Georgia Tech former walk-on Daylon Gordon tops 20 mph on touchdown run
Before answering a question about his first career touchdown, Daylon Gordon stops and confesses he was still thinking about the previous offensive play he was on the field for during No. 16 Georgia Tech’s 45-24 win over Temple on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
That’s a bit of a cardinal sin for the Yellow Jackets, who pride themselves on a “next-play mentality.” But Gordon acknowledges he was still pumped that on a 34-yard touchdown run by fellow running back Malachi Hosley early in the third quarter, Gordon picked up a block 8 yards downfield from the line of scrimmage and drove a Temple defender 15 yards more, taking out a second Owls’ defender in the process.
The Hosley score came out of a two-running back formation. And that’s how Gordon, a former walk-on who earned a scholarship earlier this year, lined up when he took the field with 5:24 left in the fourth quarter, flanked to quarterback Aaron Philo’s right with running back Shane Marshall on Philo’s left.
“Coach calls 21 (personnel) again and he’s like, ‘DG, just get in and make sure you do your job.’ I get in … I get the ball,” Gordon said. “I’m like, ‘All right, Shane, you going there, OK I’m going here.’ Then I just turned the jets on and finished in the end zone. It was amazing.”
A 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior, Gordon came to Tech in 2021 after graduating from Dodge County High School. He has played more than 400 special-teams snaps since 2022 but had logged only three career runs for 8 yards before Saturday’s scoring play.
But his patience paid off Saturday as he was racing 47 yards to pay dirt, taking a handoff and curling around left end before squeezing between defenders 3 yards past the line of scrimmage and then shifting gears. Reel Analytics reported Gordon reached 20.4 mph on the run.
“Me and Daylon got a very special relationship. I said something to him before the play,” Tech running back Jamal Haynes said. “It was very exciting to see. The person Daylon is, a lot of people don’t really get to see outside of this building what kind of guy he is, what kind of man he is. It’s a very special person. From the bottom of my heart, I couldn’t appreciate him any more for what he does for this team and the impact he has on this team.”
Gordon is one of five players to score a rushing touchdown for Tech this season. He totaled 2,831 rushing yards during his time at Dodge County.
About the Author
