With two games left in the season, Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jabari Hunt has left the team. Coach Paul Johnson said Wednesday that Hunt informed him of his decision earlier this week.
Hunt had just finished serving a two-game suspension for a violation of team rules. Johnson said he wasn’t surprised by the decision.
“Well, he hadn’t played in a couple weeks, and it’s not like he’s been real consistent with anything,” Johnson said. “Hopefully, his idea of what’s going to work out will work out. I hope it will.”
Johnson said that Hunt handled the departure properly, telling him in person and thanking him for what he had done on his behalf.
Said Johnson, “I think he’s got other things he wants to do.”
Hunt, a senior, was the subject of considerable anticipation before this season. He missed the 2014 season because of academic ineligibility before regaining it just before the start of preseason camp. During last season, after having moved from linebacker to defensive tackle, Hunt shined as a member of the defensive scout team. Teammates and coaches raved about Hunt last season, in spring practice and in the preseason. Based on the reviews, he was named to at least one preseason All-ACC team.
However, he was not able to live up to the expectations, a disappointment for the Yellow Jackets in a season full of them. Looked at as a disruptive interior playmaker, Hunt had 13 tackles, one for loss, in eight games. Five of them were starts.
“I think he just kind of struggled early, and I’m sure that he’d be the first to tell you it hasn’t gone the way he’d want it to go,” Johnson said Monday. “I don’t have the answer for (his lack of production). We have a tendency, not just here, but I think in general, the media and people have a tendency to anoint people before they ever play. And sometimes it’s hard to live up to the hype when you get hyped out the ying yang.”
Hunt is the second veteran player to leave the team this month. Junior wide receiver Micheal Summers left the team following the Virginia game, despite having started 26 games in his three seasons.
For Saturday’s game against Miami, Hunt’s absence continues to leave Tech thin at tackle, where Adam Gotsis is out for the season with a knee injury. The Jackets will likely again lean heavily on Patrick Gamble in a rotation with freshman Kyle Cerge-Henderson and junior Francis Kallon.
