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ATLANTA – Georgia Tech football made several offseason changes on the defensive side of the ball, with the final addition being new linebackers coach Darius Eubanks, who joined the Yellow Jackets from Georgia Southern. Eubanks now works under first-year defensive coordinator Blake Gideon, helping shape the new-look defense for the 2025 season. On Wednesday, Eubanks spoke to the media about his coaching philosophy, plans for Georgia Tech’s linebacker unit, and the experience he brings to the staff.
One of the biggest changes from former defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci‘s run as linebackers coach is Eubanks’ approach to the depth chart. The middle linebacker spot, or MIKE, and the weakside position, also known as the DIME, are no longer boxed-in positions. Eubanks wants all of his backers to be able to play both spots.
“Someone brought up position flexibility, and that is what I believe in. So if you guys watched practice today, you know I’m rotating five guys or so, and it is mix and match,” Eubanks said. “That says a lot about these guys learning multiple positions. They are taking on the challenge, and if you want to get reps, guess what? You need to learn multiple positions.”
There are limits to the idea of position flexibility, and Eubanks said in certain matchups he is going to play to the strengths of his unit and play the matchups the offense is dictating.
“At the end of the day, some guys do some things better than others,” he said. “I think they are really good athletes and we’ve got good athletes in the room, but there are probably two or three guys that maybe cover better than the other three or four guys. So if we get caught in that predicament, hey, I need the guy who covers the best. I need him to go out there and be one-on-one with the tight end. Let’s see what the offense gives us and then work to our advantage.”
Eubanks has returning starter Kyle Efford and three rotation players from last season in E.J. Lightsey, who started some guys for Efford late in the season when Efford had shoulder issues, Tah’j Butler, and Jackson Hamilton. Head coach Brent Key and Santucci brought in Melvin Jordan, a multi-year starter from Oregon State, and Tennessee Tech linebacker Cayman Spaulding to help bolster the depth in that room.
Efford remains the anchor of the linebacker room, coming off a very strong redshirt sophomore season for the Yellow Jackets. Eubanks said that they always know what they are going to get from Efford on the field.
“He’s going to go 110% every day,” Eubanks said. “The evolution of offenses is going to ask linebackers to make plays in space. When you look at our individual drills, you’ll see a lot of change of direction and yes, we are still going to work block destruction, tackling, but it is probably going to be more changing direction drills, agility drills than these guys are used to, and I’m excited to have them back.”
The mixing of responsibilities in the positions is something that Efford has enjoyed.
“That is how it is supposed to be,” he said of mixing up the linebacker pairings. “Like more than a MIKE or a DIME linebacker, it is more like left and right back, and if we both know each other’s responsibilities, then we can’t really be wrong.”
Landing Jordan was a big pickup for the Jackets. Jordan was a starter at Oregon State and a great coverage linebacker to help complement Efford, who has been a better in-the-box linebacker.
“He is one that you talk about IQ, has a lot of experience, and instincts. He is one that I have playing multiple positions as well,” Eubanks said. “He has kind of picked off where he was in the spring, too. I’ve been very pleased with Mel. It doesn’t matter who he is out there with. I can pair him with anybody and trust that he is going to execute his job at a high level.”
Linebacker E.J. Lightsey working during spring drills
Lightsey was finally healthy and able to begin playing in games last season after sitting for two years at UGA recovering from various injuries. He ended up with 22 tackles and several key defense plays in the second half of the season. Eubanks said he continues to see lots of growth from Lightsey.
“He is picking up right where he was in the spring. He is really taking care of his body,” Eubanks said. “E.J. is a fairly quiet guy off the field, and one thing I’m continuing to challenge him on is his communication. I think he has leadership qualities, and he has the respect of the locker room because he works hard and busts his tail, and that is all you can ask for as a coach and then as a peer as a teammate.”
Lightsey said having that flexibility to change things up has been fun for their position.
