After one of its best years in recent memory, Greene County entered spring practice with the bar set high.
The Tigers went 10-2 overall last year in head coach Terrance Banks’ second season. They made it to the second round of the Georgia High School Association’s Class A Division II state playoffs.
Banks told Lake Oconee News he’s excited about where his team is following its intrasquad scrimmage this past Friday but knows his players have a long way to go before the start of the season.
“The main thing for us (this spring) was for kids to learn. We’re just trying to teach them again,” he said. “We lost 17 seniors, so other kids must play and step up. That was the main thing for us this spring. It wasn’t about getting back our older guys; it was a lot of new faces that have to be able to give us quality reps. It’s about starting the process over again and getting these kids used to this level.”
Despite losing 17 seniors, Greene County returns a starstudded 2025 class. The Tigers will be led by Kevin Wynn, Steve Miller, and RJ Monford. Each of those three has earned Division I offers. They will be tasked with taking charge and helping their younger teammates learn to step up.
Banks also highlighted those three had done their jobs of getting back to the basics and helping lead.
“For me, the focus last year was about playing a game. I felt like it became about playing a game and not teaching. This year was about teaching,” Banks said. “We wanted to get a head start on teaching and getting them excited about the summer process because we’ve got a long way to go.”
Banks sees “potential” in his younger guys but needs them to learn the ins and outs of the varsity level. He understands that some of them played meaningful reps last season but knows they need to learn to handle how to step into the limelight and compete for starting positions this year.
“I think we have the potential to be very, very good. But ‘potential’ is the word that gets you beat,” Banks said. “It’s on me and the coaches to teach the kids the skills they need to have. The spring practice period allowed us to return to those fundamentals and teach those things to our younger kids.”
Banks mentioned a few names that stood out through spring practice, including offensive lineman Jailyn McKellar, outside linebacker Melvin Lawrence, and offensive skill position player Kalil Dorsey.
For Banks, the spring was about returning to the fundamentals and getting the new players adjusted to the game’s speed with more reps. He said this summer will be about maturing those kids.
The Tigers will go through padded camps and organized team activities (OTAs) over the next two months.
“We’re trying to continue to mature. That’s the biggest part of the summer for us. We’ve got a lot of kids who we think can help us, but we just don’t know where they fit yet,” Banks said. “That’s the part we’re working on. We’re trying to figure out where they fit for us in the grand scheme of things.”