GT Update

Well we are just under 3 weeks until the start of camp. It has been a great summer in the classroom and in the weightroom. Everyone around here is counting the days until we start camp....it is right around the corner!

4th of July

Everyone here at Georgia Tech wishes you and your families a great 4th of July. Please be safe and enjoy the holiday!



GT Football Staff

The top 20 college football fight songs - GT #3

"I'm a Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech" is the #3 Fight Song in all of College Sports! Here are the rankings from foxsports.com.



msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8237972/The-top-20-college-football-fight-songs

Georgia Tech defense excited about changes

The Georgia Tech defense in 2008 will look a little different when they take the field vs. Jacksonville State. Here is an article on Coach Wommack and HIS style that he brought to Georgia Tech.



http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/gatech/stories/2008/06/24/gatechfoot_0625.html

Jackets will feature young players

Jackets will feature young players



By MATT WINKELJOHN

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 06/22/08

If Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson had his way, he would repeat the Adrian Peterson experience with the Yellow Jackets.

Peterson rushed for 6,559 yards from 1998-2001 at Georgia Southern, where Johnson was his coach, and set 118 NCAA, conference or school records. But he wasn't good enough to avoid being redshirted as a freshman in '97.

MCT (ENLARGE)

Defensive back Morgan Burnett will start at safety, despite showing impressive play while playing at the cornerback position.

RELATED STORIES Dream sign former Yellow Jacket Kasha Terry  Jackets will feature young players  Tech gives Radakovich 5-year extension  Johnson, Jackets football staff staying busy  Georgia Tech football uniforms interactive         • More Tech coverage

"I can promise you he was way better that fifth year than he would have been that first year," Johnson said. "You'd like to be in a position where unless they're extremely gifted and talented you redshirt them all. I don't think we have that luxury right now."

Tech will have about 74 players on scholarship this fall, 11 below the maximum as a result of player attrition and NCAA sanctions which limited the number of scholarships Tech was able to award for a few years.

The Jackets will eventually catch up in scholarships. In the meantime, young players will play sooner this fall than they might in a few years.

"My philosophy is if guys come in and they're good enough to play and play meaningful minutes, then you play them. I think that's going to happen more early until we can build up the numbers," Johnson said. "We're going to have some freshmen play. By sheer numbers, we're going to have to."

 

Walk-ons welcome

Speaking of young players and ways to stockpile them, Johnson wants to amp up the Jackets' walk-on program. "I think as we get going, and we help a couple walk-ons and the high school coaches realize that and the kids realize that, then the walk-on program is going to get better and better," Johnson said. "This year, we have several walk-ons coming in who had scholarship offers to other places, smaller schools or maybe schools farther from home. "I want to develop relationships with high school coaches. Hopefully, it will pay dividends. There are a lot of high school coaches that played for us at Georgia Southern."

 

Burnett safe at safety

If you think sophomore Morgan Burnett played well at cornerback late last season after playing chiefly as a reserve safety before that, Johnson agrees. But Burnett will start at safety, and not just because seniors Djay Jones and Jamal Lewis departed. So is that the position Burnett plays best, or the position where Tech needs him most? "Where he fits best and where we need him most are the same thing," the coach said. "I think he's a natural safety."

Johnson said he couldn't think of any players changing positions relative to where they finished spring practice, but needs might change later.

Even if offensive linemen Cord Howard and A.J. Smith are healthy when camp begins, Johnson said former defensive lineman David Brown — who played a few snaps last season as a tight end — will begin as the No. 1 right tackle.

 

Johnson, Falcons' Smith catch up

Johnson and Falcons coach Mike Smith have been friends for years,and spent time together recently at a charity function in Savannah.

"When he was at Tennessee Tech and I was coaching at Hawaii, we'd stay in the same hotel in Atlanta on recruiting trips," Johnson said. "When I was [coach] at Navy, I talked to him about being defensive coordinator. He was with the Ravens at the time. He stayed in the NFL. It worked out for him pretty good."

 

Wide receiver slot filled

When wide receiver Jeremy Moore of Austin, Texas, committed to the Jackets last week, that sewed up Tech's recruiting at that position. "We're only going to take one wide receiver," said Johnson, who has explained that some players who don't work out at quarterback will likely end up at defensive back or wide receiver in the future.

Clint Castleberry - Georgia Tech

Here is a GREAT peice about Clint Castleberry and his legacy in College Football.

