Georgia Tech Football

When Paul Johnson was hired by the Yellow Jackets, he inherited a talented gang of players who were built to play Chan Gailey's pro-style offense. Players like Demaryius Thomas, Josh Nesbitt and Jonathan Dwyer were forces who fit into the Flexbone scheme and excelled under Johnson.

Since their departure, Paul Johnson has been working to stuff the coffers with that same talent level—largely unsuccessfully.

Small classes and more "system players" than "recruiting home runs" have characterized Paul Johnson's tenure on the recruiting trail in Atlanta. Throw in his policy with respect to commitments taking visits, and it is clear that Paul Johnson's methods of getting talent into the Yellow Jacket program leave much to be desired.

One issue Johnson will continue to battle is the idea that his offensive system does not best prepare players for success at the next level.

Of the Yellow Jackets drafted recently, only Demaryius Thomas (a Chan Gailey recruit) has had any true impact at the next level. Scouts discussed the potential of Steven Hill but continued to fall back on the lack of route-running and NFL readiness thanks to his development being stunted in Johnson's scheme.

The offensive recruiting is something that most folks understood Johnson would battle. Now, with Nigel Bowden, it seems defensively there may be cause for concern as well.

Al Groh is one of college football's finest defensive minds, and since he runs the Jackets' 3-4 scheme, one would assume that that side of the ball is in good hands. However, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, Bowden used Johnson's offense in making his decision:

“I feel like I fit in better in Vanderbilt’s 4-3 defense than I did with the 3-4 at Georgia  Tech. And in practices every day at Vanderbilt, I can go against a pro-style offense, which will make me an even better player.”

Obviously, one player does not a trend make, but it is worth noting that Bowden most certainly has a point. While the scout team does try to give looks during the weeks of practice, the same reason duplicating Georgia Tech's offense is difficult comes back to haunt their defense. A team built around playing the option is not the best unit to give their defense pro-styled looks in practice. 

In other words, if you're built to play the option and your defense practices against option players, then you might not be in the best position to build successful players on either side of the ball. It will be interesting to see if Bowden's stance is taken by other Yellow Jackets defensive targets.

Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson continues to have a really good summer.  Coach Johnson got his fourth 4-star commitment on Friday when former Vanderbilt commit Nigel Bowden decided to commit to the Yellow Jackets.

Bowden, a linebacker from Central Macon High School, is considered to be one of the state's top linebackers for the 2013 class.  Georgia Tech had been recruiting Bowden even before he committed to Vandy.  However, after meeting face-to-face with Coach Paul Johnson, Bowden decided that he would be calling Atlanta home.

Michael Carvell of the Atlanta Journal Constitution provided some of the Bowden's reasons for choosing Georgia Tech: 

I’ve been thinking about Georgia Tech for a while. It was always between those two, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt. I switched because I always wanted to play for my home state school. Plus, my mother always wanted to me to go to Georgia Tech. My family can go to all of the games.

This commitment continues what has been an extremely strong summer of recruiting so far for the Jackets.  Bowden, according to many websites, makes the fourth 4-star recruit for the Yellow Jackets, who haven't had this many 4-star recruits since the famed 2007 signing class, which included the likes of Derrick Morgan, Josh Nesbitt, Morgan Burnett, and Jon Dwyer—the same group that made up the core of Georgia Tech's most recent football championship team.

While we don't truly know how any of these players will turn out, this draft class is certainly giving many GT fans, myself included, a great deal of hope moving forward.

Overall 2013 Georgia Tech Recruiting Class:

1. RB Travis Curtis, Lovejoy (4-star)

2. RB Donovan Wilson, Dublin, Ohio (3-star)

3. OL Shamire Devine, Tri-Cities High School (4-star)

4. DT  Darius Commissiong, Forestville, Maryland (3-star)

5. OG Jeremi Hall, Tri-Cities High School (4-star)

6. ILB Nigel Bowden, Central Macon High School (4-star)

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets made yet another "big" signing late Saturday when Tri-Cities High School offensive lineman Jeremi Hall, a teammate of 4-star offensive lineman Shamire Devine, committed to the Jackets. 

