Technical Tidbits 7/24

Following the recent flurry of dismissals and suspensions within the Georgia Tech football program, the AJC's Ken Suguira decided to break down what the suspensions mean for the upcoming season. One of the more obvious things about Paul Johnson's decision to send three guys packing is the draining impact on the already dismal 2013 recruiting class. It was small to start with but is now without Justin Akins, Darius Commissiong, Travis Custis, Ty Griffin, and Kevin Robbins, bringing the number down to a meager nine recruits for the whole cycle. Is it harmful to the team's chemistry? Absolutely. Is that an absolute death blow to the program? Probably not.  The Jackets seem to be in good hands with their current veterans in the locker room -- guys like Quayshawn Nealy, Shaq Mason, and Zach Laskey should be quite vocal in regards to disciplinary issues on the team.

Darren Waller has been one of the most frustrating players on the Georgia Tech football team for a number of years now. He has the obvious measurables and talents to be an elite receiver in both college and potentially in the NFL, but it just hasn't come together for the big 6'-5" wideout during his Tech career. He has missed multiple games due to suspension, including the first two games this season, and just can't seem to put it all together well enough to be a truly great receiver. That doesn't however, stop NFL front offices from taking notice of his untapped potential and pinning him on their draft boards. At their best, Waller and DeAndre Smelter could form a more than formidable one-two punch for the Jackets, possibly even the best in the ACC. It all depends on Waller taking the big step forward that he is more than capable of taking in 2014.

The NCAA Championship odds for dozens of teams were released recently, and Georgia Tech *shockingly* has some of the worst odds of any school listed at 500/1. Those are the same odds as Boston College and South Florida among other teams with low expectations for 2014. Teams with better odds include the Hokies from VPI (150/1), Miami (100/1), and Florida which is at a shockingly high 33/1. That's good for 13th in the nation, which is interesting. Will Muschamp must have done a heck of a job reminding them which team to block in 2014. The prediction that bothers me the most is uga at 18/1 odds. Do I need to write an essay about why they aren't in position to win a championship?

Every college player who made an appearance in the NCAA Football video game series could be looking at a big payday for the use of his image ("but not really his image" -EA). I don't see why it is such a big deal. EA already cleared this all up when they reiterated that it was a pure coincidence that every player in their game had the same face, number, and measurables as real players, so why not just believe them? At least the coaches had totally unique images; Paul Johnson looks like he must have put on about 562 pounds in preparation for his NCAA 14 photoshoot. Man, that game is awesome.

What do the recent dismissals mean to you in regards to the program? Is it a direct result of something Paul Johnson/his strict policies have done or something else?