JHD eligible for 2015

Yaller Jacket

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What wonderful news! On the defensive side, his was the one position I didn't feel good about if he couldn't play. I can't wait to see him flash past offensive linemen and be in the backfield.
 

33jacket

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GTech63 said:
I agree. I thought there had to be some kind of NCAA confirmation.
Click to expand...

all schools self regulate....hence why we went on probation after oleary...we did the eligibility rules wrong and had to call ourselves on it. The NCAA isn't big enough to monitor every SA for eligibility each year (ones coming back eligible and ones that may not be). They leave it to the schools and establish the requirements.

Now, since jabari went off ship...it may be different, because he will now count to the 85 they may need to submit that paperwork...but as far as simple eligibility the school determines that....

at least...that is how it was when I was there. So if GT told him he is back and eligible...then they know it and he is....
 
dressedcheeseside

dressedcheeseside

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He's probably eligible now, but it's not the fall and he's still taking classes. I assume he needs to pass his summer load to stay eligible.
 
Boomergump

Boomergump

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Yahtzee!
First of all, I want to say to Jabari that I am real proud of him. It would have been so easy to give up.

In reality though, he was never stripped of anything. It was all self inflicted pain. But you know what? Those can sometimes be the hardest setbacks to overcome. I am happy to have him back and I am glad he is happy to be playing. I feel sure in 30 years he will look back and feel differently about the entire situation.

In terms of the team and the upcoming season, his reinstatement is probably the most important piece of the puzzle the way I see it. I was blown away watching him in person at that position in the spring game. I literally did not see it coming and pretty much felt like all the chatter by Mason and others was just an attempt to keep him motivated. Boy was I wrong. He will beat OLs with speed, quickness, and pretty violent hand work. He is larger than I thought he would be. In fact, he looks like an entirely different person. It has been a while since we had a LEGIT DT who is a major threat. Gotsis is a solid player who may have a future, but JHD is in another class. He will make everybody better. The outside speed rush will be better because there is push up the middle. No more easy stepping up to avoid the rush. He will chase plays AND catch people doing it. We were a pass rush away from an undefeated season (in my estimation) last year. Hopefully this will check that box and allow the rest of the defense to shine.

Pick another position group to worry about. We might be a little short on depth at DT, but the first group will be solid.
 

gtg936g

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Really proud of him. If he worked that hard to get to play the game again, imagine how hard he will work to become great at it. Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it is gone, and if you work hard enough to get it back you won't ever let it go again.
 
Eastman

Eastman

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Jabari and Gotsis anchoring the interior of Tech's defensive line! This should also help make our secondary even stronger. Makes me wonder if Tech will have 2 def linemen drafted next year :) That would certainly be a change from recent years!
 
RamblinRev

RamblinRev

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Congratulations. We are so proud of you. Regardless of how successful (And I Think It Will Be a Huge Year) your last year as a Tech Football player is this accomplishment will one day be your proudest moment. Go Jackets!
 
Whiskey_Clear

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This is a determined young man. I never doubted he'd regain eligibility this year. Took a lot of hard work. Digging a hole at Tech is very very hard to overcome. Kinda famous for not just handing out As. Easy to let grades plummet and makes for a tough climb back up. I don't think he will ever doubt what he's capable of in the future.

Now to football. Oh my.....it's hard not to get hyped now. Sky is the limit imo. We still need some good breaks, need to avoid injuries, need a lucky bounce or two....But if we get those...anything is possible.

I don't think I've ever thought Tech was a clear front runner in the conference. I think we are this year. Team may have to learn how to operate as prohibitive favorites.
 
Techster

Techster

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dressedcheeseside said:
Does this let us move Gotsis outside?
Click to expand...

It definitely gives us the flexibility to push him out.

I think Gamble is a better SDE than DT and probably our best SDE (besides Gotsis). Now we have a Freeman - JHD - Gotsis - Gamble 1st string DL that I would put up there with any DL lineup in the ACC. On obvious passing downs, we can run a lineup of Freeman-JHD-Gotsis and bring in Tyler Marcordes as a pass rushing specialist at the OLB spot that Roof started to utlize towards the back half of the season. That we can talk about the different combos of guys we can use is a far cry from the past few seasons where we were scraping the bottom of the barrel for bodies on the DL.

Another benefit of JHD being eligible is it's going to give us a DT pool of Gotsis/JHD/Gamble/Kallon that will keep our "pitch count" down and keep them top two fresh. It also takes the pressure away to play the DTs we signed in the spring.

I"m not gonna lie...this news has me SUPER excited for the possibilities against a schedule that's loaded with "name" schools.
 
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