This is the fourth in a nine-part position-by-position series analyzing the Georgia Tech roster continuing with a look at Yellow Jackets wide receivers. Players report for preseason practice July 31, and the first practice is Aug. 1.
One thing is for sure: Georgia Tech has a lot of wide receivers. What is not as much of a surety is which of those wideouts will catch the most passes in 2023.
Tech has 13 scholarship players listed as a wide receiver on its current roster. The majority of those players have never seen the field in a gold and white uniform. It’s a mixed group of career reserves, transfers and freshmen looking to make an impact for first-year position coach Josh Crawford inside offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner’s offense.
Four of Tech’s newest receivers arrived via the transfer portal, and three of those four came from the SEC. Here is a closer look at some of Tech’s wide receivers corps:
Dominick Blaylock: A name certainly familiar to football fans in the state, Blaylock is a former Georgia standout and the son of former Hawks star Mookie Blaylock. Dominick Blaylock had 18 catches for 310 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman for UGA in 2019, including a 9-yard TD grab in the 52-7 Bulldogs’ win at Bobby Dodd Stadium, but has only 17 career catches since then and has overcome from two severe knee injuries.
Chase Lane: Another veteran of the SEC, Lane came from Texas A&M where he caught 29 balls for 409 yards and two scores in 2020. The 6-foot, 193-pound native of Houston has only 19 career catches since.
Abdul Janneh: The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Janneh had the best 2022 of any receiver on the Tech roster. At Duquesne, Janneh caught 43 passes for 579 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns earning him All-Northeast Conference accolades last season.
Malik Rutherford and Leo Blackburn: Both are the only returning players who caught passes for Tech in 2022. The diminutive Rutherford was fourth on the team last season with 225 yards on 23 receptions.
Zion Taylor and Eric Singleton: Coach Brent Key signed Taylor and Singleton to the 2023 recruiting class. Both Taylor (Norcross High) and Singleton (Alexander High) were considered three-star prep prospects.
All of Tech’s receivers will be taking direction from Crawford, a Morehouse graduate who spent the past two seasons working with one of the nation’s most pass-happy offenses at Western Kentucky. Crawford has also coached at five Georgia high schools.
