Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins gave evidence of his recruiting acumen last February by signing one of the top running-back prospects in the country on signing day. Collins could follow his recruitment of Jamious Griffin by landing another four-star running back from North Georgia on Wednesday.
This time, it’s Dalton High’s Jahmyr Gibbs, who committed to Tech in May but has since been wooed by the likes of Alabama, Florida and Ohio State. Gibbs will announce his decision Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., with Tech and Florida the front-runners.
Tech coaches will be focused Wednesday on Gibbs and another prospect making a signing-day announcement, Metter High defensive end T.J. Davis. The school likely also will announce the graduate transfer of Vanderbilt offensive tackle Devin Cochran, who personally announced his decision Jan. 26.
Beyond those three, it’s possible that some last-minute surprises could be in store Wednesday to add to a class that has already been a success for Collins. After the December signing period, Tech’s incoming freshman class ranked 26th nationally and fifth in the ACC, the highest national ranking since 2007.
Gibbs, who rose from being ranked the No. 631 prospect in the country and No. 69 in the state of Georgia (247Sports Composite) at the time of his commitment to his present standing as the No. 75 prospect nationally and No. 10 in the state, earned recruiting attention as he ran for 2,554 yards and 40 touchdowns in 11 games this past season.
In November, Gibbs' decision to consider other options after committing to Tech was framed as a desire to "really, really be sure" about his choice by Dalton coach Matt Land and not as a plan to ditch the Yellow Jackets. His decision to reserve his final official visit for Tech – taken this past weekend – may have been an indication of his continued loyalty in the midst of his deliberations.
As the recruiting cycle continued, Florida appeared to become Tech’s main competition. Should Tech hold onto Gibbs, it will be a noteworthy recruiting victory for Collins and his staff for identifying a prospect early, developing a relationship and then fending off an SEC competitor.
Interest in Davis has picked up significantly in the past few weeks. He picked up his offer from Tech in mid-January, following it with an official visit. Florida State made its offer last week, and he went to Tallahassee, Fla., this past weekend for an official visit. It made a strong impression.
“(FSU coaches) said they were signing one more D-end, and they’ve been traveling all through Florida looking for a player like me, and my film got sent to them, and all the coaches checked it out and they went from there,” Davis said.
Tech has been aggressive in pursuing Davis, who is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. Collins and four assistant coaches made a home visit to Metter last week.
“(Collins) was just telling me how important I was for the team and stuff like that,” Davis said.
Davis has an announcement planned for 2 p.m. Wednesday.
“I should have (the decision) made probably by the morning,” Davis said Tuesday.
Cochran started 32 games in three seasons for Vanderbilt and put his name in the transfer database in early January. A graduate of Greater Atlanta Christian, Cochran is listed at 6-foot-7 and 318 pounds.
2020 GEORGIA TECH RECRUITS
December signees
Avery Boyd, WR, 6-2, 195, Tallahassee, Fla.
Miles Brooks, CB, 6-2, 185, Jacksonville, Fla.
Khatavian Franks, LB, 6-2, 205, Fairburn
*Tucker Gleason, QB, 6-3, 215, Tampa, Fla.
Bryce Gowdy, WR, 6-3, 210, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Wing Green, OL, 6-7, 285, Leesburg
*Jalen Huff, CB, 5-11, 180, Buford
Jared Ivey, DE, 6-6, 225, Suwanee
*Emmanuel Johnson, DL, 6-5, 260, North Charleston, S.C.
g-Ryan Johnson, OL, 6-6, 310, Brentwood, Tenn.
Kyle Kennard, DE, 6-4, 220, Atlanta
Ryan King, WR 6-3, 215, Loganville
Nate McCollum, WR, 5-11, 185, McDonough
Tyson Meiguez, LB, 6-2, 215, Fairburn
*Michael Rankins, OL, 6-5, 295, Ruskin, Fla.
*Jeff Sims, QB, 6-3, 205, Jacksonville, Fla.
*Ryan Spiers, OL, 6-3, 285, Biloxi, Miss.
*Akelo Stone, DL, 6-3, 250, Savannah
Paula Vaipulu, OL, 6-3, 305, Channelview, Texas
Billy Ward, TE, 6-4, 245, Locust Grove
*Jordan Williams, OL, 6-6, 310, Gainesville
Khaya Wright, OLB, 6-3, 215, Miami
Commitments
g-Devin Cochran, OT, 6-7, 318, Norcross
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, 5-9, 191, Dalton
* — Already enrolled
g — Graduate transfer
Note: Bryce Gowdy died Dec. 30.
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