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Now, I know what you’re thinking. We’re Georgia Tech, so we don’t really use receivers a whole lot. Plus, we’ve already got two pretty solid options with Ricky Jeune and Brad Stewart, so why on earth are we talking about another break out player at wide receiver?
Well, if you’ve been following Georgia Tech football during spring practice, which I assume a sizable portion of y’all have, then you’ve probably heard the name Jalen Camp a few times. I can tell you now that you’re going to hear that name a lot more this season.
Last Season
Last year, as a freshman, Camp took part in 11 games, mostly on special teams, and didn’t record any trackable stats. Coming in as a two-star recruit, though, nobody really expected even that much.
During his freshman season, though he didn’t play much, he did get talked about a good bit. Here’s what Coach Johnson had to say about him last year:
“Jalen has made some nice catches,” coach Paul Johnson said. “He’s strong. His body is not that of a normal freshman. He’s a big, strong kid.”
“He’s an athletic kid,” Johnson said. “Hopefully he can transition into play.”
Spring Practice
All through spring practice, Camp had plenty of people talking about him, but he finally got to show off what he could do at the Spring Game.
Camp was the leading receiver for the Yellow Jackets in that game, snagging four catches for 44 yards. Paul Johnson is also confident in putting him in our top three receivers.
"I don't know that I'd call him a possession receiver. He's got ability. He's pretty fast. Right now, I feel good about three receivers. Ricky (Jeune) didn't play tonight, Brad (Stewart) tweaked an ankle, so we took him out, and Jalen.”
What to Expect
It’s still kind of up in the air right now as to exactly how much playing time Camp will get, but knowing that he’s in the top three certainly bodes well for his chances. There’s no doubt that Ricky Jeune is the number one guy, but the battle for number two will probably be on that continues all the way through the season between Camp and Brad Stewart. Something that will be really nice is that teams don’t know a lot about him, so there’s potential for him to fly under the radar. So what do y’all think? Is Jalen Camp going to make an impact this season?
Days to Kickoff: 82