Less than a year ago, Chris Jackson was dismissed from the Georgia Tech football team, and his GPA had fallen to 1.63. He looked into his transfer options only to find he had none.
When the Yellow Jackets begin preseason practice Wednesday, Jackson is expected to be reinstated by coach Paul Johnson and on scholarship again, another step on a redemptive path.
“Usually when a kid goes to a 1.63, they don’t turn it around,” said Rex Robertson, a father figure to Jackson. “It’s amazing, really, in my opinion.”
Jackson, a Henry County High grad, played wide receiver at Alabama as a freshman in 2008 and transferred to Tech in 2009. He didn’t play in 2010 because of injuries and he left the team in November. After summer-term exams Wednesday and Thursday, he should have the 2.0 GPA mandated by the NCAA to compete. Jackson worked out with the team over the summer and has received positive reviews from teammates.
Said Robertson, a Henry County assistant coach, “He just wants to play football.”
August schedule
Tech players reported Tuesday afternoon in advance of Wednesday’s practice. The Jackets will practice or scrimmage 20 times between Wednesday and Aug. 20, not including two kicking scrimmages.
They will have two-a-day practices four times, with sessions at 9:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. There will be 10 days with one practice, all but one of them at 3 p.m. The team will scrimmage twice, Aug. 13 and 20, and have two days for kicking scrimmages, Sunday and Aug. 14. All of the practices are closed to the public.
Survey says
The Tech media guide includes a survey of players. Among the results: “Best leader,” A-back Roddy Jones (40.3 percent of the vote); “Most likely to surprise in 2011,” quarterback Tevin Washington (11.7 percent); “Fastest,” A-back Embry Peeples (56.2 percent); “Most likely to make a 4.0 GPA,” guard Will Jackson (25.7 percent); “Most likely to be an NFL star,” outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu (22.0 percent); “Hardest worker,” inside linebacker Julian Burnett (12.1 percent). Burnett also was voted strongest pound-for-pound (58.2 percent) and, not surprisingly, least desirable opponent in a fight (40.3 percent).
Etc.
Tech had sold 22,848 season tickets as of Tuesday morning. The total for 2010 was 24,675, which the athletic department hopes to exceed by the start of the season. Season tickets are available at 1-888-832-4849 and ramblinwreck.com. ... Tech’s fan day is Saturday (4-6 p.m.) at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
