Technical Tidbits 3/4: Georgia Tech Football Has Three Players Depart

When I heard the news about Wesley Wells and Brenton King leaving Georgia Tech, I was shocked. I had been expecting at least one of the two to depart, but not both. The two were not at their best this past season, with Wells missing his only kick attempt and King going 3-7 on field goals. This means that there will be an intense kicking competition in the coming months, most likely between RS Soph Cliff Gandis and incoming PWOs Steven Verdisco and Jude Kelley. The other player moving on from Tech is OL Connor Hansen. Last season, as a junior, Hansen played in 7 games for the Jackets. We here at FTRS wish all three of the players the best as they begin a new chapter in their lives. Thank you!

The Georgia Tech RB room might be one of the strongest in the ACC. With Jordan Mason and Jamious Griffin taking carries alongside highly-rated incoming freshman Jahmyr Gibbs, Tech is definitely set up for a lot of production running the ball. I’m really looking forward to what OC Dave Patenaude draws up for the RBs. It’ll be interesting to see how much playing time Bruce Jordan-Swilling will get at the position after switching from LB. There are so many questions for the entire team, with the main one being: How long until the season opener?

The first day of Georgia Tech spring practice was yesterday, and the article above is a great read as it detailed all of the major changes having occurred with the Jackets over the off-season. For example, QB/WR Tobias Oliver was taking snaps at CB, LB Charlie Thomas was taking snaps at S, and single-digit jersey number holders were back in double-digits. While we won’t see the results of the changes for another few months (minus the Spring Game in April), hopefully Collins & co. are setting the team up for success. It’s year one of the rebuild, right?

Senior night in any sport, at any level, is always bittersweet. Tonight, for Georgia Tech fans, it’ll be a little more bitter than sweet as it’ll be the last time C James Banks suits up at home for the Jackets. Since transferring from Texas in 2018, Banks has been a key part of the Georgia Tech lineup and has made some crucial plays in big games. One example that comes to mind is from this season’s opener against N.C. State. Trailing by one with 2.1 seconds left on the clock, Banks was fouled going up for a game-winning dunk. Banks nailed both of his free throws, and gave the Jackets a great win to start the season. While it’s disappointing that Banks never got to play in the NCAA Tournament in a Yellow Jacket uniform, he was a great player who helped carry the team when they needed it most. For more on Banks, I would definitely check out this article that the AJC put out a couple of weeks ago. Tech will also recognize Shembari Phillips and student manager Justin Wrenn. Thank you, James, Shembari, and Justin! The game tips off at 9 p.m. and will air on a RSN.

Coming off of a disappointing series against u(sic)GA, the Georgia Tech Baseball team took care of business Tuesday evening. Tech utilized a 9-run sixth inning to take control of the game from the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, with Luke Waddell leading the charge for the Jackets with a home run and three RBIs. Tonight, the Beesball team will make the short trip to play Georgia State. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

Question of the Day: What do you think about the player departures?