Tech freshmen with upside

By DOUG ROBERSON

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

His nickname is “Too Tall.”

He’s been called that often enough that one of his teammates couldn’t remember his first name.

“Too Tall,” Brad Jefferson said. “We call him ‘Too Tall.’ I don’t even know his first name.”

Emmanuel?

“Yeah, Emmanuel.”

Emmanuel Dieke, called “Too Tall” because of obvious reasons, might not be unknown for long.

Just a freshman, there are some comparisons between him and another former tall Tech defensive end, Michael “Stretch” Johnson. Johnson is 6-foot-7. Dieke is 6-6. Both are relatively lean. Johnson, who now plays for the Cincinnati Bengals, weighed 260. Dieke has gained roughly 40 pounds since he enrolled for the spring semester and is up to 253. Dieke will wear Johnson’s 93.

But that’s where the comparisons stop. Johnson left school with 19 sacks and 107 tackles for loss. Dieke obviously has none, but he was the only freshman on Tech’s team to enroll in the spring semester. In addition to the weight that he’s put on by eating four to five times a day, he said he has improved his squat lift by almost 150 pounds, up to 550. He said his parents didn’t recognize him when he went home to Riverdale.

“They thought they got the wrong kid,” he said.

But the work is paying off.

He’s listed second-string on Tech’s two-deep depth chart.

“He had an OK spring,” coach Paul Johnson said. “Worked hard. Had a good summer and put on weight, so we will see.”

Based upon position needs and observations from August’s practices, here are a few freshmen besides Dieke who could see a few snaps this season:

WIDE RECEIVERS

● Stephen Hill, WR, 6-4, 196: Hill has the size and speed (4.4 in the 40) that most college coaches dream of.

And, he’s confident. He said the pace of learning is fast, but he’s just as fast. He also said it’s his goal to earn a starting spot by the season-opening game Sept. 5 against Jacksonville State.

He think that his height, combined with the height of wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (6-3) on the other side of the formation, could cause matchup problems for other teams.

“That’s going to help the offense a lot,” Hill said “For one, [most] cornerbacks are 6 feet and under. Speed that I have, and height, I can really stretch the field. It’s going to be a big experience. Fans are really going to like what they see.”

DEFENSE

● J.C. Lanier, DT, 6-4, 335: The defensive line is arguably the question mark on the team after losing Darryl Richard, Michael Johnson and Vance Walker to the NFL. Defensive line coach Giff Smith was asked this summer if putting Lanier and 353-pound tackle T.J. Barnes on the field at the same time would be an interesting proposition:

“Both are very good sized and have a lot of ability,” Smith said. “They are not just pluggers. They can play — and play at that size. There’s a lot of stuff we can do in coach Wommack’s scheme that can cause a lot of conflict with the offenses.

“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be fun.”

● Rod Sweeting, CB, 6-0, 170

● Jemea Thomas, S, 5-10, 185: The secondary is loaded this season with starters returning at every position, but Thomas was switched from A-back to the secondary because the coaches thought it would give him a better shot at earning playing time. He was the Class AA defensive player of the year last season at Fitzgerald.

Sweeting was one of the top high school cornerbacks in the nation last year at Luella.

He said he’s enjoying the coaching he’s receiving so far, even though the discipline demanded is tougher than his practices back in Locust Grove.

“You got to work hard out here,” Sweeting said.