Three Jackets leaving football team

Georgia Tech A-back Greg Smith and defensive back Jake Blackwood have left the team, according to the school. Smith likely will transfer and use his final season of eligibility elsewhere.

Also, walk-on quarterback Bryce Dykes from Norcross High School has left the team but will remain in school. Dykes played in two games for Tech in the 2008 season.

A redshirt junior, Smith’s playing time declined over the course of last season. He will finish the semester at Tech before he transfers, most likely to a Division I-AA school, where he could play immediately. He has been running indoor track since the end of the season.

For the season, Smith, from Douglass High School, rushed 13 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Before coach Paul Johnson’s arrival, Smith played wide receiver in his freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2007, he led Tech with 37 catches and 588 receiving yards.

Blackwood, an important special-teams player, will graduate at the end of the semester and has decided to forego his final season of eligibility.