Georgia Tech 2012 Recruiting

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 2012 ... Head Coach: Paul Johnson

Georgia Tech

Yellow Jackets

2011 Record: 8-5

Sept. 1 W. Carolina W 63-21
Sept. 10 at Middle Tenn. W 49-21
Sept. 17 Kansas W 66-24
Sept. 24 North Carolina W 35-28
Oct. 1 at NC State W 45-35
Oct. 8 Maryland W 21-16
Oct. 15 at Virginia L 24-21
Oct. 22 at Miami L 24-7
Oct. 29 Clemson W 31-17
Nov. 5 OPEN DATE
Nov. 10 Virginia Tech L 37-26
Nov. 19 at Duke W 38-31
Nov. 26 Georgia L 31-17
Sun Bowl
Dec. 31 Utah 30-27 OT

2010 CFN Prediction: 8-4
2010 Record: 6-7

Sept. 4 SC State W 41-10
Sept. 11 at Kansas L 28-25
Sept. 18 at N Carolina W 30-24
Sept. 25 NC State L 45-28
Oct. 2 at Wake Forest W 24-20
Oct. 9 Virginia W 33-21
Oct. 16 MTSU W 42-14
Oct. 23 at Clemson L 27-13
Oct. 30 OPEN DATE
Nov. 4 at Virginia L 28-21
Nov. 13 Miami L 35-10
Nov. 20 Duke W 30-20
Nov. 27 at Georgia L 42-34
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Dec. 27 Air Force L 14-7
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Georgia Tech Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DE Francis Kallon
6-5, 241, Scout.com 19th ranked, four-star defensive end. Kallon is new to the game of football, but you wouldn't know it when watching him make plays on Friday nights. He has great size, long arms, he plays with so much effort, he is very fluid, and he is quick off the ball. He is still learning from a technical standpoint and he needs to improve his footwork and his strength, but his ceiling is high. He has the right attitude, mindset, and the ability to be very productive in college.

2. WR Justin Thomas
5-11, 180, Scout.com 28th ranked, four-star receiver. Thomas is a play-maker. He lines up at quarterback now, but will likely move to wide receiver on the next level because of his size. He has a good arm, but he is best when he is using his legs in the open field. He has good acceleration and he can make people miss. He has good wiggle, great top-end speed, and he is a real weapon when the ball is in his hands. He will be best as an inside receiver on next level.

3. LB Beau Hankins
6-2, 230, Scout.com 40th ranked, three-star middle linebacker. 121 tackles, 24 tackles for a loss, five sacks and two interceptions. Birmingham News West Player of the Year.

4. OG Chase Roberts
6-3, 292, Scout.com 32nd ranked, three-star guard.

5. DT Pat Gamble
6-4, 273, Scout.com 44th ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Receivers. Georgia Tech recruits to a type, and while its classes won’t ever be high up on the lists, they work for what Paul Johnson is trying to do. The defensive line is a focus with a few excellent talents coming in, and the secondary is getting a few new prospects even though the 2010 class was loaded with DBs, but the key might be finding the next gamebreaking receiver to be the home-run hitter the offense needs. No Tech target will ever be a 100-catch playmaker, but Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas have made the school cool for wideouts.

Team Concerns For 2012: Gamebreaking receiver. It goes hand-in-hand with this recruiting class. The running backs are in place, and QB Tevin Washington has grown into his own, but the offense has to come up with a big play, 20-yard-per-catch target to replace Stephen Hill, who’s leaving early for the NFL. Also gone is fellow starting receiver, Tyler Melton.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: The second half of the season might have been a major disappointment after a 6-0 start – finishing 2-5 – but the team returns loaded and ready to do even more after finishing second in the nation in rushing. QB Tevin Washington is the near-perfect option playmaker, but he needs even more help from the backs with David Sims and Orwin Smith returning. The passing game was among the nation’s most efficient, with Washington hitting on the deep plays when needed, but he’s losing WR Stephen Hill a year early to the NFL. The line will be the best in the Paul Johnson era with all five starters returning. The defense that had a strong year gets eight starters back led by linebacker Julian Burnette and outside defender Jeremiah Attochu.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Quarterbacks. The offense needs options to run the Paul Johnson attack, and while there’s an eye towards doing more for the passing game, Vad Lee, Demontevious Smith, and Jamal Golden are runners who’ll be moved around where needed. Broderick Snoddy was the only true tailback brought in, and while he’s not big, he’s fast enough to be a gamebreaker. Defensively, the bulk is at linebacker with Tremayne McNair and Anthony Harrell for the middle and three nice prospects for the outside in Jamari Hunt-Days, Nick Menocal, and Chaz Cheeks all athletic big hitters.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 37. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive backs. Paul Johnson loaded up on linemen last year, he has a few solid quarterbacks in place to run his attack, and several other decent pieces are in place offensively. This year he wanted help for the secondary and he got it with seven defensive backs including Louis Young, a fine corner out of Maryland, and Ryan Ayers, a speedster with lockdown ability. Safety Isaiah Johnson has the build and the potential to be a difference maker, an All-ACC difference maker, while Fred Holton, speedy Synjyn Days, and Jake Skole beefed up the safety depth.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 34. That Class Was Heavy On ... linemen. For Paul Johnson, success starts on the lines, and he recruited with that thought in mind. With both sides of the ball being hurt by graduation, the Yellow Jackets added four big bodies to the offense and five on defense. The front four returns just one starter, creating an opening for 345-pound tackle J.C. Lanier to avoid a redshirt and make a quick ascent up the depth chart.

