Georgia Tech’s roller-coaster offseason provided one last bump Thursday as the Yellow Jackets opened preseason practice.
Coach Paul Johnson announced that transfer Kenderius Whitehead will have to sit out a season rather than be eligible immediately. After Whitehead, a defensive end who was a first-team junior-college All-American at Georgia Military College, announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he was reporting that day for the preseason, it was thought that he had completed the coursework necessary to earn his associate’s degree from the junior college and gain immediate eligibility.
As it turned out, Whitehead, from M.L. King High, was not able to complete the accelerated schedule he had been put on to graduate by this summer. He has still been accepted to Tech, but without the associate’s degree, by NCAA rules he is treated like a transfer from a four-year college. Whitehead was at N.C. State for his first year of college.
“He can practice,” Johnson said. “He’s just like a transfer from N.C. State.”
It is a setback for the Yellow Jackets, who hoped Whitehead would be able to play immediately and challenge for playing time at the rush defensive end spot that was open following the completion of Jeremiah Attaochu’s record-setting career. The likely starter will be freshman KeShun Freeman, who impressed in spring practice after enrolling early. Another possibility is Roderick Rook-Chungong, who is going into his sophomore season but has not played yet after missing last season because of a lateral meniscus tear.
It is something of a theme on the defensive line, which also lost two other starters to graduation, end Emmanuel Dieke and tackle Euclid Cummings.
“Some of the freshmen may evolve,” Johnson said. “If you’re going to play as a freshman, that might be one of the easier spots.”
The news regarding Whitehead would seem to bring to a close Tech’s offseason, which saw 12 scholarship players with eligibility remaining leave the team for a variety of reasons. That doesn’t include defensive end Jabari Hunt-Days, who is academically ineligible for the season, but will remain with the team in a practice role, and signee Myles Autry, a highly touted running back who received a release from his letter of intent after his brother, Anthony, was dismissed from the team.
Regarding the three players dismissed last week — defensive linemen Darius Commissiong and Travin Henry and Autry, a wide receiver — Johnson called it a matter of enforcing rules.
“If you’re not going to enforce them, you might as well not have them,” he said. “Disappointed for them. Hopefully they learn from it, and you move on. Sometimes, it’s addition by subtraction.”
Regarding Myles Autry and his release, Johnson said, “We talked on the phone and decided that was his best option. I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
Despite having to break the news regarding Whitehead, Johnson was upbeat about the start of practice and his seventh season at Tech. Plenty of spots on the depth chart are in play for a team that figures to be hungry to improve on its 7-6 record from 2013.
“Anytime you’ve got guys competing, it’s a positive,” Johnson said. “I learned a long time ago, one man’s misery is another man’s opportunity. Somebody will get a chance to play.”
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