The NCAA’s decision to grant all fall-sports athletes with an extra year of eligibility has returned a significant dividend for Georgia Tech and coach Geoff Collins.
Right guard Ryan Johnson, who might have been the team’s most effective offensive lineman this season, announced Monday that he will return to the Yellow Jackets for a second senior season. Safety Tariq Carpenter also made a similar announcement Monday. Johnson came to Tech as a grad transfer in January from Tennessee, lured by the opportunity to train under offensive-line coach Brent Key and earn a master’s degree in analytics.
Johnson started all 10 games and may have been the team’s most consistent lineman both in run and pass blocking. Collins also praised Johnson more than once for the leadership that he was providing to the line. With Johnson’s return, four of the Jackets’ five starting offensive linemen from this season – left tackle Zach Quinney, center Mikey Minihan, right tackle Jordan Williams and Johnson – are set to return, with left guard Jack DeFoor the lone question mark. Like Johnson, DeFoor played this season as a senior but could return with his extra year.
In a statement posted on his Twitter account, Johnson wrote that while he has the opportunity to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL, “I believe that my Georgia Tech family and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”
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