Sun Bowl
Utah 30 … Georgia Tech 27 OT
- CFN Thoughts on the Sun

Utah: The Utes averagd 43.2 yards per punt. Georgia Tech averaged 37.4. … Jon Hays completed 15-of-31 passes for 193 yards and three scores with a pick … John White ran 26 times for 115 yards and a score …. Shaun Asiata ran five times for 57 yards and a score. … Chaz Walker made 15 tackels with a tackle for loss. … DT Tevita Finau made ten stops.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets ran for 312 yards … Tevin Washington completed 11-of-15 passes for 137 yards and a score. … Preston Lyons ran 18 times for 138 yards and a score, while Washington ran 20 times for 96 yards. … Daniel Drummond made 12 tackles with a tackles for loss.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- John White plowed into the end zone from 8 yards out to give Utah a 30-27 overtime victory against Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl on Saturday.

Justin Moore kicked a 34-yard field goal in Georgia Tech's overtime possession to take a three-point lead, but White finished a 115-yard rushing day with the game-winning score on his 26th carry.

The Utes (8-5) tied it in regulation when Jon Hays hit DeVonte Christopher with a 28-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-14 with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter.

The Yellow Jackets (8-5) drove to the Utah 31 with 2 seconds left, but David Scully missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt as time expired. Justin Moore had earlier missed two 42-yard tries for Tech.

Georgia Tech lost its seventh straight bowl appearance and Utah improved to 7-1 in bowls under coach Kyle Whittingham.

Georgia Tech's Preston Lyons, who came in with only 39 carries, rushed for a career-best 140 yards on 18 carries and Tevin Washington passed for 137 yards and ran for 97.

Utah grabbed a 7-0 lead on Shawn Asiata capped the game-opening drive with a 1-yard run.

With David Sims out of with an injury and Orwin Smith also ailing, Georgia Tech relied heavily on Lyons, who put the Yellow Jackets on the board with a 36-yard run up the middle tie the game at 7.

Lyons finished the first half with 129 yards on 12 carries.

Coleman Peterson banked in a 25-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the first half to give the Utes a 10-7 lead.

A 27-yard punt by Utah set up Moore's 32-yard field goal to tie it in the third quarter.

The Yellow Jackets scored again on their next possession. Washington hit Embry Peeples with a 58-yard pass, then found Stephen Hill for a 31-yard touchdown to make it 17-10.

Moments later, Quayshawn Nealy picked off a pass by Hays and returned it down the sideline 74 yards for a touchdown with 4:14 left in the third quarter

Hays hit Kendrick Moeai with a 3-yard touchdown pass with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter to make it 24-17.

Hays went 15 for 31 for 193 yards.

Nov. 26 Georgia 31 … at Georgia Tech 17
CFN Analysis: The offense got overwhelmed by the Georgia athleticism and talent up front. Tevin Washington threw two picks and completed just 3-of-10 passes, and he didn’t get enough room to properly run the attack. … Synjyn Days was a bit more effective, completing 3-of-5 passes for 78 yards, and running for 17 yards on six carries, but overall the Tech ground game didn’t get enough big plays. The longest run was just 27 yards. … The Georgia lines beat the Georgia Tech lines. It turned out to be that simple. … An 8-4 record is nice, but after losing the rivalry game for a third year in a row, a bowl win is a must. 

Nov. 19 Georgia Tech 38 … at Duke 31
CFN Analysis: It took a fight to put the Blue Devils away, but Georgia Tech got the huge day from the ground game needed to control the clock for over 32 minutes and come up with the tough win. Tevin Washington was fantastic, running for 138 yards and a score and with six of his completions going for 185 yards. … The secondary held up, even though Duke was able to move the ball a bit too easily late with two long scoring drives to pull within a score in the final minutes, but when it had to, it came up with the stop. … An eight-win season is a nice bounceback campaign after last year’s clunker. A nine-win season with a win over Georgia, though, would be special. To come up with the win, Washington has to connect on a few pass plays early to keep the Dawg linebackers back.  