This marks the fifth recruit of what is shaping up to be a great Georgia Tech recruiting class. Hall is a rated as a 4-star guard by Rivals, and they consider him to be the sixth-best guard in this recruiting class. 

Including Hall, that now makes three 4-star recruits the Jackets have picked up for this recruiting class, with teammate Devine and Lovejoy RB Travis Curtis also being ranked as 4-star recruits. The class currently also includes Dublin, OH running back Donovan Wilson, a 3-star recruit, and 3-star defensive tackle Darius Commissiong of Forestville, MD.

It is quite interesting to look at the type of lineman coach Paul Johnson is recruiting in this class for the Jackets. CPJ is known for loving smaller, lighter and faster offensive linemen, but both Devine and Hall are behemoths exceeding the 325-lb range. And as far as I'm concerned, it isn't a bad thing at all for CPJ to be adding some major beef to the line. They will help to provide the type of stability needed to not only pancake defenders on running plays, but to provide GT QBs with enough time to pass the ball as well.

Even though this is going to be a small class for the Jackets (which, as we all know, recruiting sites will consider a negative thing), the quality of players in the class are looking top notch. Both the offensive and defensive lines will have great new players on them, and the running back corps will be reloaded with the addition of Curtis and Wilson. 

Yet again, through all of this, we see CPJ once again dispelling the common myth that his offense turns recruits away. A big congrats to all of the recruits currently committed to coming to the Institute.

Expansion is all the rage, and while the Big 12 is still not sold on growing its league back to 12 teams, there are, at least in reports, multiple teams that are looking to have their names considered.

Louisville, of the Big East, is exploring options. Florida State is, but they're not, but they already have been eying the Big 12. Clemson, Miami and Virginia Tech have been mentioned by the "take it with a grain of salt" folks at OrangeBloods.com ($$). TCU's athletic director spilled the beans, sort of confirming the idea that schools were reaching out to the league.

To me, the most interesting of these schools that have rumors swirling is Georgia Tech. On their own, the Yellow Jackets are an intriguing study as a football program. Rich history in four national titles, 16 conference championships, the 222-0 win over Cumberland in epic fashion and the ties to one of the game's great names, John Heisman.

The 40 bowl games to their credit is a top-15 number in the college football world—more than Florida, Arkansas, Auburn, Texas A&M, Wisconsin and plenty of other programs. 

However, to go with all of that success is a more recent view of the Jackets. They are a team that has not won a bowl game since 2004's beating of Syracuse in the Champs Sports Bowl. A team with just one conference title since their 1990 national championship. A team that, both nationally and regionally, has seen its luster fade.

The Jackets that we see today are merely a shell, as a program, of the team that won a title two decades ago.

That said, we all know conference expansion is not merely about success as a program. Texas A&M has not been a tremendous bastion of football greatness and the SEC still snatched them up. Colorado, simply put, was God-awful at the time the Pac-12 chose the Buffaloes as one of their newest members.

Boise State, piling up wins like nobody's business, could not get an invite from the Big 12 or Pac-12, two leagues that, at least geographically, could have better housed the Broncos than the Big East.

Some folks see the Jackets as a great push for the Big 12. They are, after all, in Atlanta, the nation's eighth-largest television marketplace and an easy place to get a flight into for all the travel associated with collegiate athletics. Perhaps that is some of the allure with the Yellow Jackets when it comes to considering them.

Absolutely the ease of travel idea is correct. Getting to Atlanta from anywhere in the USA is a relatively easy task. However, the idea about Atlanta as a media market carried by Georgia Tech and the benefit of adding the Jackets is one that a lot of people whiff on. The Jackets don't carry Atlanta.

The ATL loves college football, but make no mistake about it, it is an SEC town. The way it embraces the SEC title game and loves the Georgia Bulldogs makes that point pretty clear.