“So I have been playing both the DIME and MIKE positions, and I think Coach Eubanks and Coach Gideon do a good job of breaking it down and making it simple for us. It is an easy process to go in and play MIKE on series and then play DIME in the next, and they are similar, just the DIME is more in space. I feel like I’ve been taught up and trained well enough to get out there and play in space, so it has been an easy transition,” Lightsey said.
Having that much experience will open up things for Gideon as well as a player caller, and Eubanks hinted at the possibility of some three-linebacker calls as well.
“(Gideon) has a lot of base calls, so we are running a little bit of base so you may see three linebackers out there,” Eubanks said.
Spaulding caught the attention of fans this summer when a picture of him running with Efford was posted on social media by the football X account. Spaulding played at 189 last year at his previous school and is up to 220 pounds now after eight months at Georgia Tech.
“You talk about a freak athlete that can run and go, he is that guy,” Eubanks said of Spaulding. “He is one that wants to be coached hard, that whole does, but he is a good one.”
Linebacker Tah’j Butler during Fall Camp
Heading into his second year on the Flats, Butler has been the young pup in the linebacker room this year and Eubanks said he is still developing at a good clip.
“(Tah’j) is still developing. He is growing, and I saw it this summer with him, just how things were clicking with him. He is a serious man, even as a young guy, I always try to preach to guys to be a pro, take care of your body, and really dive deep into film if you want to be great. If you want to be average, do the bare minimum. But he wants to be great. He wants me to push him every day, and he learns from the older guys so he doesn’t make the same mistake. He has that body type we are looking for, and that is all I can ask from somebody. He wants to come to work every day, and he brings it.”
Hamilton, who played a lot for the team last year, is fighting for playing time in his final college season. Eubanks said he has been pleased with his team’s first approach to the competition.
“You’ve got to be ready,” he said. “It is not just Hamilton, but all of them, hey, be a special teams guy, if you want the opportunity to play at the next level, that is where it starts. That’s how it started for me as well. So I try to make sure guys like him are able to play multiple positions, and he has rotated at MIKE, he has rotated at DIME, and he has rotated at SAM, and he executes at a fairly decent level.”
Eubanks’ linebackers will face a tough task in the season opener at Colorado on Friday night.
Continue reading...
Position Flexibility is Key
One of the biggest changes from former defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci‘s run as linebackers coach is Eubanks’ approach to the depth chart. The middle linebacker spot, or MIKE, and the weakside position, also known as the DIME, are no longer boxed-in positions. Eubanks wants all of his backers to be able to play both spots.
“Someone brought up position flexibility, and that is what I believe in. So if you guys watched practice today, you know I’m rotating five guys or so, and it is mix and match,” Eubanks said. “That says a lot about these guys learning multiple positions. They are taking on the challenge, and if you want to get reps, guess what? You need to learn multiple positions.”
There are limits to the idea of position flexibility, and Eubanks said in certain matchups he is going to play to the strengths of his unit and play the matchups the offense is dictating.
“At the end of the day, some guys do some things better than others,” he said. “I think they are really good athletes and we’ve got good athletes in the room, but there are probably two or three guys that maybe cover better than the other three or four guys. So if we get caught in that predicament, hey, I need the guy who covers the best. I need him to go out there and be one-on-one with the tight end. Let’s see what the offense gives us and then work to our advantage.”
Eubanks has many options to pair at LB
Eubanks has returning starter Kyle Efford and three rotation players from last season in E.J. Lightsey, who started some guys for Efford late in the season when Efford had shoulder issues, Tah’j Butler, and Jackson Hamilton. Head coach Brent Key and Santucci brought in Melvin Jordan, a multi-year starter from Oregon State, and Tennessee Tech linebacker Cayman Spaulding to help bolster the depth in that room.
Efford remains the anchor of the linebacker room, coming off a very strong redshirt sophomore season for the Yellow Jackets. Eubanks said that they always know what they are going to get from Efford on the field.
