Two days before the start of the early signing period, Georgia Tech received a commitment from a grad-transfer offensive lineman who figures to provide immediate help.
Tennessee offensive lineman Ryan Johnson, who played 35 games and started 19 games in three seasons for the Volunteers, announced Monday that he will enroll at Tech as a grad transfer.
"I'm excited to be a Yellow Jacket and looking forward to a great season," Johnson wrote in a tweet.
Johnson, listed at 6-foot-6 and 301 pounds, will have one year of eligibility. Johnson started 12 games as a junior, 11 at center. He started four as a sophomore at three different positions (left guard, center, right guard). He started three games in the 2019 season and played the remaining nine games as a backup.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering last December, completing the program less than three years after arriving on campus. He then began pursuing a master’s in structural engineering.
Tech coaches were able to pitch to Johnson the playing time that grad transfers Tyler Davis and Jared Southers earned this past season. Both were full-time starters at tight end and on the offensive line, respectively, and both were named permanent captains at the end of the season.
Southers came to Tech as a grad transfer from Vanderbilt last January and started 12 games for the Yellow Jackets at right guard and right tackle. Johnson will have the opportunity to compete for playing time on a line that loses only Southers among full-time starters.
Johnson graduated from Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy and was teammates with the late Brandon Adams, the Tech defensive tackle who died in March.
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