Chasing a media market by grabbing a team in the area is not the best move. Ask the ACC how that worked out with Boston College. While the Jackets have more of a foothold in the Atlanta market than the Eagles, the same principles apply: You have to know what a team is worth in their market before you assume it will carry the area for you.

Even in great years, Boston College has very little "real" value in the Boston Market. Georgia Tech carries more cache with an Atlanta population that loves college football, but that real value must still be considered.

If the Big 12 is looking to expand, it is clear that Florida State, save for Notre Dame, is the big fish out there swimming. The traveling partner for the Seminoles has to be up for grabs, and at first blush, the Yellow Jackets seem to be quite appealing, at least off the field.

Hopefully Bob Bowlsby won't fall into the trap—the allure of the Atlanta market may seem too good to pass up; it is not. Opt for the culture and on-field success, the viewers will come organically. As the ACC realized with Boston College, just having a team in the major market does not guarantee a true bump.

The Yellow Jackets picked up a big-time offensive line commitment on Wednesday night when East Point junior Shamire Devine became the third verbal of Paul Johnson's 2013 recruiting class.   

Devine is a 4-star prospect with plenty of size and a great academic background who picked Georgia Tech over Florida State due to its engineering program, according to what he told Michael Carvell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"I picked Georgia Tech over Florida State, and I really don’t know who the third guy was. Florida State was ranked in the Top 10 in computers, while Georgia Tech was in the top three. So I chose the school with the best academics. I don’t really care about the football part. I just want the best degree I can get, as far as the field I want to study. That’s Georgia Tech.” 

The Tri-Cities High School junior comes in at 6'6" and 360 pounds.  According to his Rivals.com profile he has a 315 max bench press and a 475 max squat.  

Devine had a bucket of big-time offers, mostly from the ACC and SEC, and even Southern Cal.  Besides front-runner FSU, he passed up offers from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Mississippi State.  

In a move that usually gets under the skin of Paul Johnson, Devine plans to make two more stops on his recruiting tour according to the AJC.  

“One of the visits will be to the UK [Kentucky] because they were the first school to offer me a scholarship. I’m also going to Florida State because I promised them I would.” 

Scout.com currently has the Atlanta native in the Top 20 nationally on the offensive front and made note of his handle on balance and body control.  

"DeVine moves and bends very well for an offensive lineman with his size," says Chad Simmons of Scout.com's Southeast Recruiting Team.  "His arm length is good, he is light on his feet, and he consistently displays good balance and body control. He does need to work on his technique, holding his blocks, and continue to add strength to his frame in both lower and upper-body. He has a lot of potential, he has size you cannot coach, and has a lot of tools that will attract college coaches."

If this commitment holds until signing day, Devine's size and run-block ability will certainly be a welcomed addition to Johnson's option attack.  

After much speculation, Stephen Hill was selected 43rd overall by the New York Jets in the 2012 NFL Draft.  

There is usually a large collection of Jets fans in attendance at Radio City Music Hall, and their reaction to Hill's second-round selection seemed to be a favorable one for the former Georgia Tech wide receiver.  

Tech fans were initially surprised when Hill decided to leave school after his junior season to enter the draft, but his calculated risk seems to have paid off after impressing scouts and pundits alike at the combine and during his pro day.  

The Jets moved up from the 47th spot in a trade with the Seahawks to get Hill, who had been the Yellow Jackets' leading receiver over the past two seasons, but whose toughness and durability were often questioned by Tech fans during his career.  

With a 4.36 40-yard time at the combine, Hill instantly became a household name around the NFL and follows in the footsteps of former teammate Demaryius Thomas as an early wide receiver draft pick out of Paul Johnson's option offense.  With a Georgia Tech wideout taken early in the NFL draft for the second-straight season, it is apparent that NFL teams are not afraid to take receivers from the triple option.  

Stephen Hill joins quarterbacks Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and Greg McElroy in New York for what could be an interesting battle at that position.  As with Thomas in Denver, it is quite possible that the Jets are interested in Hill's blocking skills learned within the option now that Tebow is on the roster.   

