This is great news for the Jackets and for Johnson, as suffering a foot injury and missing a full year of football is never fun. Johnson is the expected starter against Clemson and beyond that game, so it’s great for him to get this stress off of his back and be able to focus on football going into the season.
Continuing with the Lucas Johnson theme, the article above discusses Johnson’s perseverance in recovering from his foot injury and the transition he has made from the spread option to the “pro-style spread offense.” If Johnson does end up starting August 29, and plays well this coming season (and the two that follow), he certainly will have a great story to tell.
Much has been written about former Notre Dame safety Derrik Allen transferring to Tech. Even though he’ll have to sit a year unless a “miracle waiver” happens, Allen will be a good presence in the film room and on the practice field. Allen’s former high school coach thinks so as well, giving praise to Allen’s work ethic and academic ability. Once again, welcome to The Flats Derrik!
According to Geoff Collins, position flexibility is a very important part of football. Jahaziel Lee, a high school defensive lineman, turned offensive lineman, and now a two-way player is a testament to that. Lee has been able to provide valuable viewpoints to both the offensive and defensive lines, and will be able to demonstrate things that one-way players most likely would not be able to. This will end up being a very good switch for the Lee, and will assist greatly in the development of all the players and most coaches.
Two things are clear from this article. 1) Ahmarean Brown will be very, very good. He’s been named one of the fastest players on the team, and will definitely be getting looks early and often at the slot receiver position. 2) Demetrius Knight is a good worker and seems to be making the transition from QB to the defense very well. It’s a smart transition for Knight, as he would’ve had to struggle for playing time for the foreseeable future if he had stayed at QB. Now, he will probably get to play a fair amount and showcase his athleticism.
This article is very neat, as it helps to describe the new Jacket pregame routine, specifically the night before the game. I really like that Collins is putting an emphasis on family, especially with the coaches’ families, and that the team is doing bonding events like the Braves game and the trip to the water park. This can only help the team when faced with adversity on the field. (Read: Clemson in two weeks).
The Jackets have been doing pretty well offensively during their Spain trip. From the recent statistics, Shembari Phillips seems to be coming out of his year long slump, scoring 15 points in this game and logging 10 in the first game. If he continues that trend into the regular season, the Jackets will be very grateful as a key offensive weapon in Jordan Usher will have to sit out until the end of the fall semester.
Question of the Day: Do you feel that Lucas Johnson getting an extra year of eligibility will possibly negatively affect Georgia Tech QB recruiting? Knowing that a guy possibly has a job locked up for the next three years.