ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL KICKOFF

July 21, 2021

Ayinde Eley

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You've stepped into a huge role at Georgia Tech, leadership position. Talk about the development of yourself at Georgia Tech over the last seven months.

AYINDE ELEY: My teammates, they have welcomed me with open arms as soon as I came in the door on the first day. So that's what really helped me to step into a leadership role, is just their support, them allowing me to step into a leadership role.

Since they allowed me to step into that leadership role, I just tried to be the best leader I can for them. It just all comes down to my teammates and everything. I'm just so happy I get to play with them. I just can't wait till we roll it out and I can play with them.

Q. Talk about your father. He was a well-known coach at Morgan State. What did he teach you growing up, as a player, a football player?

AYINDE ELEY: I think at a young age I learned early that you have to fall in love with the process in this sport. The Saturdays and the games, the accolades everything, that's fun, but that's only a couple times throughout the week, a couple times throughout your career. The process is really what makes great players great, what separates you.

You just got to fall in love with the film watching, the recovery, the running, the workouts, the stuff that you get frustrated with when you can't do it. You got to fall in love with that type of stuff. That's what makes you the best player you can be. I feel like that's what he taught me at a young age.

Q. Going from Maryland to Georgia Tech, what made this the right fit for you? What made the most sense to come to Georgia Tech when you had so many different suitors?

AYINDE ELEY: The situations matched up. David Curry, a great linebacker at Georgia Tech, great leader and everything, he was leaving. There was a role there that was open, that I decided to step into. Just the situations, just the atmosphere, it just matched.

Talking to Coach Collins, Coach Thacker, talking to the guys, it was just a match. I just felt like that's where I was meant to be. I feel like it's one of the best decisions I made in a long time to come here.

Q. Do you feel like being in Atlanta opens up more opportunities with all that's going on in that market, given, post NIL, the doors that opens for you?

AYINDE ELEY: Yeah, Atlanta itself, even if you weren't a college football player, anything you do in marketing, Atlanta is a good place for you just to get your name out there. You walk the streets of Atlanta, you'll see a famous person, a celebrity, somebody that can help you help yourself.

I just like with the NIL coming out and everything, I feel like Atlanta's a great place for marketing, just to go around, just so many people there, so many different types of people that you can get into a lot of stuff and everything, especially with the NIL and stuff

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.