Following an avalanche of transfers over the past few weeks, Georgia Tech will need to fill a large class with as much talent as possible. I’ve been watching a lot of film of the purported targets over the past few days, so I thought I’d put together a “big board” of guys who I think are the best prospects the coaches are after at each position. This list does not necessarily constitute the priorities of the coaching staff, just my own analysis. Prospect evaluation is an inexact science, so feel free to disagree with me in the comments. I should note that I only included prospects who the coaches appear to be actively recruiting who have not committed to Georgia Tech. I may have missed some players, and new prospects could pop up at any time.

Offense

Currently, the coaches only appear to be actively pursuing the WR position, with two main targets. The top target appears to be Marlon Williams out of Mobile, Alabama, with Adonicas Sanders of Charleston, SC. Sanders is reported to be visiting on the 27th, but has no reported offer yet. It appears the coaching view Williams as the top guy, and I agree.

Defense

This is where it gets more complicated, so I constructed an actual board:

(Note: Hybrid in this context means OLB/S hybrid)

I won’t get into the analysis of each prospect because you’ll likely fall asleep before I’m done getting to all of them, so I’ll touch on the parts of this list I feel are the most controversial.

The hybrid position was a bit difficult to rank, as it contained three players that were fairly different. I’m enamored with the length and frame on Oliver, especially in a zone scheme, and I like Showell’s long speed a lot. Henderson isn’t a bad prospect by any means, but the other 2 guys absolutely jumped out of the screen to me. I should also note that Oliver and Showell lean more towards the Safety side of being a hybrid, while Henderson leans more to the OLB side. All three players played all over the field, with Oliver and Showell playing significant snaps close to the LOS, wreaking havoc in the backfield. These are the types of players Georgia Tech needs, guys who increase the defense’s havoc rate.

I don’t feel the gap between Porcher and Vimahi is all that vast, but Porcher bends better and has a bit quicker of a first step, so he gets the top spot here. There are also conflicting reports as to how actively the coaches are after Stone Edwards.

It’s not clear whether or not Quinton Miller has an offer, but he’s supposedly visiting on the 27th along with Kendric Haynes. both players are physical LBs, but neither has elite sideline to sideline speed. I omitted Leonard Warner from this list because there are more credible sources claiming Georgia Tech isn’t recruiting him than credible sources saying they are.

I really like Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa as a prospect, he had a huge senior year and will be a very disruptive DT. There’s a lot of competition here, however.

Combined Big Board

Out of the prospects discussed above, here are the 10 who I believe are the most critical for Georgia Tech. It should be noted that positional need and value were taken into heavy consideration for this list.

1. DT Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
2. DT Antwan Owens
3. DE Robert Porcher IV
4. DE Aliki Vimahi
5. OLB/S Kaleb Oliver
6. OLB/S Avery Showell
7. WR Marlon Williams
8. OLB/S Jaquon Henderson
9. DE Kelton Dawson
10. ILB Kendric Haynes

The DT position is absolutely essential. There are only 5 on the roster, and that includes Desmond Branch, who moved there from DE at the end of the year. Both DTs the coaches are after are excellent prospects with huge athletic upside as well. An impact edge defender is also needed, with 3 gone from the team and only one committed.

If you’d rank them differently, let me know! Let’s get a discussion going in the comments!

This Weekend

It’s a bit of a small weekend for Tech, with Showell and Dawson as the only non-commits visiting. Joseph Bulovas, Charlie Clark, and Zach Quinney will be the commits on the flats this weekend. The weekend of the 27th will be biggest weekend, with several of the prospects listed above visiting.

Needs have also changed. Georgia Tech recently lost a starting OT, and backups at CB and WR. While this class is still full at CB, WR has taken heightened importance. It is unclear whether or not the coaches will pursue another OT prospect given there are already 4 OL committed, 2 of whom could easily play at OT. That’s a position to watch for late offers to under-the-radar guys.