Tech’s Darren Waller suspended for two games

Georgia Tech wide receiver Darren Waller was suspended for the first two games of next season for a violation of team rules. Coach Paul Johnson made the announcement Friday.

A rising senior, Waller will miss the Aug. 30 season opener against Wofford and the Sept. 6 game at Tulane. A year ago, Johnson suspended Waller for the season opener against Elon, also for violating team rules.

“I’ve just got to move on from it and prove to my teammates I can be dependable and accountable to myself and them,” Waller said at the time.

Waller will go into spring practice, which begins March 24, as a top candidate to earn a starting position. After starting 10 games as a sophomore in 2012, he started four games and played in 12 last season.

His 17 catches ranked third on the team and second among wide receivers, behind DeAndre Smelter, and his 367 receiving yards were the most among receivers and second on the team behind A-back Robert Godhigh. His 72-yard touchdown reception in the Music City Bowl was the team’s longest offensive play of the season.