Got here a bit late, but let’s get started. A good crowd is gathered at the Edge Center on campus for National Signing Day. Tech voice Brandon Gaudin is hosting the ESPN3 online broadcast.
Thus far, two signees have been announced, defensive end Michael Preddy from Charleston, S.C., and another end, Antonio Simmons from Jacksonville, Fla. Follow during the day at @ajcsportseditor.
10:24 a.m. - Coach Paul Johnson takes the stage to wrap things up. He says one more could still be out there - Norcross running back Myles Autry - but “I think we addressed a lot of needs.” Offensive line was a particular area of need, as was the secondary. He calls it “next to impossible” to predict who can play immediately.
He later answers questions from fans at the event. Some notes:
He likes the schedule. He is OK with an occasional Thursday night game, but “is not a big fan” of the games in general. (The 2014 schedule does not have any Thursday night games.)
Tech’s junior day is Saturday.
Nine of the 20 signees are from in-state. He notes the emphasis made on private schools outside of the region, saying the staff looked into Nashville, Chicago and Washington, D.C., among other cities, but “we just didn’t get any of those guys.” He says he’d like to have about half the class from in-state to fill needs and then to supplement with out-of-state prospects.
He thinks the 2015 class will be about 20 players again. It could be heavier on linebackers, wide receivers and A-backs.
He says he met with Tech president G.P. “Bud” Peterson a year ago and that Peterson “was willing to give me some leeway” regarding admissions for exceptions because of the team’s improvement in academic progress rate and graduation rate. “Dr. Peteron’s been really good about that,” he says.
Linebacker Anthony Harrell is out for spring practice. He is the only one who won’t participate.
10:10 a.m. - No. 20 - linebacker Terrell Lewis from Ocoee, Fla. Recruited by A-backs coach Lamar Owens. Played seven positions in one game.
10:05 a.m. - Defensive end Kenderius Whitehead from Georgia Military College. Played freshman season at N.C. State, transferred to GMC for one year. He’ll have three more years of eligibility.
10:00 a.m. - Linebacker Tre Jackson from Lowndes County. Recruited by linebackers coach Andy McCollum. Four-year starter at powerful Lowndes program and region defensive player of the year. Not ideal height at 5-foot-10. Says McCollum, “There’s a difference between short and small. People say, ‘Well, he’s short.’ I don’t mind short. Small bothers me.”
9:50 a.m. - Two Gwinnett County products - running back C.J. Leggett (North Gwinnett High) and wide receiver Clinton Lynch (Norcross High). Both were recruited by Ted Roof. Leggett could be an A-back or a B-back, depending on need when he arrives. Roof likes his lower-body strength and ability to break tackles. Lynch was coached by former Tech star Jeremy Muyres. Roof says he was under the radar because of the stockpile of players at Norcross. “I think if you put him at another school, the recruiting level would be much higher,” he says.
9:41 a.m. - Another offensive lineman - Jake Stickler from Bradenton, Fla. Chose between Baylor, Missouri and Tech. Offensive line coach Mike Sewak says he was a three-year starter and, among other things, can play seven instruments.
9:33 a.m. - Offensive linemen Gary Brown (Tampa, Fla.) and Jake Whitley (North Augusta, S.C.) announced. Both recruited by offensive line coach Mike Sewak. Brown has drawn comparisons to Tech All-ACC guard Shaquille Mason due to similar size and explosion off the ball. Whitley was a three-year starter, and someone Tech has pursued since his sophomore year.
9:27 a.m. - Three more. Quarterback Matthew Jordan, defensive back Jalen Johnson, defensive end Tyler Merriweather. All out of Alabama, all recruited by defensive line coach Mike Pelton. Johnson’s coach worked together with Pelton at Troy and informed Pelton about him.
Merriweather’s coach also coached Tech All-American Michael Johnson. Pelton said that when he was going through Alabama, an opposing coach whom Pelton knew insisted that Pelton go visit Jordan’s high school to watch his video.
9:11 a.m. - Lamar County High teammate Qua Searcy also announced. Wide receiver. “Great athlete,” says McCollum. Says his high school coach, Frank Stephens (who previously coached at powerhouse Tucker), said he’d be a five-star prospect had he been at Tucker.
9:07 a.m. - Two more signings in - twins Lance and Lawrence Austin from Lamar County High. Both defensive backs. Recruited by linebackers coach Andy McCollum. Gaudin asks McCollum if the two were a “package deal.” Says McCollum, “Yeah, their mom and dad are pretty close.” Both are small, both under 5-foot-10, but McCollum says that “when you watch them play, they’re like piranhas.”
8:56 a.m. - Early enrollee KeShun Freeman (defensive end) announced. From Callaway High. Wide receivers coach Buzz Preston said that Freeman projects as a rush end, similar to Jeremiah Attaochu. In a pre-recorded video, Freeman tells Gaudin that he picked Tech over Stanford and Tennessee.
8:50 a.m. - Quarterbacks and B-backs coach announces the signings of tight end Trey Klock (Hummelstowon, Pa.) and offensive lineman Andrew Marshall (West Forsyth High). Klock, considered a “jumbo athlete” sounds like an offensive tackle candidate. Marshall, we learn, is an avid hunter. He played center in high school, but could move around. Says Cook, “It’s nice to have a guy that’s snapped the ball, that you know you could play him at center if you need to.”