 

 

Brooks' Single Goal Is to Win Punting Job

Here is the link to an article on Durant Brooks and his goal of being the Punter for the Washington Redskins this season!



www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp

ESPN: Face of the Program

ESPN unveiled their "Face of the Program" for schools A-I. They have chosen Bobby Dodd as the face of Georgia Tech's Football program. 



Here is piece from the article,







"In recognition of a higher and more noble aspect of college coaching … a style that emphasizes something more than winning the game … a belief that that the game of football should be kept in perspective with college life in general." -- 



Award certificate presented to the winner of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award.



http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/face/team

Freshman Are Here

Well, the recruiting class of 2008 is here! All of the signees, including several invited walk-ons have just finished their Freshman Orientation. We are very excited for these young men not only for their athletic potential, but for their academic and personal potential as well. After 2 days, these guys have already formed a strong bond after coming together from all over the country.



They start class and workouts on Monday and will have about 6 weeks of prep before school and preseason camp starts. This is a very talented group and we cannot wait to see them achieve on and off the field.

A Mighty Heart

There is a feature article on ESPN.com today covering the story of the Walls brothers. Levi, Lance, And Logan are all members of the Georgia Tech football team and this article covers their story of how they all ended up playing for the Yellow Jackets!



http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/index

Preseason Awards

A couple Georgia Tech Football players have been named to some Preseason All-American Lists. Here is a list of who has been named:



Vance Walker

Preseason 1st Team All-American - Lindy's

#1 Rated DT in the Nation - Lindy's

#43 - Top 50 NFL Prospects - Lindy's

Preseason 2nd Team All-American - Athlon Sports



Michael Johnson

#12 Rated DE in the Nation - Lindy's

#13 - Top 50 NFL Prospects - Lindy's



Andrew Gardner

Preseason 3rd Team All-American - Athlon Sports



#5 Defensive Line in the Nation - Lindy's

 

A Great Four Days of Camp

We just finished our 4th day of camp! It was hot out there each day, but the players that came out to each practice worked through the heat and GOT BETTER!

We 1st had the OL/DL camp and had over 100 lineman work out at the Rose Bowl Fields. Through individual periods, 1 on 1's, and the dreaded obstacle course, these determined football players pushed themselves to their limit and learned a lot of football.



As of an hour ago, we finished our SKILL camp! With just under 200 guys participating from states as far away as New Jersey and Texas, it was one of the most competitive camps ever. These skill players took part in a number of stations that worked everything from pass routes to man coverage. It was hot out there each session, but overall it was a GREAT CAMP!



Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Hope to have some pictures from summer workouts up soon. 

GT Football

Well it has just been over a month since Coach Johnson's 1st spring practice finished. It was a great spring and a lot of young players stepped up and competed. Here is a video highlight of our T-Day Spring Game!

A Great Accomplishment

Georgia Tech has a long history of competing at the highest level in the NCAA. From the numerous championships in Football, Basketball, & Baseball to the All-Americans in Track and Field, Swimming, & Tennis, Georgia Tech student athletes are consistently performing at the highest level.



Over the weekend, 2 sports here at Tech accomplished some post season press. Our Baseball team will be making their 24th NCAA Tournament appearance. Tech is consistently one of the best teams in the Nation and we wish them all the best at their regional this weekend.



Also this weekend, Amanda McDowell, who is only a sophomore on the Women’s Tennis team won the individual National Championship in women’s tennis in Tulsa, OK. After winning the team National Championship last year, the women continued their success by sending several women to the national championship tournament. Amanda won the National Championship yesterday, concluding a 45-8 singles record season. We congratulate her on this tremendous achievement!

www.ajc.com/gatech/content/sports/gatech/stories/2008/05/26/techtennis_0527.html

Getting Pumped for Summer

Another GT Alum in the Pros

Jamal Lewis was signed by the hometown Atlanta Falcons this past weekend. Jamal had a "try-out" during the teams mini-camp last week and made the cut. We are all very excited for Jamal and wish him the best!



http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/falcons/stories/2008/05/19/falconsnote_0520.html

Wheeler at Colts Mini Camp

Just found the 1st picture fo Philip Wheeler in his Colts uniform. #50 of the Indianapolis Colts:

Calvin Johnson finds way to give back

Calvin Johnson is giving back! Calvin is going to hold a youth Wide Receivers Camp here in Atlanta on July 19. If you have met Calvin, you know that he is more than just physical talent, he is also GREAT person. 



There is a lot of excitement surrounding this camp and I know it will not only be a enjoyable time out on the fields, but it will be a learning experience as well!

