An Overview of Georgia Tech’s 2014 Recruiting Class
National Signing day was this Wednesday, and tons of stuff went down in the college football world. Here at ATL All Day, we don’t have the people to cover each of the moves and recruits as well as some of the other sites, but we can still give you a general idea of what both of our college teams have to work with in their 2014 classes.
First up is Georgia Tech, be sure to stop by later for a look at Georgia’s class.
2014 Class Ranking
Rivals – No. 48 overall, No. 10 ACC
Scout – No. 47 overall, No. 9 ACC
247Sports – No. 54 overall, No. 12 ACC
2013 Class Ranking
Rivals – No. 48 Rivals, No. 13 ACC
Scout – No. 72 overall, No. 12 ACC
247Sports – No. 76 overall, No. 13 ACC
Player Breakdown (star ratings from Rivals)
21 players (9 offensive, 9 defensive, 3 athletes)
- Steph Durham (DB) – 4 stars
- C.J. Leggett (RB) – 3 stars
- Myles Autry (WR) – 3 stars
- Gary Brown (OL) – 3 stars
- Lance Austin (DB) – 3 stars
- KeShun Freeman (DE) – 3 stars
- Tre Jackson (LB) – 3 stars
- Jalen Johnson (WR) – 3 stars
- Matthew Jordan (QB) – 3 stars
- Trey Klock (TE) – 3 stars
- Lawrence Austin (DB) – 3 stars
- Terrell Lewis (LB) – 3 stars
- Kenderius Whitehead (DE) – 3 stars
- Andrew Marshall (OL) – 3 stars
- Tyler Merriweather (DE) – 3 stars
- Michael Preddy (DE) – 3 stars
- Qua Searcy (DB) – 3 stars
- Antonio Simmons (DE) – 3 stars
- Jake Stickler (OL) – 3 stars
- Clinton Lynch (WR) – 2 stars
- Jake Whitley (OL) – 2 stars
Brad Rowland talked briefly about the Georgia Tech class and whether or not the fans should be worried about the relatively low national rankings. If I were a Georgia Tech fan, I wouldn’t be too worried about the rankings and star ratings of players as Paul Johnson has historically gotten great performances out of “low profile” players. Just look at Robert Godhigh. He was easily the Yellow Jackets’ top offensive player last season and he walked on to the team.
With that said, the Jackets definitely have a better recruiting class this year than 2013. If you take a look at the national rankings from the top three scouting websites that becomes pretty clear.
While Georgia Tech normally has trouble getting top offensive players–due to the triple-option–they were able to snag Myles Autry and C.J. Leggett, who both have the potential to be playmakers at the college level. These are likely the two top offensive players for the Jackets, while Steph Durham is arguably the best player in the entire class. According to Rivals, Durham could develop into a “lockdown corner” and he should be able to get some playing time early.
However, despite having three solid players in the class, most of it is “meh” for Georgia Tech. They’re near the bottom of the ACC this year and that’s not going to turn them into a powerhouse football team, regardless of how well Paul Johnson can develop the unknown guys. I’d say this is a solid class for the Jackets, but until Johnson moves away from the triple option, it’s going to be challenging to get some of the top recruits in the nation–something that probably won’t happen any time soon.
What are your thoughts on Georgia Tech’s class? Will they be able to hang with the ACC next year and several seasons down the road? Let us know in the comments.