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Countdown to Kickoff: 66 Days
As our 100 Days to Kickoff series rolls on, this week we’ll be taking a look at players you haven’t seen before, but will want to know about going into the 2016 season. All of these players come into the season with no experience at the college level, but tons of potential to make an impact on the field this fall for the Yellow Jackets.
OL Parker Braun | Freshman | 6-3, 280 pounds | Hallsville, Texas
Parker Braun committed to Georgia Tech on August 29, becoming the school’s ninth commit in the 2016 cycle. He came to Georgia Tech out of Hallsville High School and committed over other reported offers from Arkansas, Duke, Florida, Miami, Ole Miss and a whole host of other schools. He was rated as a three-star recruit by both Rivals (5.7) and the 247Sports Composite (0.8712), both of which are on the higher side of three stars.
In addition to being one of Tech’s better recruits in the last cycle, Braun is also the brother of former offensive lineman Trey Braun who was a staple on the offensive line for a number of years, who is doing some pretty neat stuff now.
Looking at where Tech’s offensive line is now, I’m not sure there was a better time to get a potentially very good offensive lineman. Right now, the offensive line is mostly in ruins, still recovering from the graduation of Shaq Mason.
Now, while I don’t expect Braun to immediately come in and take Mason’s place as the leader of the offensive line, I do expect he’s learned a few things from his older brother, specifically about playing on Tech’s offensive line.
Looking at his film, Braun brings a good amount of athleticism which is very good for this system. His quick burst could get him on the field as soon as this year.
Well, that burst along with the absolute lack of depth there. As of right now, the starters at guard would be Will Bryan and Shamire Devine. Personally, I’d rather see Bryan at tackle and Devine is still having weight issues, so if there were ever a year where a freshman lineman was going to make an impact, it would definitely be this year.