When the father of Georgia Tech’s newest football recruit was asked by a reporter on Sunday night if he was worried about being teased by UGA fans, his other son yelled “Go Dawgs” in the background and barked a couple of times.
The new Georgia Tech commit is Will Bryan, a junior offensive lineman from Franklin County High School. He’s Georgia Tech’s first commitment for 2015.
Bryan’s older brother (doing the barking) is Justin Bryan, a junior outfielder for UGA’s baseball team.
Their father is Mac Bryan, who played offensive guard at UGA for the 1983-84 seasons.
“I’ve got to admit it was interesting putting on a Georgia Tech hat for the first time,” Mac said with a laugh. “When my son told me he was going to commit there, I went and bought me a hat because I’m going to support him 100 percent.
“I’m a Georgia baseball fan, but when my other son is playing football for Georgia Tech, I’m going to be a Yellow Jacket fan. I mean, he’s my son. We’re excited for him. He’s a smart kid. Georgia Tech is just a good fit for him. He fits their offense very well.”
Will Bryan stands 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. He attended prospect camps this summer at Georgia Tech, UGA (twice), Tennessee and Furman. Will earned his first scholarship offer from the Yellow Jackets a few weeks ago, and committed this weekend.
“Academics were definitely a major reason why I picked Georgia Tech, along with the respect I have for the coaches; they are great people,” Will said. “Georgia Tech is big-time college football, and I love the offense. It’s the perfect fit for me. I want to be there.”
Bryan said he went ahead and made his college decision because “I knew wanted to go to Georgia Tech. So I didn’t see the point in waiting and then committing, when I could go ahead and commit, be done with recruiting, and focus on helping my high school team get to the playoffs.”
Naturally, Will had childhood dreams of following in his father’s footsteps to play football at UGA.
“Obviously, I definitely wanted to play there because my dad played there,” he said. “I wanted to be a Bulldog. But as I’ve gotten older, I thought more about what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of education I wanted to get, and where I wanted to go. And I decided that Georgia Tech was where I wanted to go.”
Will, who has a 4.0 GPA and plans to major in Business or Economics, said he projects to play center or offensive tackle at Georgia Tech. His father was thrilled with the decision, even though he may take some good-natured ribbing from former college teammates.
“Will has been around the University of Georgia a lot,” Mac said. “And we’ve been around other schools on unofficial visits during baseball season. He’s seen other schools around the country, and we’ve done a lot of research. When Georgia Tech showed a lot interest, we kind of dug into it.
“I didn’t really know a whole lot about Georgia Tech to be honest. But I’ve got friends who played there, and folks who I work with who graduated from Georgia Tech. We did research, and found out that it’s a fantastic university. Then we got to meet the coaches, and looked closely at their tradition and schedule. What a fantastic place to spend four or five years to play football and get a great education.”
Will’s brother at UGA also endorsed playing for the archrivals, according to Will. “He’s proud of me. He supports me in every way. He is my brother, and he loves me. He’s playing baseball, and I’m playing football, so it’s not really a rivalry. We’re still family. It’s not that big of a deal. My dad even said, ‘It’s not a house divided, it’s a house united.’ It’s two different colleges.”
Will is still being evaluated by other colleges, but says his recruiting is over. “Yes sir, I am definitely finished with recruiting. I am committed to Georgia Tech, and that’s where I plan on being in two years.” What if his father’s former team offers? “I’m going to Georgia Tech. Yes sir, it’s final.”
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