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/tech/entries/2008/05/16/calvin_johnson.html

ESPN: Q-and-A with DE Michael Johnson

ESPN took some time and sat with Michael Johnson to ask him some questions. MJ is one of the TOP prospects in College Football and is widely considered the TOP DL in the Nation. MJ is a GREAT player and an even better person. It is a great article.



http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3391862&name=feldman_bruce

Just Scratching the Surface

As many of us who witnessed Calvin Johnson practice and play, the Detroit Lions "just scratched the surface" with his play making ability last year. This is a great article about Calvin's future with the Lions.



http://www.detroitlions.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=467743

Tech moms form team of their own

The 2007 Georgia Tech Football signing class was not only a very talented group, but a close one as well. Our guys in that class recruited each other to Tech just as hard as the coaches recruited them to Tech! It paid off as their class was a nationally ranked recruiting class. These young men made a commitment to stick together and play at the same school. Throughout this, their parents formed a special bond and have continued to stay in touch a year after their sons joined the Georgia Tech Family.



Here is a recent article on their relationship with each other.

www.ajc.com/gatech/content/sports/gatech/stories/2008/05/09/techmoms_0511.html

A Little Dwyer to Brighten Your Day

NFL Updates

Tashard Choice

I found some pictures of Tashard Choice "hard at work" at the Dallas Cowboys mini camp last weekend. 























Gary Guyton

Boston.com conducted an interview with Gary Guyton for part of their "5 Questions With" series with new Patriots. Here is a link to the article:



www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2008/05/5_with_gary_guy.html

Derrick Moore to Get You Fired Up

Halfway Through Spring Recruiting

Our coaches have "hit" the halfway point of spring recruiting. So far in (2) weeks of going out, our coaches have seen almost every high school in the state of Georgia, plus stops in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, & Virginia. There is one constant about our coaches visits to these schools, everyone is excited about Coach Johnson and his future here at Georgia Tech



I also would like to add a picture of Jamal Lewis receiving his degree last Saturday. We are all very proud of Jamal and wish him all the best in the future.



Graduating from Georgia Tech = The Ultimate Degree

Philip Wheeler - Indianapolis Colts

www.colts.com has an article on Philip Wheeler, their 2nd Pick in the draft.



http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=125f2885-56d3-4b5e-bea5-342c3853c6d7

NFL Mini Camp

5/4/08 - New Pics

Just found some pics of Tashard Choice in his new Dallas Cowboys uniform! Here they are:

2nd from the left

 

The Kansas City Star has a great article on Mike Cox and his 1st days as a Kansas City Chief. Mike is a free agent trying to make "the cut" in the NFL.



Here is a link to the article as well as the 1st pics of Mike in a Chiefs uniform.



www.kansascity.com/160/story/603051.html

Yellow Jacket's To Graduate Saturday

Tomorrow, 5 of our former players will graduate from Georgia Tech. These young men worked hard not only on the field but also in the classroom earning themselves one of the Top degrees in the Nation!



Our 5 Yellow Jackets Graduating on Saturday:



Travis Bell

Taylor Bennett

Durant Brooks

Joe Gaston

Lloyd Jones



Everyone here in the football office would also like to congratulate all Tech Athletes for their tremendous dedication and performances over the years!



The 2008 Athlon College Football Preview will be coming out soon. Here is the cover of one of their regional magazines:

ACC to Add New Bowl!

The ACC added a new bowl today. The Congressional Bowl will be Dec. 20 between Navy, if it qualifies, and an ACC team. This will be the 1st Bowl played in our Nations Capital.



This will be the 9th Bowl game with an ACC tie-in!



http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/gatech/stories/2008/04/30/bowls_0501.html





sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story

News & Notes

I just wanted to update everyone on our new NFL Yellow Jackets. We have had a few changes in the Free-Agent signings. Here is who has signed a free agent contract this week:



Mike Cox - Kansas City Chiefs



Gary Guyton - New England Patriots



Nathan McManus - New Orleans Saints



Kevin Tuminello - New Orleans Saints



Darrell Robertson - Dallas Cowboys



Waiting to hear about Travis Bell, Jamal Lewis and Adamm Oliver. There is word that several teams are interested in their services.



In the last few years, Georgia Tech has had tremendous success with Free-Agents! Just last year alone we had (2) guys start for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, James Butler (FA '05) & Michael Matthers (FA '07)





James Butler #37





Michael Matthews #88



Also, Chris Reis was a Free-Agent with the New Orleans Saints. Chris was a Special Teams force for the Saints as well as the "5th" DB for them in 2007.





