Alexander is excited about becoming 'jack'

Linebacker is enjoying switch to an attacking style.

Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Nate Woody met with line backer Victor Alex. ander shortly after his hire to explain how he wanted him to play in the coach's 34 defense. Alexander said Wednesday he thought it was within the first week of his hire in January. "We sat down.and he was telling me. 'OK. I've seen your film, '"Alexander said. °Id like you to rush for me. I d like for you to come off the edge and don't think about anything else. Just go. Go make plays.'" Alexander's reaction was unsurprising. l just smiled him. "Alexander said. °I didn't say any I almost cried. I think I shed a tear." Outside line backer in Woody's defense isa prime spot. particularly the lack" position Alexander has been learning. The outside line-backer positions come with a play maling responsibility in Woody scheme. Last season at Appalachian State. Rashaad Townes had seven tackles for loss. four hur- des and four forced fum-bles. The year prior. Ken-nan Gilchrist had 39 total tackles. 11 for loss. The jack linebacker typi-cally stands up on the line alongside the three down linemen in the 34. basically like a DG ne-man almost. coming of the edge a little bit. ”Alexander said. "Standup 'backer. Play-ing mostlya rush (responsibility). It's a little different. les actually what I like to da" It's a position for an ath-letic type. someone strong enough to take on offensive line men and quick and ath-letic enough to come off the edge and get to the quarter-back or take down running backs in the backfield. "He's doing OK.° coach Paul Johnson said of Alex-ander. "It's a learning thing for him. but he's athletic ard strong. so he ought to be a good fit there.° Alexander and the other outside linebackers will be called upon to create the tackles for bland turnovers that were in short supply in recent seasons. Alexander welcomes that responsibil- ity in his new role. "It actually relaxes me a lot and allows me to be able to play how I did in my high school days, where I can just go and blow things up and then just make plays," Alexander said. °Not nem. sadly thinking about, OK, ill go in here. who's wait-ins out here? Coach %%body broke it down to. if I've got you doing this. this is what I want you to do." The simpler nature of the defense compared to the scheme coached by former defensive coordinator Ted Roof is an idea Alexander and other teammates related Wednesday. Alexander said he was required in Roof's scheme to keep watch on mutiple keys in a relatively wide fekl of vision. "Now. it's more so you have one key." he saki. 'You might have two keys and you read off of them. Whatever they dos are going to react. so it's a lot simpler for us." Simple, fast and aggressive have been buzzwords to describe Woodys defense. It any be that Alexander, in an integral position in the Tech defense, will exemplify all three of those elements of the scheme. "A real attack style of defense," he said. lay posi-don is just that."

HYOSUB SHIN / HSHIN@AJC.COM Tech’s Victor Alexander, sacking Wake Forest’s John Wolford, will be counted on to make plays behind the line of scrimmage as the jack linebacker.