AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > August > 01
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Handicapping Tech’s newcomers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Absolutely no science here, some hunches, some common sense according to me. I’m going to predict the top Tech TRUE freshmen in terms of their chances of playing this season, which is another way of saying these are the freshmen I think least likely to redshirt.
Last season, just four players made this list, and one, CB Laurence Marius (perhaps the most talented) left school in the spring home/lovesick. (When I reached him by phone two weeks ago, he had nothing to say.)
The other three were DE Robert Hall (who’s listed No. 2 at one DE spot currently), RB Jamaal Evans (an early enrollee) and LB Shane Bowen (another early enrollee who is to compete with redshirt freshman Anthony Barnes at SLB). Last season, they were almost exclusively used on special teams save action in blowouts.
Of Tech’s balllyhooed 20-man signing class, two won’t count against this year’s scholarship numbers. One, QB Steven Threet, has transferred to Michigan. He was one of two early enrollees, too. WR Tyler Melton, though in summer school now, is not planning to enroll full time until Jan., in part because he tore an ACL last season.
I will not rank all 18 players, just the nine I think have a realistic chance not to redshirt. I expect this list to shrink as I update it weekly with some players moving up/down/in/out.
I think the number of true freshman to play will be higher than four this year because Tech will graduate/lose quite a few more players after this season than last and it is therefore that much more important to get experience for some players who will return next season. Even Gailey agreed with me on that concept, although he said he won’t force freshmen into action.
I’ll update my rankings, with possible additions or subtractions, each Wednesday leading up to Notre Dame week. Let’s roll:
1a DE Derrick Morgan Only early enrollee left, listed No. 3 behind Adamm Oliver and Michael Johnson on one side (Robertson and Hall 1-2 on other side). Johnson will play a ton for a “backup” as Oliver will move inside in many situations. Morgan — the No. 1-ranked player in Pa. last year — had a decent spring and may battle Hall for No. 4 DE spot, which with Oliver’s flexibility is more like a No. 3b spot.
1b QB Josh Nesbitt Lots of reasons. He’s an athletic specimen who landed at Tech in part because the Jackets told him he could give it ago at QB while some other schools were told him they saw him as a safety/WR or something else — period. If Nesbitt is not the second-best QB on the roster the first week of camp (that’s likely to be transfer Calvin Booker), I think he will be by the end of August. Even if he’s not, Tech needs to carry three ready-to-play QBs into the season, and I see no way Nesbitt fails to finish August ahead of Ingram and Manley. Plus, Gailey has agreed that the concept of using Nesbitt in specific situations, ala Florida’s Tim Tebow, is plausible.
3 S Morgan Burnett With the return of senior S Joe Gaston, who missed last season with a knee injury, and the flexibility of CB/S Avery Roberson, depth is not a huge issue behind Ss Djay Jones and Jamal Lewis. But Burnett, whose brother played at Georgia, is a football player first, a safety second if that makes sense. He needs to be on the field helping, and almost surely will see action this season in preparation for the fact that all three top safeties on the depth chart now will be gone next season; they’re seniors.
4 OL Nick Claytor I’m not sure he’ll truly be able to compete with A.J. Smith and Cord Howard for the open offensive tackle spot, and the somewhat surprising return of OL Jacob Lonowski gives the Jackets a bit more depth on the OL than expected, but Claytor is a strong candidate to play his way into a swing spot. Three starting OL are seniors (though no tackles) so some youngsters have to begin grooming.
5 RB Jonathan Dwyer Again, not a need position THIS YEAR, but Tashard Choice and Rashaun Grant are seniors with sophomore Jamaal Evans trailing them. But Dwyer’s the real deal as a back, and next year when Choice and Grant are gone, he will have a shot to start. Better get him some playing time now. (I think fellow RB Roddy Jones will redshirt.)
6 DE Jason Peters Depth at DE doesn’t help Peters’ chances, but if he’s as good as he was made out to be in the recruiting process, when he committed to LSU ahead of Tech and Florida, and then changed his mind after a lousy visit to LSU when coaches allegedly tried to convince him to gray shirt (like Tyler Melton), he deserves to be on this list. Plus, there could be some movement on the D-line, where ends go to tackle and so forth.
7 LB Kyle Jackson Kind of like the RB spot as the top two (Srs. Philip Wheeler and Gary Guyton) will be gone next year, and it wouldn’t hurt to at least get serious practice reps and perhaps a little action for a guy who might be in the main mix next season. Plus, there’s something special about Jackson’s demeanor/approach.
8/9 DBs D.J. Donley and Willie White Sure, these guys are talented, but my inclusion of them here again gets back to the future (hey, I could spin a movie title off that). The top three safeties — Lewis, Jones and Gaston — on the depth chart today are seniors. Two of the top three cornerbacks on the depth chart — Roberson and Pat Clark — are seniors, and the other, Jahi Word-Daniel, is a junior. Experience will be required real soon at all secondary positions. Next August, I guarantee the secondary at large will be the spot Tech fans will be fretting most entering the season (kind of like cornerback this season).
Remember, these are opinion-based, and I’ll update them next Wednesday — AFTER PRACTICE!
