Time will tell how Georgia Tech guard Gary Brown’s career plays out. At this point, let this much be said about Brown, a freshman serving his redshirt season as a member of the offensive scout team — he has well caught the attention of the Yellow Jackets’ defense.
“I know this,” linebackers coach Andy McCollum said. “When you’re on defense and you’re lined up across him, you’d better get ready, because he’s coming to get somebody.”
Brown is one of 12 members of the Tech’s 21-member 2014 signing class who are redshirting this season. They’ve largely spent the season playing on the offensive and defensive scout teams, giving starters and backups a picture of what they’ll face on game day. In so doing, they’ve offered teammates and coaches a glimpse of what may be coming in seasons to come.
Center Freddie Burden, defensive lineman Patrick Gamble, linebacker Beau Hankins and A-back Broderick Snoddy, all of whom have played contributing roles in the team’s success this season, were named scout-team offensive or defensive player of the year in previous seasons. Brown, 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, may well follow their path from the scout team.
“Once he gets everything down pat, he’s going to be a factor,” nose tackle Shawn Green said.
Brown comes off the ball well and uses leverage, Green said. In high school, Brown set a school record with a dead lift of 605 pounds. The dead lift is a measure of lower-body power.
“Gary, he’s very strong,” linebacker P.J. Davis said. “I feel like he’s going to be a good player.”
Brown was one of six offensive-line signees, one of whom has played this season, center Andrew Marshall. The others, Trey Klock, Michael Preddy, Jake Stickler and Jake Whitley, have joined Brown on the scout team.
Wide receiver Qua Searcy also has impressed on the offensive scout team. His speed and agility have been useful to the scout team — he has been used at quarterback and running back in addition to wide receiver, often to give the defense a picture of specific players it will see in games.
Searcy is versatile and savvy enough that coaches gave him an early-season tryout in the secondary to see if he could help out the defense. They chose to keep his redshirt on. At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Searcy doesn’t fit the mold that Tech coaches have looked for in receivers — players such as 6-foot-5 Darren Waller — but he figures to have a chance to compete for playing time when Waller and DeAndre Smelter, both seniors, leave.
“He’s just quick and he can move,” defensive end KeShun Freeman said. “Even though he’s small, he just has something about him, that quickness and that speed.”
On the defensive scout team, the most impressive players have been linemen Kenderius Whitehead and Jabari Hunt-Days. Neither is a freshman, though. Hunt-Days is academically ineligible and Whitehead is sitting out after transferring from Georgia Military College. Coach Paul Johnson said Tuesday that Hunt-Days could play in the bowl game if he regains his eligibility at the end of the semester.
Whitehead, considered a part of the 2014 signing class, will have two seasons remaining beginning next season.
“I think Kenderius off the edge, he exhibits a great pass rush for our tackles,” quarterback Tim Byerly said. “I think that’s carried over into games of ours. If (linemen) know they can go against Jabari and Kenderius, I think the line feels pretty prepared going into the game.”
Byerly also named two linebackers, Terrell Lewis and Tre’ Jackson. Both challenge the Tech offense with such intensity, Byerly said, that Johnson has had to tell both to ease up. Lewis, in fact, has played on special teams this season.
“Both of them have a nose for the ball, and both have really good speed,” Byerly said.
About the Author
