Sports Daily: It’s a whiteout!

Hey y’all. It’s Wednesday — also known as Dirty Birds Dispatch Eve.

Make sure you sign up to get tomorrow’s inaugural edition of the new Falcons newsletter authored by Hall of Fame beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter, with behind-the-scenes assists from yours truly.

It’s gonna be a lot of fun. And it’s free.

Quick links: Braves drop another | Who is Easton Stick? | United searches for meaning

CATCH THE VIBE

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Georgia Tech running back Trelain Maddox knows what's up.

It’s a noon game. In Week 3.

But hey — it’s Georgia Tech vs. Clemson. The gridiron expectations in Atlanta are higher than they’ve been in a hot minute. And there ain’t no shame in trying to gin up a little extra juice.

Even if it’s via thousands of white T-shirts.

On Tuesday, the Yellow Jackets In Charge went ahead and declared a “whiteout” for the Sept. 13 matchup against the Tigers. (If you’re not familiar, the idea is simple: All the fans wear the same color, which looks cool and, in theory, supercharges the atmosphere.)

“Back by popular demand!” new athletic director Ryan Alpert wrote on X. “Get your tickets and exclusive t-shirt today — it’ll be an electric atmosphere at Bobby Dodd.”

A few thoughts:

• As a student at UGA during the Bulldogs’ original blackout/black jersey craze, I’m a little wary of such gimmickry. The 2007 Auburn game? Epic. The 2008 Alabama game? Embarrassing.
• There are probably a few ulterior motives for Tech to make the call now too. You’ll note that tickets are still available, and I’m sure Mr. Alpert is finding anything he can to try and endear himself to the Jacket faithful.

That said … who cares, man? Live a little.

Tech hasn’t orchestrated a whiteout since 2021, but it used to be a regular thing. I haven’t been able to suss out a win-loss record for all of those games, but a handful (e.g. 2015’s “Miracle on Techwood Drive) were big-time victories.

And if there’s a time to revive it, it’s definitely the Clemson game.

With apologies to Gardner-Webb, it’s the Jackets’ first real home game of the season — and they haven’t beaten the Tigers since 2014.

A win makes them instant ACC contenders.

So why not?

🐝 More Tech coverage: Haynes on 2 national award watch lists; O-line the biggest preseason question

WHO IS EASTON STICK?

Credit: Mike Stewart/AP

Stop. Let me explain.

In yesterday’s newsletter, I wrote about Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins not playing in the Falcons’ preseason opener Friday. Every single reader who responded called that a mistake (at least in terms of Penix).

Nevertheless, it looks like Easton Stick will get the call.

“It’s not necessarily putting a game plan together and doing all of it,” Stick said Tuesday. “But to get a chance to tee it up, keep score and all that stuff, it’s a lot of fun.”

Right on. But … who the heck is he?

Here’s what we know:

• He’s 29 years old, 6-foot-1 and not an aluminum baseball bat.
• He’s originally from Nebraska.
• He played college ball at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, where he originally backed up Carson Wentz — then went 49-3 and won two national titles as the starter.
• The Chargers drafted him in the fifth round in 2019. He threw three touchdowns over five games in 2023 and hasn’t played a regular season snap since.

Should be interesting.

I’m sure D. Led will have more in the Dirty Birds Dispatch. In the meantime, here’s what offensive lineman Jake Matthews had to say about the training camp vibes.

MOSTLY MEANINGLESS GAMES

⚾ The Braves lost to the Brewers again, 7-2. Eli White’s third homer in three games was just about the only bright spot (though starter Joey Wentz pitched better than his stat line suggests).

They’re back at it tonight at Truist Park (7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports). Spencer Strider gets the start.

⚽ Atlanta United returns to the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium tonight for a Leagues Cup match against Atlas (the Mexican soccer team, not the guy from Greek mythology or the book of maps).

The game means nothing, for the tournament or the Five Stripes’ standing in the MLS. But they’d sure like to put together a performance worth building on.

THE PEACH STATE’S BEST

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Spoiler alert: Benedictine defensive end LaDamion Guyton (seen here playing for Savannah Christian) may have made the Class 4A all-state preseason team.

I know you’re all very excited about tomorrow’s Super 11 reveal (who wouldn’t be?), but let’s show some love to the AJC’s high school football all-state preseason teams too.

The Class 4A list just dropped, headlined by the top two junior recruits in the state (plus Georgia commit Khamari Brooks).

• You’ll want to catch up on the 6A team and the 5A team too — with more classifications to come later this week.

CORNER THREES

A trio of very different basketball stories? Yes please.

1️⃣ AJC lifestyles columnist Nedra Rhone joined the chorus calling for WNBA players to make more money. As usual, she is correct. (Y’all should seriously stop throwing sex toys during games, too.)

2️⃣ Meanwhile, in the NBA: De’Aaron Fox signed a four-year, $229 million max extension with San Antonio. That’s more than $57 million a year — and exactly what Hawks star Trae Young is eligible for. Peer pressure!

3️⃣ The feds say a former security officer for the Miami Heat stole *hundreds* of game-worn jerseys and other items — including the jersey LeBron James wore in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals — and sold some of them on the internet. Unwise.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez/AJC

Paintball protection? Nope. That's for football practice. And baby cuddles, maybe.

We don’t write about Kennesaw State football very often here. But maybe we should — because quarterback Dexter Williams II (pictured above) has a fascinating story.