Georgia Tech first-year freshman guard Parker Braun will play Saturday in the Yellow Jackets’ home opener, coach Paul Johnson said at his weekly news conference Tuesday.
Braun, the younger brother of former Tech guard Trey Braun, did not play in the opener in Dublin against Boston College. Starting guards Will Bryan and Shamire Devine played every offensive snap. Johnson’s intentions to get Braun onto the field may be as much due to his displeasure with the play of the offensive line against Boston College as Braun’s own performance in practice.
Said Johnson, “I’m going to give him a chance to see if he’ll go hit somebody.”
Against Boston College, the line missed assignments and often did not block effectively. Johnson went so far as to term some of the mistakes as “just stupid.” He said only center Freddie Burden has his starting job secure for the game against Mercer, and that was because backup center Andrew Marshall is competing to start at left tackle.
The Jackets ran for 119 yards and averaged 2.7 yards per carry, the fourth lowest rate in Johnson’s tenure.
Braun is listed as the No. 2 right guard behind Devine. He could be the third member of Tech’s 2016 signing class to play, following B-back Dedrick Mills and wide receiver Jalen Camp. Johnson said that there are plans to play others – possibilities include defensive tackle Brandon Adams and center Kenny Cooper.
“We’ll just let it unfold as the season goes on,” Johnson said.
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