Nov. 10 Virginia Tech 37 … at Georgia Tech 26
CFN Analysis: The offense worked, and Tevin Washington was fantastic, but the defense couldn’t come up with the key stops in the second half. Washington did what he could with three touchdown runs and 5-of-10, 97 yards passing, but the offense didn’t control the clock. The Yellow Jackets need to own time of possession, but they had the ball for just under 26 minutes. … Julian Burnett was popping. Like the rest of the defense he made too many plays down the field, but he finished with 13 tackles with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. … With losses in three of the last four games, beating Duke is a must before dealing with Georgia. A win over the Dawgs would close out a strong bounceback year, while winning two straight would keep hope alive for a ten-win season. 

Oct. 29 at Georgia Tech 31 … Clemson 17
CFN Analysis: That’s what the offense can do from time to time. After two straight awful weeks, the attack was able to move without a problem, controlling the clock and the game early on. The defense didn’t stop the Tigers, but it came up with enough takeaways to hang on, and the ground game did what it was supposed to do with Tevin Washington running well and connecting on one big pass play just to be able to open things up a bit. This was a huge win to get back in the ACC title chase, and now the season comes down to beating Virginia Tech in 12 days. Win that, and all that stands between the Yellow Jackets and a rematch – most likely – with Clemson in the ACC title game is Duke. However, the Hokies will have extra time to prepare to slow down Washington and the option.  

Oct. 22 at Miami 24 ... Georgia Tech 7
CFN Analysis: That’s two straight games the offense has been held in check, stumbling against Virginia and getting shut down cold by Miami. The line couldn’t generate a push and couldn’t open up any holes against the quick and aggressive Hurricane defensive front seven, and while the defense did a decent job against the Miami offense, it wasn’t enough. The big passing game that’s capitalized on teams loading up against the run wasn’t there, and the season-low 134 yards was disastrous for a team that’s supposed to run on everyone and anyone. Now the Yellow Jackets have to use even more ball control while getting back the explosion – basically, go back to being Georgia Tech – to stay with a red hot Clemson next week and with Virginia Tech to follow. 

Oct. 15 at Virginia 24 … Georgia Tech 21
CFN Analysis: The offense didn’t come up with the big pass plays it usually relies on, and the running game wasn’t its normal, dominant self. Even so, and even with Virginia playing as well as it did and as prepared as it was, the Yellow Jackets still almost pulled out the win. Tevin Washington ran well with 115 yards and two scores, but the running backs failed to come up with the big plays needed to take control. Washington only connected on 2-of-8 passes for 24 yards with two picks, and for an offense that relies on the occasional deep ball to open things up, that was a problem. Now Tech has to go to Miami, but the Canes aren’t going to have two weeks to prepare. 

Oct. 8 at Georgia Tech 21 … Maryland 16
CFN Analysis: It might not have been the most dominant of performances by Georgia Tech standards, but it was effective getting up 21-3 after three quarters. The problem was the finish. The ground game is built to own the fourth quarter and put a game away, and it didn’t as Maryland was able to come back and make it interesting. The Yellow Jackets were able to hang on with a decent day from the ground game that held on to the ball for over 35 minutes, and QB Tevin Washington, despite completing just 6-of-19 passes, was good on the ground. Tech showed it could win when everything wasn’t clicking at a high level, but 6-0 is 6-0 going into road games at Virginia and Miami.  

Oct. 1 Georgia Tech 45 … at NC State 35
CFN Analysis: The offense is unstoppable. Tevin Washington is running the option like a master, and the backs are gouging defenses by blowing through wide open holes for big dash after big dash. Washington only completed 4-of-12 passes, but he threw for 117 yards and two scores and helped the running game roll for 296 yards and three scores with ten different players getting carries. Orwin Smith was terrific with 74 yards and three scores on just nine carries, and he even came up with a 30-yard catch. There shouldn’t be any problems with Maryland or Virginia coming up, and while the special teams could use some work, everything is humming.  

Sept. 24 at Georgia Tech 35 ... North Carolina 28
CFN Analysis: The Georgia Tech defense gave up a big home run and struggled in the fourth quarter, but when it had to put the clamps down to close things out, he did. The offense continues to be tremendous, and now it’s cranking out yards in chunks against teams with top-shelf defensive talent. To be able to run for 312 yards against a front seven as good as North Carolina’s, and to do the little things needed on the short yardage plays, showed that everything is working in tune. Tevin Washington is razor sharp and is making all the right decisions. The O should blow up over the next several weeks, and right now, nothing is going to slow it down but mistakes. 

