ATLANTA- Georgia Tech began the final week of Fall Camp on Monday with a light practice in shells coming off the big scrimmage on Saturday. After practice receivers coach Trent McKnight and a trio of his receivers spoke to the media after practice.

One of the weapons the Jackets were without last year was receiver Leo Blackburn who had a second ACL tear of his career at Tech having had the injury in both legs plus a wrist injury that hampered him in 2022. This is the furthest Blackburn has been fully healthy going into a season since he arrived at Tech in 2021.

"I think we talked about this in the spring, but Leo is a guy that there are not many like with his size that can go out there and run around. That is something we talked about before practice (today), how much he has improved from the spring to now. He has been really good and you can see him gaining more confidence and he is starting to get healthy," McKnight said. "He knows he still has a long way to go, but it has been exciting to see him improve and what he brings to our offense."

McKnight said that he can see the gains daily for Blackburn as he adapts to getting back on the field.

"His confidence is growing on a daily basis," McKnight said of Blackburn's return. "This is really the first fall camp that he has been through healthy and I think you can see his confidence growing each and every day. He knows there are some technical things he needs to get better at and he has a lot of room to grow, but he also has a high ceiling and if he continues to do those things that make the difference at this level, it is going to be big to have his size and the ability to run. He is learning things from Saturday's scrimmage and he came out here today and did a little bit better and that really helps him gain confidence each and every day."

For Blackburn, given his three rough years of injuries, he isn't taking anything for granted on the football field.

"It feels great and of course, it is a blessing," Blackburn said of being healthy for the first time in a fall camp at Tech this far in. "I am just taking it day by day every day walking up with a smile and I have a lot to be thankful for."

With guys like Blackburn and Chase Lane back in the fold after serious injuries, Tech has significant depth at the receiver positions for the first time in almost a decade and McKnight is aiming to develop that more with his younger receivers as well where he has a deep room and can play a large group of receivers..

"I think we've got a really good room and we've got a lot of depth in the room. That is one of the things at other places, you might have three guys and you are trying to develop some other ones. I think we've got six or seven guys that are competing right now and some of our top-end guys are continuing to improve each and every day, but this group has a chance to be as good of a group as I have ever coached," McKnight said. "It is just the mindset of going out there to work every day and get better. I think great players at any position come in and try to learn and they want to get better at their craft and I think the guys we have in that room want to continue to do that."

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