Meet the Freshmen

[stech81]

If you haven't seen Ken's AJC articles on the incoming freshmen, I highly recommend taking a gander at the 2018 recruiting forum where folks have posted a number of them in the individual threads.

Here's his final one on Peje Harris. Great read.

Sugiura: What can be learned about Pejé Harris from his Twitter account

Great story look forward to seeing him play

 

[Techster]

If you haven't seen Ken's AJC articles on the incoming freshmen, I highly recommend taking a gander at the 2018 recruiting forum where folks have posted a number of them in the individual threads.

Here's his final one on Peje Harris. Great read.

Sugiura: What can be learned about Pejé Harris from his Twitter account

His recruiting story reminds me of Anotonio Messick's. Unheralded WR recruit that didn't exactly light it up on the HS level, but staff liked what they saw in terms of how he would fit in with our offense.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

His recruiting story reminds me of Anotonio Messick's. Unheralded WR recruit that didn't exactly light it up on the HS level, but staff liked what they saw in terms of how he would fit in with our offense.

That's not an encouraging comparison.

 

[InsideLB]

Much better film than Messick's, which was actually a lot of perimeter runs. Better comparison is Camp.

 

[deeeznutz]

Great series of articles, thanks for sharing!

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Everybody needs to check out these articles! One thing that I see as a common thread is that we are targeting high academic, high character kids. I know this is kind of a "duh" moment, but there is a large contingent of fans who think our key to overcoming our middle of the pack position in college football is to lower our academic standards and admit more exceptions. Imo, that is the exact opposite of what we should do. In fact, we seem to be doubling down on that small subset of kids who achieve excellence in the classroom as well as on the field. With the extra staffing in the recruiting office, it should be easier to find these needles in the proverbial haystacks!

Here's a peek at what I mean in Justice Dingle:

character:

Clark saw a different side of Dingle than most this past spring as the coach was starting a youth flag-football league in Bowling Green focused on serving lower-income children in the city of about 67,000. Dingle was a volunteer coach.

“It was ‘Yes, sir/No, sir’,” Clark said. “Very respectful kid. But more important, the kids grasped the things that he was teaching. He made it fun. When you think of high-school kids, Justice didn’t act like a high-school kid. He acted like a young man.”

academics

Last month, Justice, Jordan and their mother, Tonya, relaxed in their spacious two-story home, awaiting the return of Justice Sr. The Dingles live in a quiet subdivision situated among rolling hills and farmland. Justice shared with a visitor about his efforts to balance school and sports (besides football and track, he also played power forward for Bowling Green’s basketball team). He was trying to remember the name of an after-school academic-support program, and Jordan, a rising sophomore and himself a budding football star, couldn’t help.

“He doesn’t have to do it because he makes straight A’s,” Dingle said.

athletics

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, he is Tech’s heaviest linebacker but still ran the 100-meter dash in 12.21 seconds as a junior.

“For his size, that’s moving,” Clark said.

Wallace said that Dingle was “among the best that I’ve had,” no small praise considering that he coached five state championship teams at Bowling Green. He was rated the No. 25 inside linebacker prospect in his class and the No. 4 player in the state of Kentucky (247 Sports composite).

Here's the whole article:

https://www.ajc.com/sports/college/...e-dingle-top-the-line/rgM2ECIZniFEbYimeqogUI/

 

[g0lftime]

This kid looks like he will likely be the BM replacement at LB. He sure has the physical side covered. May be a little faster than Mitchell. Looks like a really good recruit with lots of potential.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

This kid looks like he will likely be the BM replacement at LB. He sure has the physical side covered. May be a little faster than Mitchell. Looks like a really good recruit with lots of potential.

I can't wait to see what he can do

 

[CuseJacket]

The White and Gold: Experience At IMG Academy Could Put DL TK Chimedza Ahead Of The Curve

“Not only did he continue to get bigger, faster and stronger,” Wright said, “but his football IQ increased and he learned to be a technician. He used his hands, he stayed in his gap, he learned the defenses. He has a physical gift, but what separates the good from the great players is the ability to be a student of the game, and that’s what he is.”

