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Give Georgia Tech defensive tackle D’Quan Douse credit for maintaining solid relationships in his football circles.

Douse played at Calvary Day School with good friend Nolan Smith, who went on to star at the University of Georgia and now is a rookie linebacker with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.

“We grew up together,” Douse said in a telephone interview from the Atlanta campus on Wednesday, Aug. 23. “We still stay in touch.”

Douse talks often with his former Georgia Tech teammate and roommate Akelo Stone. A former Jenkins High School standout, the defensive lineman transferred this year to Ole Miss. The Yellow Jackets visit the Rebels on Sept. 16 in Oxford, Miss.

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” said Douse, a 6-foot-2, 278-pound redshirt junior with two years of eligibility remaining. “You know there will be a lot of trash talking.”

Sometimes there is chatter while players are still teammates, such as at practice when the offense and defense line up and see who can take advantage. Assistant coaches are not immune from getting in on the fun and raising the intensity.

One such person was former assistant head coach and offensive line coach Brent Key.

“We always had playful banter, going back and forth, just about how I’m trying to beat them and they’re trying to stop me,” Douse said. 

Key became Georgia Tech’s interim head coach early last season, replacing Geoff Collins after a 1-3 start. The Yellow Jackets then went 4-4, including two wins over ranked teams, under Key, now in his first full season as head coach.

“It’s definitely been a great transition,” Douse said. “I really love Coach Key. You can definitely tell he cares about us, loves the guys, loves the team. I really appreciate those kinds of things. I think he’ll be special for us.”

Douse is primed to have a special season as one of five current Tech players with connections to the Coastal Empire. Former Richmond Hill High standout Joe Fusile (6-6, 318) is a starting offensive guard.

“That’s my guy,” Douse said of the redshirt sophomore. “Me and Joe go at it every day. Every day.”

Fusile walked on the team in 2021 and played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2022, starting eight (seven at right guard, one at left guard). He was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy as the nation’s best FBS player who began his career as a walk-on.

Benedictine in Savannah is also well represented with Tech junior kicker Gavin Stewart, redshirt freshman defensive back Ben Hollerbach (5-10, 174) and true freshman long snapper Joseph Stoever (6-2, 205). Hollerbach was a key player on the Cadets’ 2021 GHSA Class 4A state title team, while Stoever was a big contributor to the 2021 and 2022 championships. 

“I think guys are really coming up from 912 (area code) and representing,” Douse said.

PHOTO (L-R): Ben Hollerbach & Joseph Stoever

Stewart, whose older brother Brad was a wide receiver at Tech (2015-18), has been making his mark at kicker. He was selected preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference third team in the 2023 Phil Steele College Football Preview.

Gavin Stewart became the starting kicker five games into last season and went 4-for-4 in the 26-21 upset of No. 24 Pitt on Oct. 2 in Pittsburgh.

After that career-best performance, Stewart went on to make his first 12 field-goal attempts, becoming the first Tech player in at least 40 years to make 10 straight field goals to start a season. He finished 12-for-13, with his 92.3 field-goal percentage 10th in the country.

Douse was tabbed preseason All-ACC third team by Athlon after his strong finish in 2022. He had 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss, both of which were second for Tech defensive linemen behind only defensive end Keion White, a 2023 second-round draft pick of the New England Patriots.

Douse started all 12 games last season and totaled 26 tackles. Pro Football Focus rated him fifth among ACC interior defenders against the run with a grade of 80.7. PFF ranked Douse 78th in run defense and 158th in overall defense among 897 graded interior defensive linemen in the country last season. 

He had a career night in a 28-27 win at Virginia Tech on Nov. 5, when he registered his first sack and forced fumble and the second blocked extra point of his career.

The Yellow Jackets knocked off No. 13 North Carolina on the road, 21-17, on Nov. 19 as Douse had a sack, two tackles for loss and forced a fumble.

He said one area for improvement is “getting to the quarterback more consistently instead of late in the season or here and there. I want to apply pressure no matter who we play or what part of the season.”

All of the four returning Yellow Jackets from the Coastal Empire have previously made the ACC Academic Honor Roll, including Stewart, a three-time member who in May earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Douse is majoring in history, technology and society, which he explained is digging deep into studies and reporting on demographics such as race and social class. He gave the example of studying areas with food deserts or very poor food resources. 

The youngest of four brothers, including two who played football at Savannah State, Douse is following a family legacy of bettering his community.

“I’ve always wanted to help,” Douse said. “My brother (Don’tre’) is a doctor. My mom is a nurse. … I definitely feel that in me, however I can (help).”

He would like to pursue a professional football career and also plans to earn a master’s degree studying cyber security.

Note: The Yellow Jackets open the 2023 season on Friday, Sept. 1, when they host ACC-rival Louisville at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Georgia Tech Athletics

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