When a person knows their time doing something they love is soon coming to an end that urgency serves as a huge motivator. That’s certainly what Georgia Tech’s Chase Lane is feeling right now as he embarks on his sixth, and final, season of college football.

Lane enters his second season as a Yellow Jacket in 2024 after transferring from Texas A&M following the 2022 season. The wide receiver said his plan is to make the most of it and enjoy every single day.

"It's my final go-round so this season I'm trying to take everything in. Just approach the season with supreme happiness and joy but with the same work ethic that I feel like I've approached every other year,” said Lane during media availability on Monday after practice. “But I feel like I've really approached this season as being a true leader. It's my second year here at Tech, and it's been amazing since I've been here so really just letting the guys know that you really don't get many chances at this. This is my sixth year (in college football) although to a lot of people it probably felt like I've been playing college ball for 10 years. But it really does go by just like that. I'm just trying to bring the guys along and get everybody ready to go on this last mission, for me especially."

Lane got off to a great start last fall in his first game wearing the white and gold, catching three balls for 69 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown, in the season opener vs. Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He had three more catches for 36 yards the following week against South Carolina State before sustaining an injury in that game that kept him out until late October. He proceeded to play in five of the final six games but was clearly not at full strength as he tried to gut it out through the injury.

But after a full and healthy spring, Lane said he has carried that momentum over into the summer and the start of fall camp and is starting to feel a lot more like his old self.

"Sometimes I have to remind myself (to be confident in my abilities), coming back from an injury. That was my first major, major injury. So the first thing I feel you have to get through is that mental block that you're okay, you're healthy, you can go out there, you can play,” said Lane. “That's what I really tried to do during the spring is get my legs back, get my confidence back. I feel like I had a great spring and transitioned to having a great summer workouts. Just being out here feeling healthy, being healthy it does really give me that confidence boost."

Lane’s new wide receivers coach Trent McKnight, who is starting his first year with Georgia Tech said he has been impressed with the veteran guys like Lane and Malik Rutherford who have both stood out as leaders during the spring, summer and fall camp.

"(Along with Malik Rutherford) the other one that I think has done a really good job leading is Chase Lane. He has had a really good camp so far, but you can see he's an older guy, he's been around,” said McKnight after practice on Monday. “He can pull some of those younger guys aside and coach them up a little bit. There is a lot of good leadership within the room."

Lane said that McKnight has really played a big part in encouraging him to step up as a leader and just be himself to bring energy to the wide receiver group and the team.

"In our spring exit meetings, Coach McKnight actually challenged me to be a vocal leader out there. So I've really taken that to heart really since we've got back from summer workouts,” said Lane. “I'm just trying to take that same work ethic and that same leadership into training camp. And Coach McKnight has really done a great job of allowing me to be myself and be that energy guy. I bring a lot of energy. I like to dance. I like to have fun. I like to get the other guys going, and he's really allowed me to embrace that role."

While he has grown into a bigger leadership role going into this season, Lane said with the close-knit nature of the wide receivers has made things a lot easier and he is already thinking about how much he will miss being a part of it next year.

"Those are my guys, man. I feel like any time I can highlight the group, I try to. My fifth year and my sixth year (at Georgia Tech), this is probably the most fun I've ever had playing football,” said Lane. “Just the guys we have in that room, they make it fun to come to work each day. It's really nice when you have that camaraderie with the guys. We're always doing everything together, whether we're working out together or hanging out on the weekends or coming here (to the facility) or talking, watching film, we always try to stay together. It's kind of cool when it feels natural. It doesn't feel forced, and it felt like that when I got here from Day 1."

Lane added that a certain thing that happened back in July has created another excuse for the wide receivers to spend a lot of time together.

"Now that the new college football game came out, that's really been our main hobby,” said Lane. “We don't really have a lot of free time with camp, but when we do get those off days, we're going to somebody's apartment and we're hopping on the game. Everybody's in there, and everybody's talking and jawing back and forth between each other. Those times are really going to be the main thing I miss once I'm done playing here."

While Lane is looking forward to what he can do on the field as Georgia Tech opens the season on Aug. 24 at noon in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, he said the opportunities Georgia Tech has given him off the field, like getting to meet Brandon Marshall who recently came to speak to the team or the coaches and support staff giving him the green light and help to start his new online series “Switchin’ Lanes” where he interviews different teammates in each episode, will be something he will always be thankful for.

"This is why I just love being at Tech, man,” said Lane. “Before (Brandon Marshall) even spoke to us, Coach Key called me up to his office. I didn't know he was going to be up there. It was just me, Coach Key and (Director of Player Development) Anthony Parker. And when I was walking up from the elevator, I saw him and I was like 'oh snap it's Brandon Marshall, NFL legend.’ Coach Key was telling him about my show 'Switchin’ Lanes.' Just getting to be there with him and talking about my show and giving him kind of like my vision for what I want it to be and talking ball for a little bit, it's kind of the vibe that you love here when you come to Tech. Coach Key is looking out for you on and off the field. And then when we got to see him actually speak in the team meeting, it was just like he was dropping gems. Being a potential NFL Hall-of-Fame receiver, seeing his thought process, his work ethic and having coaches who had been around him while he was at UCF (Central Florida) chime in to that, it was a lot to take in.

"It's just the kind of culture Coach Key and his staff have created here. They have put me in position that it's always been kind of a dream to do, but they just gave me the keys. They told me if I wanted to do this, I could do it. I've really taken that to heart. (Texas) A&M gave me some opportunities but nothing like I've experienced here at Georgia Tech. And I am forever grateful for that."