 

[Techster]

That's not an encouraging comparison.

Ha. Not comparing their playing style...just that both had unique recruiting stories that were similar.

 

[TampaBuzz]

I just read the article....thanks for sharing. Hope somebody tells him to be darn careful on his four wheeler!

 

[deeeznutz]

I just read the article....thanks for sharing. Hope somebody tells him to be darn careful on his four wheeler!

Seeing as how we have Jaylend Ratliffe on our staff instead of on our roster, I’m thinking he’ll get the message that those things aren’t to be taken lightly.

 

[CuseJacket]

An interesting recap article from Ken.

Sugiura: 5 things learned in reporting the Georgia Tech freshman series

1. It was remarkable to me that so many of their parents are educators. Both of Pejé Harris’ parents. Justice Dingle’s mother. Both of Christian Malloy’s parents. Jaylon King’s mom. That’s six out of 14. Harris’ mother is a middle-school principal and King’s mother is an assistant high-school principal.

On a related note, three parents (the fathers of Jaylon King and Justice Dingle and the mother of Tijai Whatley) have engineering degrees.

Almost any prospect and their family will cite education as a reason for selecting the school he’ll attend, but it seemed like a genuine priority with each of the families I spoke with.

Recommend reading the whole thing.

 

[CuseJacket]

The White and Gold: Ja'Quon Griffin Could Make Mark Despite Lack Of Prototypical Size

“He’s incredibly strong, and he has fantastic feet,” Reid said. “He can move like a running back. He’s got great 10-yard speed, and he just does his job. He was committed to doing that, even when the play wasn’t flashy. If we asked him to just control a gap, not make a tackle, he’d do that and then he’d finish out the play. He has a non-stop motor.”

 

[g0lftime]

You can't coach desire and this kid seems to have it. Willing to do whatever it took for the team. Glad he picked us.

 

[CuseJacket]

The White and Gold: CB Zamari Walton Could Be Late Bloomer For Jackets

Sizemore’s thought is that, because Walton hasn’t come close to putting on the size he can at the next level, he’ll be able to flourish on the Flats. The potential is high and, given an elite college training regimen, he could grow into an elite player.

“He’s a raw player that might take some time to develop, but he’s going to put every bit of work in necessary,” Sizemore said. “His best football is ahead of him. No doubt in my mind.”

 

[CuseJacket]

The White and Gold: Signed As A DL, Austin Smith Could Find Home On Offense

Zito began to believe that offense was Smith’s future.

Georgia Tech may be thinking along the same lines.

“I think, I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think that’s what they’ve decided to do with him,” Zito said. “He was signed as a defensive player with the thought that maybe he could move to the other side, which is a great selling point because it’s so rare.”

 

[tech_wreck47]

The White and Gold: Signed As A DL, Austin Smith Could Find Home On Offense

Good to hear this. I’ve been thinking he would get put on the offensive side of the ball. I think he can make an impact really early, all depends on if he picks the offense up or not.

 

[CuseJacket]

The White and Gold: Athletic DL Luke Johns Plays With 'Reckless Abandon'

“It took him some time to adjust,” Gray said, discussing the 45 pounds that Johns put on from the beginning of his junior season to the end of his high school career. “You’re talking about a lot of mass. But, man, he’s adjusted to it.”

 

[CuseJacket]

The White and Gold: Tija'i Whatley 'Just Fits' In Georgia Tech's Offense

“It just fits,” Atha said. “He’s always been an unselfish player. He’s one of those kids who plays just as hard without the ball as he does with it. When you start looking at what Georgia Tech does, those A-Backs are going to have to be great blockers, they’re going to have to be great carrying out fakes. Those things fit him well.”

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