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Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Fans celebrate a new beginning
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was 7:30 a.m., and one of Georgia Tech’s football meeting rooms was nearly full with men — and four women — gathered to celebrate news of the first signees of the coach Paul Johnson era. Some had brought lists so they could check off the players as they signed.
Periodically, a position coach would step to the podium and announce a new signee, and, of course, the signees all sounded great. This was a day of excitement, of potential, of limitless possibility. Who would be the next Philip Wheeler, the next Tashard Choice, the next James Butler?
And, this year more than ever, the talk was of transformation. For example, Tevin Washington, that athletic quarterback from Wetumpka, Ala., could become almost anything at Tech.
“He’s got tremendous upside,” Johnson said. “If he’s not a quarterback, he certainly can be a wide receiver or a slotback or a safety.” And, “he might be the biggest sleeper in the whole class.”
Even the offense can transform, Johnson assured the faithful.
“We can do the same things out of the offense that Hawaii does,” he said, referring to the success Colt Brennan and June Jones had during the regular season and not in their bowl game.
There was some non-signee news, too. Tyler Evans, Luke Cox and Calvin Booker are getting scholarships, and Mohamed Yahiaoui will get one if he becomes the kicker, but Tech will still be well below the NCAA maximum of 85 next fall. About 58 players are on scholarship now, Johnson said.
Johnson, on the right size for an offensive lineman in his offense: “I don’t ever worry about weight that much as long as it’s good weight. If they can’t get out of their own way, we’ll ask them to lose some weight.”
“Ask” is the nice word for it. Johnson made it clear he wants his team tougher.
“When we practice, we will go live,” he said. “There will be a lot of contact.”
Quarterbacks will get tougher, too. In Johnson’s practices, they get hit just like running backs.
Johnson has no time for prima donnas. He has heard an earful about how difficult it will be for him to recruit top-flight receivers but insisted he’d only lose out on receivers who were too “me-first.” “If the wide receiver is so worried about catching 80 balls, I don’t want him, anyway,” Johnson said.
That’s it for now. I’m headed to Tech’s signing day celebration at Opera.
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