The Georgia Tech football program has been making a lot of noise, perhaps an unprecedented amount of noise, when it comes to recruiting.
Coach Brent Key and his staff already have 20 prospects who pledged their allegiance to Tech. Those 20 prospects make up what currently is ranked the 20th-best recruiting class in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite.
“I think it’s a combination of things. With (former Georgia Tech coach Geoff) Collins they were aggressive on the recruiting trail and after you get away from that initial honeymoon phase it gets harder and harder to recruit when the on-field results aren’t there,” said Andrew Ivins, director of scouting for 247Sports. “Now Key steps in with a new-look staff, and I think there is some energy there. I think they did a nice job of getting real aggressive with their visitors in June and also targeting and bringing in kids that they have a realistic chance of signing and landing.
“Obviously you want to go after the best of the best, but it didn’t seem like they wasted much time trying to win some recruiting battles where they were already on the outside looking in.”
While recruiting team rankings change by the day, or even by the hour, Tech has soared up the charts thanks to a month of June that saw 15 players announce they want to be Yellow Jackets. Tech’s class now ranks fourth among ACC programs, according to the 247Sports Composite, behind Clemson, North Carolina and Pittsburgh, respectively.
With college football’s December signing day six months away, Tech is positioned to have its best recruiting class since the 2007 signees finished ranked 15th nationally.
Key and staff put a bow on their exciting month Sunday when CJ Jackson committed to Tech. Jackson is considered a four-star defensive end and chose the Yellow Jackets over scholarship offers from Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina, LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, Oklahoma, Georgia and Colorado.
Jackson, a rising senior at Tucker High, is considered on of the top edge rushers in the country in the ‘24 class. He is one of a handful of prospects headlining the Tech commitments thus far.
“(Jackson) is a big win for them,” Ivins said. “(Quarterback) Aaron Philo (Prince Avenue Christian) is someone that impressed us at the Elite 11 Regional. Highly productive on Friday nights, obviously, and I think he has some gamer to him. I think he can definitely win in the ACC. (Wide receiver) Trey Horne (Rabun Gap-Nacoochee) is an intriguing two-way athlete with really good markers.
“(Defensive back) Nehemiah Chandler (Crawfordville, Florida) has a longer frame and can move in reverse and is in a lightly recruited area, so it made a ton of sense to go after someone like him.”
Prospects can’t sign a national letter of intent until Dec. 20, which is a bit of a Catch-22 for Tech. Key has plenty of time to continue to build what is shaping up to be an historic class, but also must guard against conference and regional rivals who will continue to go after Tech commits.
The 2023 Jackets also have to do their part on the field and in the win column.
“It’s going to be showing some promise on the field,” Ivins said in regard to how Tech can keep the momentum going. “It’s making sure everyone is on board, playing a little defense and showing these kids that, ‘Hey, in Year 1 we’ve got things pointed in the right direction.’ I’m not saying they have to win the ACC, but I do think they have to show they can be competitive in that conference.”
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