Georgia Tech center Kenny Cooper is ahead of schedule for his rehabilitation, coach Paul Johnson said Thursday at the team’s media day at Bobby Dodd Stadium. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll play in the season opener, though.

Cooper is recovering from a foot injury suffered near the end of the Yellow Jackets’ spring practice. A returning starter, he’s an integral piece of the Tech line and offense.

“It’s going good,” Johnson said. “He’s ahead of schedule, and he’s here in camp, so we’ve got a pretty good idea of when he’ll be available.”

Johnson added that he is not yet cleared to practice. Asked about whether he would be available to play in the opener against Alcorn State on Sept. 1, Johnson replied, “I don’t know. We’ll see about the first game.”

Tech’s second game is against South Florida the following Saturday in Tampa, Fla., followed by the ACC opener at Pittsburgh on Sept. 15.

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Former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Norman Arey died Oct. 11, 2025 at the age of 84. In addition to sports writing, Arey also co-wrote the popular "Peach Buzz" society column. (Courtesy of the Arey family)

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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