Paul Johnson hopeful for return of injured players for Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson was hopeful that the injured players who sat out or left the team’s win over North Carolina on Saturday will be ready for the Yellow Jackets’ next game against No. 13 Miami on Oct. 14. Tech has an open date this week.
“We’re hopeful they’ll all be back,” Johnson said Tuesday after his team’s first practice of the week.
The players who sat out of the North Carolina game were offensive linemen Jahaziel Lee, Andrew Marshall and Brad Morgan, A-back J.J. Green and linebacker David Curry. Curry and Marshall have yet to play this season because of leg injuries. Right guard Shamire Devine also left the game with an upper-body injury.
Their return would be a lift for the offensive line. The unit was stretched thin against the Tar Heels. Bailey Ivemeyer, who might be the No. 5 tackle with every lineman healthy, logged heavy playing time after Devine left the game. Johnson also burned the redshirt of guard Connor Hansen and considered doing the same with two more freshman offensive tackles, he said.
Having Marshall, an expected starter when the preseason began, and Devine, who has been effective in a rotation with Will Bryan, would be particularly helpful as the Jackets prepare for an important Coastal Division matchup with the Hurricanes.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
