Technical Tidbits 6/18

For years now, Georgia Tech has employed a recruiting style that helps them get to underrated recruits before the big football factories do. They have employed it with great success in the past, finding gems such as Adam Gotsis and Tevin Washington buried in the depths of the recruiting rankings, and they hope that new commit Trent Sellers will be their next big hit. Seller, a two-star OLB/DE out of Sandy Creek High School, has just one scholarship offer-- Georgia Tech, obviously-- but will surely get some more attention before next season. That trend is best illustrated by Mizzou (as mentioned in the article), which uses the same tactic as Tech does to get recruits. They find them early, before they are highly ranked, and get a quick commitment before the bigger schools can get there. I love this strategy because it is the only thing that bridges the gap between a school like Tech and an SEC school-- the smaller school already has the talent locked up before said talent is recognized. You can see Sellers's highlights below.

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Fear not, Tech fans. Myles Autry will begin his career at Georgia Tech, just a bit later than the rest of his recruiting class. There was some fear among fans that he would make a decision similar to that of Travis Custis and transfer due to academic issues, but Autry is expected to make the necessary academic improvements that will make him eligible to attend Tech between now and July, when he is expected to report to campus. He and Kenderius Whitehead are the only two recruits who did not report yesterday-- the rest of the class made it without a hitch. Whitehead is expected to join the Jackets in Atlanta after completing his associates degree at GMC this summer.

Former Yellow Jacket Demaryius Thomas is about become one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. The Denver Broncos are expected to make him a five year offer that will put him into the list of top five highest paid receivers in the league, a list comprised of 40% Yellow Jackets (he'll join Calvin Johnson, obviously). Thomas was drafted in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2010 draft by the Broncos, and his numbers since then easily back up the need for a lucrative contract. In the past two seasons in Denver (the Peyton Manning era), DT has compiled 186 receptions for 2,864 yards and 24 touchdowns; each of those numbers is good for a top six finish over that span.

Genius alert: a Michigan man is facing felony charges after attempting to throw a football full of drugs and cell phones over the wall of a prison. I have no idea how he managed to fit entire cell phones into an inflated football, so I guess he gets creativity points (?). At any rate, he is facing a minimum of fifteen years behind bars. He must have thought that it was a good idea to throw it over the fence right in front of a guard as well, because that's obviously not suspicious nor illegal. Check out the SBN analysis of the situation right here.

Daily Debate: Is the recruiting method mentioned in the body of the post an effective one for Georgia Tech? What alternative methods would be better?

Enjoy your Wednesday!