Among the notable changes to this week’s “Above the Line” chart for Georgia Tech’s game Saturday against No. 4 Notre Dame is the absence of defensive end Antonneous Clayton.
Clayton, who started at Boston College on Saturday, but did not play a great deal in the game, was taken off the list of players who coaches have deemed ready to play and see game action, released Thursday night. In four games, including three starts, Clayton has nine tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
While the chart is not a definitive list of which players will be available – for instance, Clayton was not on it the week he made his debut, and neither was running back Jordan Mason when he returned from a foot injury to play against Boston College – the fact that he was taken off the list would seem a strong indication that he won’t be available to play against the Fighting Irish. It would be a big hit to lose a starter for a defense that already has been struggling. Curtis Ryans likely is a candidate to start in his place.
The defensive end group, which had six players listed for Boston College, had two other changes, as freshman Kyle Kennard was added back and Antwan Owens was moved to defensive tackle. The defensive tackle list also had freshman Emmanuel Johnson added, with Justice Dingle and D’Quan Douse subbed out to remain at five.
On his radio show Wednesday night, coach Geoff Collins said he thought that freshman defensive linemen such as Kennard, Johnson and end Jared Ivey were ready to start playing more as they “have really, over the last five weeks, really bought into and learned how we do things defensively.” Tech has been thinned out on the line with season-ending injuries to end Sylvain Yongjouen, tackle T.K. Chimedza and tackle Jahaziel Lee’s decision to leave the team.
At linebacker, Jerry Howard was moved back to running back, where he played his first three seasons before switching to linebacker in the spring. Howard previously was spotted warming up at running back before the Clemson game. In his place, freshman Tyson Meiguez was added to the chart for the first time. At running back, Mason was added back to the list.
Another freshman, cornerback Miles Brooks, is on the chart for the first time, as well. He replaced redshirt freshman Kenan Johnson.
Quarterback James Graham, who replaced Jeff Sims when coaches took him out of the Boston College game after he had taken a physical beating, was returned to the chart. At his weekly news conference Tuesday, offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude made a point of saying that Sims remains the starter.
Collins also created a new position for the chart, gunner, where Jaytlin Askew and Josh Blancato occupy the two slots for the kickoff and punt coverage team, the latter of which ranks second in FBS in net punting among teams that have played more than one game. Collins spent time on his show explaining that “it has become a position of pride and honor in this organization,” mentioning that Nathan Cottrell had played the position well enough last year to earn a spot on the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad.
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