By William Qualkinbush.
By William Qualkinbush
Clemson enjoyed a 10-win season in 2014, but one of the three teams that bested the Tigers was Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets will come to Clemson for the third time in four seasons on October 10. The game, which should carry significant national stakes, comes right on the heels of important contests for both teams: Clemson hosts Notre Dame the previous week, while Georgia Tech takes on North Carolina in a critical Coastal Division clash.
The Damage
Because of the way they play, the Yellow Jackets rely heavily on using a ton of running backs. In all, 12 players on Paul Johnson’s squad rushed for at least 100 yards last season. Nine of them were tailbacks, and seven of those tailbacks have graduated. That list is headlined by some recognizable names—Synjyn Days, Zach Laskey, Charles Perkins, and Tony Zenon.
Both quarterbacks who saw significant playing time return, which means the Tigers will get another shot at Justin Thomas, but the top two receivers on the team are gone. DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller combined for 61 catches, 1,157 yards, and 13 touchdowns last season—more than half of the production in all of those areas.
Essentially, here is the gist of it: Georgia Tech is decimated at the skill positions. They will have players ready, but it is very difficult to replace such a sizable chunk of production.
Perhaps Tech’s best pro prospect in this year’s draft class is Shaquille Mason, who could play either guard or center at the next level. Besides him, the rest of the line returns intact.
A pair of starters will depart from a defense that showed marked improvement last season. Linebacker Quayshawn Nealy was Tech’s second-leading tackler a year ago and should probably be a late-round draft choice. The same goes for productive safety Isaiah Johnson. Reserve defensive tackle Shawn Green played in 13 games last season for the Yellow Jackets.
The Newcomers
Paul Johnson managed to ink a solid if unspectacular recruiting class. ESPN.com ranked it the 41st-best class in the country, and there are a few headliners within the group.
Perhaps the most talented prospect is four-star athlete Jaylend Ratliffe, who projects as a quarterback in Johnson’s option offense. The North Carolina native spurned both the Tar Heels and the Wolfpack to sign with the Yellow Jackets, but he may not be a factor next season due to the presence of Thomas and experienced backup Tim Byerly. Louisiana athlete Christian Campbell also figures to be in the mix here.
As noted above, Tech needs to replace two quality receivers, and four-star Christian Philpott might part of the solution. The 6’3” Tallahassee native had an impressive offer list that included Ole Miss and Penn State. The Yellow Jackets also signed a highly-touted interior offensive lineman in Will Bryan, an in-state prospect who projects as a top 40 guard nationally.
Due to depletion at running back, Johnson set out to find several prospects who can carry the ball for Tech next season and beyond. The Yellow Jackets signed no fewer than six backs in the 2015 recruiting class. The group is led by Douglasville, GA natives Omahri Jarrett and Mikell Lands-Davis. Fellow Georgian TaQuon Marshall could also see early playing time in the backfield, although he could be destined for defense as well.
Four-star pass rusher Anree Saint-Amour headlines the defensive signing class for Georgia Tech. He can play either defensive end or outside linebacker at the next level and picked the in-state Jackets over a plethora of national suitors, including Ohio State and Stanford. Elsewhere in the linebacking corps, Tech signed three top 25 prospects to bolster the interior—Victor Alexander, Tyler Cooksey, and Brant Mitchell.
Also of note, Tech signed a pair of twins from Woodstock, GA in this recruiting class. Brad Morgan, an offensive lineman, and his brother Scotty, a defensive tackle, hail from Etowah High School.