2007 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Picks & Predictions


June 5, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

Georgia Tech lost the best overall player in college football last year. There is no way Calvin Johnson can be replaced at wide receiver so the offense will drop dramatically this season, simply from the loss of one guy. The Yellow Jackets will have to turn to their running game to try and make up the slack. The one-time Oklahoma running back, Tashard Choice, already has shown he can be a workhorse, rushing 297 times for an ACC-best 1,473 yards and finished with seven consecutive 100-yard games. Even more will be asked of Choice this season.

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Choice had this success despite Reggie Ball’s 44.4 completion percentage. New coordinator John Bond comes over from Northern Illinois and knows how to get the most out of his backs even when teams know Bond’s offenses are going to run the ball. Garrett Wolfe had tremendous success under Bond last season in a run-first offense. Backup Rashaun Grant also showed he’s more ready than ever in spring ball. Tech’s offense returns four starting linemen and this will be the biggest key to a dominant running game.

The passing game has to improve, accuracy wise, as Taylor Bennett takes over for the inconsistent Ball. Bennett started in the Gator Bowl against West Virginia, throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-35 loss. The 6-3 Bennett is expected to spend a lot more time in the pocket and work the middle of the field better than Ball could. James Johnson returns as the team’s second leading receiver after catching 39 passes for 608 yards and seven touchdowns. He will need to reach the 1,000-yard mark for this team to reek havoc in the passing game. Two redshirt freshmen in Demaryius Thomas and Correy Earls have to be big, too.

Georgia Tech returns one of the top units in the country with eight defensive players coming back for the 2007 season. Senior middle linebacker Philip Wheeler is a force on coordinator Jon Tenuta’s blitz schemes. Wheeler had nine sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss and broke up five passes. He is a do-all type of player for this team. Gary Guyton is another playmaker at outside linebacker. But there is even more depth on the defensive front and in the secondary than at linebacker for the Yellow Jackets.

Second-team All-ACC Adamm Oliver has 29 career starts and will be joined at end by Darrell Robertson. Look for Darryl Richard to be a force in the middle. The secondary has many options with the depth provided. Safety Jamal Lewis earned All-ACC honors last season, and Djay Jones is another solid returning starter at safety. Joe Gaston is back after redshirting because of a knee injury last season. Returning starting cornerback Avery Roberson also saw time at safety/nickel back in the spring as the coaches continued to experiment. Now they just have to figure out their best line-up to be successful and Chan Gailey should not have a problem with it as he is one of the best head coaches in the land.

The ACC is a wide-open league. With Georgia Tech returning 17 starters and a bring-it defense, the Yellow Jackets have a solid chance to make it back to the ACC title game. It won’t be easy without a certain freakishly athletic receiver though. But this could make Georgia Tech come together more as a team with no standout guys and less media attention. Tech gets tested right away with their opener at Notre Dame, but the schedule is very manageable towards the second half of the season. Look for the Yellow Jackets to compete for the ACC title in 2007.

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