At long last – a winner in the derby for jersey No. 1 has been declared. A-back Qua Searcy will wear No. 1 for Georgia Tech this fall, donning the eye-catching single-digit jersey worn for the past five years by safety Isaiah Johnson.
It is a feather in Searcy's cap, as coach Paul Johnson typically awards sought-after jersey numbers based on players' performance in the spring. (One of the highlights of my spring was Johnson telling me that teammates gave him the "stink face" after he decided to redshirt the 2013 season, thus allowing him to hold onto the coveted No. 1 for one more season.)
It was among the notable jersey number assignments released by the team last week in an update of the roster on the Tech website (if you consider jersey number assignments "notable"). Others – graduate transfer Patrick Skov will wear No. 7 (worn last season by B.J. Bostic). He wore No. 24 at Stanford, but that is taken by B-back Marcus Allen.
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Also, freshman linebacker Victor Alexander has been given No. 9, worn last year by A-back Tony Zenon.
It should be noted that jersey number assignments remain subject to change.
An earlier version of the post included two factual errors. The most recent linebacker to wear a single-digit jersey prior to Alexander is Anthony Harrell, who wears No. 2. Also, A-back J.J. Green wore No. 46 in spring practice.
Numbers for scholarship freshmen, Skov and players who have changed numbers since last season:
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