Sept. 17 at Georgia Tech 66 … Kansas 24
CFN Analysis: Georgia Tech ran amok with an NCAA record 12.1 average per carry hitting home run after home run after home run. Tevin Washington was nearly perfect on his decisions and the backs did their part in the open field with Orwin Smith and Roddy Jones putting the game away in the third quarter. This was a close battle in the first half, and then Tech’s defense started to come up with stops, the offense took control, and Kansas had to get out of its running game. No one’s really talking about the Yellow Jackets, but if they can beat North Carolina next week, the ACC schedule opens up a bit. The only tough road game on the slate is at Miami. 

Sept. 10 Georgia Tech 49 … at Middle Tennessee 21
CFN Analysis: Tevin Washington has been on fire. The Georgia Tech quarterback completed 5-of-8 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for two scores, even though he gained just six yards. That’s okay; he conducted a ground game that finished with 282 yards and five touchdowns and ripped up the Blue Raider run defense. However, the Tech defense struggled way too much considering the offense controlled the game. The Blue Raiders were frantic and made it a little bit interesting, but it would’ve been nice to have clamped down. Kansas is coming off a shootout and won’t be a pushover next week, even in revenge game.  

Sept. 1 at Georgia Tech 63 … Western Carolina 21
CFN Analysis: Tevin Washington showed that he really might be ready to be the do-it-all quarterback who can take Georgia Tech to a big season. He only ran for 34 yards against Western Carolina, but he didn’t need to do much on the ground as the rest of the backs took care of the production for him. The key to the game was his passing, completing 8-of-13 throws for 271 yards and three touchdowns, and while the ground game came up with 297 yards and six scores, there were too many fumbles and it wasn’t as sharp as head coach Paul Johnson is going to like. Middle Tennessee and Kansas should give the O time to tune up before North Carolina, but 63 points are 63 points; it was a strong opener.

Five Georgia Tech Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. OG Errin Joe
Joe was names Second Team All State OL for 4A classification as a junior. Named First Team All Polk County as an OL. He says he can bench 315-pounds, squat 500 and has a 28-inch vertical jump. Joe plans to major in journalism or communications and reports a 4.1 core GPA (on a 4.0 scale) and a 20 ACT.

2. QB Demontevious Smith
6-2, 185, Scout.com’s 62nd ranked quarterback

3. LB Jabari Hunt-Days
6-3, 235, Scout.com’s 29th ranked outside linebacker

4. LB Tremayne McNair
6-2, 215, Scout.com’s 31st ranked middle linebacker

5. S Domonique Noble
6-1, 185, Scout.com’s 47th ranked safety

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Trey Braun OL 6-5 305 Tallahassee, Fla. Leon HS
Bryan Chamberlain OL 6-4 291 Albany, Ga. Monroe HS
Chaz Cheeks LB 6-4 223 Gainesville, Ga. East Hall HS
Corey Dennis WR/DB 6-2 205 Troy, Ala. Charles Henderson HS
Jamal Golden DB 6-0 185 Wetumpka, Ala. Wetumpka HS
Jeff Greene WR 6-4 200 Peachtree City, Ga. Starr's Mill HS
Anthony Harrell LB 6-2 225 Tampa, Fla. Jesuit HS
Jabari Hunt-Days LB 6-3 226 Marietta, Ga. Hillgrove HS
Errin Joe OL 6-3 285 Lakeland, Fla. Lake Gibson HS
Zach Laskey RB 6-1 185 Peachtree City, Ga. Starr's Mill HS
Vad Lee QB 6-1 195 Durham, N.C. Hillside HS
Tyler Marcordes LB 6-4 215 Normal, Ill. Normal Community West HS
Shaquille Mason OL 6-1 305 Columbia, Tenn. Columbia Central HS
Tremayne McNair LB 6-2 225 Jacksonville, N.C. White Oak HS
Nick Menocal LB 6-3 240 Miami, Fla. Belen Jesuit Prep School
Chris Milton RB 5-11 175 Folkston, Ga. Charlton County HS
Domonique Noble DB 6-2 185 Mount Ulla, N.C. West Rowan HS
Demontevious Smith QB/DB 6-0 173 Monroe, Ga. Monroe Area HS
Broderick Snoddy RB 5-9 190 Carrollton, Ga. Carrollton HS
Sean Tobin SN/LB 6-3 220 Holmdel, N.J. Saint John Vianney HS
Kyle Travis LB 6-3 235 Cumming, Ga. South Forsyth HS
Darren Waller WR/DB 6-5 204 Acworth, Ga. North Cobb HS