Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Freshman to Start at WR?
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets lost their best receiver option with DeAndre Smelter this offseason as his eligibility with the team expired.
With Smelter now vying for a roster spot with the San Francisco 49ers, where will Paul Johnson and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets look for a replacement? It is now becoming more clear day by day that it may very well be a Freshman who takes Smelter’s spot atop of the Jacket’s wide-receiver depth chart.
-= Related: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Who Replaces Zach Laskey at B-back? =-
Brad Stewart, a freshman out of Benedictine High School in Savannah, was the final player of the 2015 signing class to be awarded a scholarship this past offseason. He has shown during preseason camp that he is perfectly capable of becoming a true freshman and starting for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
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The triple-option offense is predicated on a solid running game. Though the majority of the plays from scrimmage are runs — either by the quarterback, A-back or B-back — the passing game remains an important weapon for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Because so many of the plays are designed runs, the secondary must compensate to limit yardage. When the secondary gets drawn in, it opens up the possibility for a deep throw down the field.
The effectiveness of the pass was evidenced last year as quarterback Justin Thomas threw for 18 touchdowns and almost 1800 yards in 2014. The Ramblin’ Wreck’s offense must have a pass threat in order for the run game to function properly.
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Going into this season, it was expected that veteran receiver Michael Summers would be the de facto starting wide-receiver for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Having started 19 games in his career, Summers has missed camp due to an undisclosed injury, the AJC’s Ken Sugiura reports. Though the injury is not allegedly serious, Stewart is still making his presence felt at camp, and softening the blow of the injury to Summers and walk-on receiver Brandon North.
Sophomore Ricky Jeune figures to be the other starting wide-receiver, regardless of whether Brad Stewart wins the job outright in camp or Michael Summers makes the return from injury in time for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets first game against the Alcorn State Braves. It will be interesting to see whether the freshman Stewart can become a starter on the Jackets’ prolific offense in a season with such high expectations.
Next: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Offense Improves in 2nd Scrimmage
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