Football kicks off spring practice

The Jackets started their spring practice with two days of workouts at Rose Bowl Field last week. They will continue through this Saturday and then take a week off for spring break before resuming drills from March 29-April 16.

Tech crushed Syracuse 51-14 in the Champs Sports Bowl last December and posted an eighth consecutive winning season and an eighth straight year of at least seven victories. In the process Tech became one of just eight schools in the nation to play in a bowl game each of the last eight years.

This spring, most fan attention will be focused on the action behind the offensive line. With a highly anticipated open competition at quarterback, that ' s understandable. Reggie Ball is expected to be pushed by a pair of redshirt freshmen, Taylor Bennett and Kyle Manley.

Head Coach Chan Gailey wants more consistency out of the position, and Bennett and Manley will get a chance to supplant Ball as the starter. Ball threw 17 interceptions last fall.

The Jackets return former ACC rushing leader P. J. Daniels at tailback and sensational sophomore wide receiver Calvin Johnson, the 2004 ACC Rookie of the Year, to the offense.

Johnson showed how special of a player he is last fall, but he ' ll need some help in the coming season. Second and third options Nate Curry and Levon Thomas exhausted their eligibility last fall, leaving a vacancy. Damarius Bilbo gets his chance to be a go-to receiver opposite Johnson, while James Johnson, Xavier McGuire, Pat Clark and Chris Dunlap will also compete at the position.

But the Jackets ' most pressing issue this spring involves the offensive line that returns only two starters. Tech must replace three starters up front for the second straight year.

Incumbent starters Brad Honeycutt and Matt Rhodes return on the offensive line, but Honeycutt, a two-year starter at right guard, will move to right tackle.

Nate McManus enters the spring as the starting center as Kevin Tuminello continues to struggle with a foot injury. Tuminello was projected as the starting center last fall, but he never got to the field. He ' ll see limited action during spring drills.

Three redshirt freshmen will vie for the all-important left tackle spot, while Manfield Wrotto is expected to fill the other open line spot at right guard. Wrotto spent his first two seasons at Tech at defensive tackle, but he was a star offensive lineman in high school.

The Jackets face very little turnover on defense as 10 starters return, led by All-ACC middle linebacker Gerris Wilkinson and two-time All-ACC defensive end Eric Henderson.

Tech ' s defense was outstanding last fall, ranking 12th in the nation by allowing just 297.9 yards per game, the best figure by a Tech defense since 1991.

Tech welcomes back a pair of productive players in defensive end Travis Parker and safety Chris Reis, as well as two-year starters Reuben Houston at cornerback and Dawan Landry at safety.

The only major move involves Chris Reis, who starred at outside linebacker last season. Reis, who moved from safety to linebacker last spring, must readjust to the defensive backfield and gain experience in pass coverage. He ' ll play strong safety, with Dawan Landry moving from that spot to free safety to replace All-ACC player James Butler. Phillip Wheeler, who has drawn rave reviews, will get a chance to earn the outside linebacker spot to fill out the defense.