Technical Tidbits 7/21

Tech golf alumnus Ollie Schniederjans, who was lauded yesterday for becoming just the third amateur to qualify for both the U.S. and British Opens in the same year, completed the remarkable task of finishing T-12 in the British Open yesterday at -9. For Schniederjans, that performance capped off what was a nearly perfect amateur career -- he is now expected to go pro and join the ranks of Tech's other notable alumni on the PGA circuit. Unfortunately, his decision to go pro came just a day too late; Schniederjans would have gone home with winnings exceeding $120,000 if he weren't competing as an amateur. It's a tough payday to leave at the table to say the least, but also a great indication of future success for the Tech product.

Paul Johnson is nothing if not a realist. That is a concept that anyone who has ever heard him speak should have a firm grasp on by this point; Johnson has constantly achieved success while keeping expectations in check, writes the AJC. Although AJC contributors not named Ken Sugiura often manufacture not-so-flattering interpretations of Tech's program in their writing, that article by Jeff Schultz is dead on. Coach Johnson will be the first to tell you that his program is no different now, coming off of an 11-win season, than it was a year ago and he did just that in his recent interview. Despite on-field success, Tech remain a middle-tier school at best in terms of recruiting, revenue, and attendance, and Paul Johnson won't have you believing anything different. I can't say this for sure, but it really feels like the man really enjoys the underdog status at Tech as a school as much as he thrives with the underdog mentality for his team. Let's see how heightened expectations in 2015 change that framework.

After over a year of what seemed at times to be nothing more than wild speculation and a strange dream lingering on the brink of existence, it was announced yesterday that Georgia Tech and Tennessee will officially be squaring off in the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game. The game itself, which will obviously be in the national spotlight, should be a fun albeit hard to predict matchup. As a few folks in the comments yesterday accurately pointed out, both Tech and Tennessee will likely be breaking in new quarterbacks as the Justin Thomas and Josh Dobbs eras both end at their respective schools after 2016.

Whoever created the media guide for the 2015 ACC Media Day validated my life and very existence when they included three very telling and profane words under the Wake Forest section of the pamphlet. Anyone who reads this feature with any regularity knows that making fun of Wake Forest is one of my all time favorite hobbies, and now I know that there is someone else out there who shares my passion. Thank you, media guide creator. This picture seems relevant right about now.

NOTE: If you have one of the media guides I will buy it right now, no questions asked.

Do you agree with the AJC's take on Paul Johnson?