Nealy, Mason tout Techs chemistry, effort

GREENSBORO, N.C.

While no official record is available, it can be safely assumed that none of the 28 football players at the ACC Kickoff event attempted to downplay his teams chances Sunday.

That said, Georgia Tech guard Shaquille Mason and linebacker Quayshawn Nealy did their best to affirm that their optimism is based on more than good feeling and happy thoughts.

The summer workouts are going great, Nealy said. Guys are going the extra mile, going the extra distance and the team chemistry is better than any year Ive been there, definitely.

Similar pronouncements have been made by past Yellow Jackets, not to mention members of perhaps every team to ever attend a preseason media function, before seasons such as the Jackets 7-6 effort in 2013. But Nealy and Mason stood resolute in their conviction of a different Tech mindset.

They spoke of a collective focus on finishing well to avoid losses to teams like Georgia, Miami and Virginia Tech, when they came up lacking in the fourth quarter.

It was one of the key emphases we tried to instill in everybodys head finish the drill, whether it be through the line, through the cone, through the bag finish strong, Nealy said.

Mason, among the fittest and strongest members of the team, has been encouraged by other players trying to push him.

Theyll even start suggesting like, Hey, lets go ahead and get a couple more (sprints), Mason said.

He singled out center Freddie Burden, in line to win the starting job despite not having played a single college snap.

Read this article:
Nealy, Mason tout Techs chemistry, effort