“He’s going to go 110% every day,” Eubanks said. “The evolution of offenses is going to ask linebackers to make plays in space. When you look at our individual drills, you’ll see a lot of change of direction and yes, we are still going to work block destruction, tackling, but it is probably going to be more changing direction drills, agility drills than these guys are used to, and I’m excited to have them back.”
The mixing of responsibilities in the positions is something that Efford has enjoyed.
“That is how it is supposed to be,” he said of mixing up the linebacker pairings. “Like more than a MIKE or a DIME linebacker, it is more like left and right back, and if we both know each other’s responsibilities, then we can’t really be wrong.”
Landing Jordan was a big pickup for the Jackets. Jordan was a starter at Oregon State and a great coverage linebacker to help complement Efford, who has been a better in-the-box linebacker.
“He is one that you talk about IQ, has a lot of experience, and instincts. He is one that I have playing multiple positions as well,” Eubanks said. “He has kind of picked off where he was in the spring, too. I’ve been very pleased with Mel. It doesn’t matter who he is out there with. I can pair him with anybody and trust that he is going to execute his job at a high level.”
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Linebacker E.J. Lightsey working during spring drills
Lightsey enjoys the process under Eubanks and Gideon
Lightsey was finally healthy and able to begin playing in games last season after sitting for two years at UGA recovering from various injuries. He ended up with 22 tackles and several key defense plays in the second half of the season. Eubanks said he continues to see lots of growth from Lightsey.
“He is picking up right where he was in the spring. He is really taking care of his body,” Eubanks said. “E.J. is a fairly quiet guy off the field, and one thing I’m continuing to challenge him on is his communication. I think he has leadership qualities, and he has the respect of the locker room because he works hard and busts his tail, and that is all you can ask for as a coach and then as a peer as a teammate.”
Lightsey said having that flexibility to change things up has been fun for their position.
“So I have been playing both the DIME and MIKE positions, and I think Coach Eubanks and Coach Gideon do a good job of breaking it down and making it simple for us. It is an easy process to go in and play MIKE on series and then play DIME in the next, and they are similar, just the DIME is more in space. I feel like I’ve been taught up and trained well enough to get out there and play in space, so it has been an easy transition,” Lightsey said.
Having that much experience will open up things for Gideon as well as a player caller, and Eubanks hinted at the possibility of some three-linebacker calls as well.
“(Gideon) has a lot of base calls, so we are running a little bit of base so you may see three linebackers out there,” Eubanks said.
Spaulding caught the attention of fans this summer when a picture of him running with Efford was posted on social media by the football X account. Spaulding played at 189 last year at his previous school and is up to 220 pounds now after eight months at Georgia Tech.
“You talk about a freak athlete that can run and go, he is that guy,” Eubanks said of Spaulding. “He is one that wants to be coached hard, that whole does, but he is a good one.”
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Linebacker Tah’j Butler during Fall Camp
Butler could be an X-factor
Heading into his second year on the Flats, Butler has been the young pup in the linebacker room this year and Eubanks said he is still developing at a good clip.
“(Tah’j) is still developing. He is growing, and I saw it this summer with him, just how things were clicking with him. He is a serious man, even as a young guy, I always try to preach to guys to be a pro, take care of your body, and really dive deep into film if you want to be great. If you want to be average, do the bare minimum. But he wants to be great. He wants me to push him every day, and he learns from the older guys so he doesn’t make the same mistake. He has that body type we are looking for, and that is all I can ask from somebody. He wants to come to work every day, and he brings it.”
Hamilton, who played a lot for the team last year, is fighting for playing time in his final college season. Eubanks said he has been pleased with his team’s first approach to the competition.
“You’ve got to be ready,” he said. “It is not just Hamilton, but all of them, hey, be a special teams guy, if you want the opportunity to play at the next level, that is where it starts. That’s how it started for me as well. So I try to make sure guys like him are able to play multiple positions, and he has rotated at MIKE, he has rotated at DIME, and he has rotated at SAM, and he executes at a fairly decent level.”
Eubanks’ linebackers will face a tough task in the season opener at Colorado on Friday night.
Continue reading...
