butker will be the kicker and Ryan Rodwell will be the punter.
Even though his job is safe, Butker is trying to refine his skills this spring.
“Accuracy by far,” Butker said. “You have to be accurate. I have the leg strength and I can make the kickoffs, but at the end of the day you have to make the field goals. I’m trying to be as accurate as possible.”
Butler, a senior from Atlanta’s Westminster School, is a four-year starter. He has enjoyed some record setting moments during that time, most notably the 53-yard field goal against Georgia in 2014 that sent the game to overtime and led to Georgia Tech’s victory.
Butker’s sagging numbers in 2015 reflect the dropoff in offense. He kicked 53 extra points as a freshman and 65 as a sophomore, but only 44 as a junior. He is 28-for-43 on field goals during his career, but only 7-for-11 in 2015, which included two misses at Notre Dame.
Rodwell, a senior from Deland, Fla., averaged 39.3 yards and had eight kicks of 50-plus yards last season. But he punted 45 times, 13 more than the previous season. Rodwell is also the holder on field goals and extra points.
Redshirt freshman Shawn Davis from McDonough is working as the backup kicker and Grant Aasen, a sophomore from Fayetteville, is backing up Rodwell.
Defensive back update
Competition continues to rage to see who will replace departed seniors D.J. White and Chris Milton in the secondary.
“No spot is set. We’re competing every day,” said junior Corey Griffin.
Lance Austin, Step Durham, Griffin, Dorian Walker, Jalen Johnson and converted quarterback Christian Campbell are all in the mix. Walker went high to intercept a pass near the goal line during Monday’spractice.
Defensive coordinator Ted Roof said, “Every day is a new opportunity for everybody. Doors are wide open right now, so we’re going to let it play out.”
Quick hits
The Yellow Jackets avoided the rain on Monday and started their third week of spring practice. There were several highlights during the skeleton passing period. Qua Searcy came up big, catching a long pass from Justin Thomas and the making two long touchdown catches over the middle. Harland Howell, vying for time at wide receiver, had a circus catch on a pass from Matthew Jordan. … The spring game will be April 23 at noon and will be preceded by a free concert by the group Laughlin.
This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Georgia Tech solid in kicking game."