The pool of candidates for Georgia Tech’s returning jobs includes three true freshmen, indicating coaches’ possible plans to use them this season.
True freshmen Lance and Lawrence Austin and Qua Searcy have been among those taking kickoff or punt returns, return specialist Jamal Golden said, along with DeAndre Smelter and Dennis Andrews. Deon Hill said Monday that he also had been fielding kickoffs for first-year special-teams coordinator Ray Rychleski.
Thus far in camp, Golden has been taking punt returns but not kickoff returns, and has even taken turns blocking on punt returns. Golden said of Rychleski that “it’s his call, so I’m just doing whatever he wants me to do. … We’re moving around different places. Everybody’s more engaged.”
In 2012, Golden handled both jobs and was the only player in the country to rank in the top 10 in the country in average return on both punt and kickoff return. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, ending Tech’s 14-year drought without a kickoff return for a score. Last year, after Golden’s season-ending shoulder injury, Smelter took most of the punt returns while Lynn Griffin and Jemea Thomas handled most of the kickoff returns.
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