Chris Reis #39





Chris Reis #39



We hope that the Free-Agent class of 2008 makes an impact like their GT predecessors!

A few more!

Here is an article on Philip Wheeler from the Colts Website:



http://www.colts.com/sub.cfm?page=article7&news_id=db994cd9-173e-49b5-8a9c-eeed11fc06db



Here is the Washington Redskins recap of their 2nd Day Picks:



www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp



As far as I know this morning a few more Yellow Jackets were picked up as Free-Agents last night / this morning.

Gary Guyton - San Francisco 49ers

Mike Cox - Kansas City Chiefs

Darrell Robertson - Dallas Cowboys

Durant Brooks - 6th Round

Durant Brooks was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 6th Round with the 168th Pick. 3 down!



Three former Jackets selected (AJC)



http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/gatech/stories/2008/04/27/techfoot_0428.html

Tashard Choice - 4th Round

Tashard Choice was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 4th Round with the 122nd pick. Congrats Double-Duece!

Philip Wheeler - 3rd Round

Philip Wheeler was drafted in the 3rd Round by the Indianapolis Colts with the 93rd pick. We wish him all the best and hopefully will have some of his teammates joining him on the draft board today.

NFL Draft

Tomorrow is the NFL Draft!! Check out the bio's of our NFL Draft Prospects! We are all proud of these guys and all that they have done for Georgia Tech. Please check out the Draft tomorrow on ESPN and support our Yellow Jackets.



Durant Brooks - http://stats.ajc.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ajc&page=nfl/draft/2008/bio.aspx?p=7454



Tashard Choice - http://stats.ajc.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ajc&page=nfl/draft/2008/bio.aspx?p=7469



Mike Cox - 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/mike-cox?id=4235



Gary Guyton - 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/gary-guyton?id=1722



Jamal Lewis - http://stats.ajc.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ajc&page=nfl/draft/2008/bio.aspx?p=7605



Adamm Oliver - http://stats.ajc.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ajc&page=nfl/draft/2008/bio.aspx?p=7388



Darrell Roberston - http://stats.ajc.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ajc&page=nfl/draft/2008/bio.aspx?p=7389



Philip Wheeler - http://stats.ajc.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=ajc&page=nfl/draft/2008/bio.aspx?p=7588

News and Notes

Just wanted to add this link today. One of the greatest players in Georgia Tech history will be joining the staff here. Joe Hamilton was the Heisman Runner-Up in 1999 and 1st Team All-American QB. We are very excited to have him here and we know the players are excited to have him aboard as well.

www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/gatech/stories/2008/04/24/techfoot_0425.html

It has been pretty quiet here around the football office the last few days. Our players have been finishing up their post spring interviews with Coach Johnson. Our staff (7 of them) has been on the 'road' recruiting for the spring recruiting season.



The NCAA allows football coaches to go out for 4 weeks in the spring starting April 15. Also, the NCAA allows 1 phone call to a Junior prospect (Class of 2009) during that time. The only change to the recruiting process this spring has been that the head coaches have not been allowed out to the high schools.



It has been a few days since we finished spring practice. I am going to post a link to the highlights from our T-Day game. Hope you all enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOQzxzpaXEE&feature=related

 

T-Day Game - A Great SUCCESS!

WHAT A DAY!!!!!!

THE LARGEST CROWD EVER FOR A GEORGIA TECH SPRING GAME!!!!



Our team finished spring practice today with an energetic performance before a large crowd. Coach Johnson sat behind each team's offense today and watched the game as a neutral coach. The staff was split in two and did a great job coaching the Blue and White teams.



The Blue team defeated the White, but in the end Georgia Tech's T-Day game was a victory for all. Everyone had a chance to contribute today which will allow the coaches to evaluate the team thoroughly.



Our coaches are going out on the road recruiting for the next month. This will be a great opportunity for our staff to meet and establish relationships with High School coaches from around the country.



Well that is enough of my recap here are some pics from T-Day!!!!





M. Harris, T. Bennett, D. Robertson





O. Billy, D. Bilbo, & Super Bowl Champion NY Giant Gerris Wilkinson





M. Harris, DJ Jones, J. Lewis, D. Richard, D. Robertson































































Well I hopefully will get some additional pics up tomorrow. 



Thank you for everyone that came out to support OUR Yellow Jackets, today was a great success.