Recently, the Atlanta Journal Constitution discussed the quarterback competition at Georgia Tech between the incumbent Tevin Washington and backups Synjyn Days and Vad Lee.

Competition is never a bad thing, but this has created a real dilemma for Paul Johnson. Johnson isn’t on any hot seat, but there is a little restlessness among the Yellow Jacket faithful. Did Johnson peak his first two years?

This is where picking the right QB for the 2012 season either makes the Jacket’s 6-7 season of 2010 and 2-5 finish 2011 look like hiccups, or it may make those seasons appear as if they will be the norm in Atlanta.

Here’s the problem—Tevin Washington is a senior that started every game last year. Generally, Washington makes good decisions. He runs the triple option effectively. Georgia Tech led the ACC in scoring and total offense. Those are pretty good results, but the issue is that Washington is limited athletically. He’s not particularly gifted at any one skill. There were a number of times last year when I thought—great decision Tevin, but he couldn’t break that last tackle. A potential 25-yard gain became a 5-yard gain. Basically, Washington couldn’t necessarily win the game for you, but he probably wouldn’t lose it either.

You’ve got Synjyn Days. He’s easily a better runner than Washington. He had over 100 yards rushing in Georgia Tech’s spring game last year. The Redshirt Sophomore has been in the program for a while and knows the offense. Frankly, I think if Days was a better “option,” so to speak, Johnson would have already gone with him. When he did play last year, his ball security was questionable.

What about Vad Lee? The highly rated Redshirt Freshman recruit out of North Carolina threw for over 3,000 yards and ran for over 1,000 yards as senior. He was considered the gem of Georgia Tech’s 2010 class. He has arguably the highest ceiling of the three quarterbacks but the least experience.

So, what is Paul Johnson to do? Go with the experienced QB? The better runner? Or the guy who has yet to appear in a game but has the most potential. The Spring Game is going to awfully interesting in Atlanta this year.

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With a small class expected for next year's signing day, it was important that Georgia Tech be selective. A commit from running back Travis Custis has gotten the Yellow Jackets off on the right foot.  

As the first player officially on board for the 2013 recruiting class, the Lovejoy High School junior decided it'd be best to commit early. He committed to play at Tech after watching Monday's practice.  Custis' father, Travis Sr. told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he "liked Georgia Tech, and the other schools we were really looking at were starting to fill up at running back…so we thought, ‘Why wait any longer?’” 

Custis, who is rated a three-star by most major recruiting outlets, is expected to have a rise in value going into his senior season.  

Lovejoy is the same high school that former Tech star Tashard Choice attended.  “They are very similar running backs…Travis has broken all of Tashard’s records and he’s a step faster than Tashard,” said Lovejoy coach Al Hughes.  

Notes:

His ESPN.com profile has Custis at 6'0" and 207 lbs with a 4.67 second 40-yard time.  He passed up offers from Vanderbilt, Clemson, Miami, Boston College, Mississippi State and South Florida.  

It appears that one of the rising defensive stars for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets may miss the entire 2012 season with an undisclosed injury.  

According to a report in The Augusta Chronicle on Monday, senior linebacker Julian Burnett has been bothered by an injury that apparently stems from a tackle he made during the 2011 Sun Bowl versus Utah.

Little more has been revealed publicly in terms of specifics, however head coach Paul Johnson did confirm that the injury was not a concussion, which was suspected by many when Burnett left the Sun Bowl and had to be helped off the field.  

In an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article in January, it was revealed that the star linebacker's injury was likely a serious one.  Coach Johnson implied then that the injury may be career-ending when he offered that "there’s a lot of guys who are playing and have gone through it, but they've come out on the other end, that they've determined it’s okay for them to play. It happens a lot. It’s a violent sport, high-contact.”

It appears as if the matter may not be clarified any time soon, as Johnson also offered that “if Julian wanted to shed light on it, he could."  Thus far the specifics remain a mystery.  

It will be important for someone on the defense to step up and fill Burnett's shoes moving forward, as Jackets fans had begun to take note of his impressive play during the 2011 season especially.