clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Georgia Tech Football: Recruiting Classes Revisited - 2018

CPJ’s last full class has had attrition but left us with two stars

By Robert Binion
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 05 North Carolina at Georgia Tech Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The 2018 Georgia Tech Football Recruiting class was Paul Johnson’s final complete recruiting class. The class came in with a composite average of 85.23, while ranking 44th nationally and 8th in the ACC. The composite average was Johnson’s best since 2009.

I’ve gone through each member of the class and provided the current position, the original composite rating, the current playing status, and an updated rating that I assigned.

Here’s how I’m evaluating each player:

>95: All-America Candidate

>90: All-ACC Candidate

85: Average Starter

<80: Below the Line

2018 Recruiting Class Revisited

Name Position 247 Composite Rating Current Status Updated Rating
Name Position 247 Composite Rating Current Status Updated Rating
Jaylon King Safety 89.73 Above the line in 2019, will serve as primary backup this season 87
James Graham QB 89.58 Started 8 games in 2019 and will compete for the starting job in 2020. 82
Justice Dingle DE 87.7 Appeared in 11 games in 2019, will serve in backup role in 2020 83
TK Chimedza DT 87.43 Started 9 games in 2019 and will start in 2020 87
Charlie Thomas Nickel 86.81 Started 5 games at OLB in 2019; expected to start at nickel in 2020 92
Dontae Smith RB 86.14 Appeared in 8 games in 2019; will battle young guys for carries in 2020 83
Malachi Carter WR 85.14 Started 11 games in 2019 and should start in 2020 85
Jaquon Griffin DT 84.98 Appeared in 11 games in 2019 and should be primary backup in 2020 83
Tijai Whatley RB 84.81 Had Career Ended by injury before 2019 Season N/A
Quez Jackson LB 84.63 Started 5 games in 2019 and will compete for starting job in 2020 85
Zamari Walton CB 84.6 Started 11 games in 2019 and will likely start in 2020 84
Austin Smith OL 84.52 Made it above the line by the end of 2019 because of injuries to others; unlikely to be ATL in 2020 79
Mike Maye OL 84.44 Below the Line in 2019; unlikely to be ATL in 2020 78
Jordan Domineck DE 84.31 Came on strong late in 2019, starting 3 games; should start at DE in 2020 86
Juanyeh Thomas Safety 83.51 Started in 2019 and will start in 2020 91
Luke Johns TE 83.1 Below the line in 2019; moved to TE in 2020 where he will compete for back up snaps 79
Peje Harris WR 82.76 Appeared in 10 games in 2019; will compete to stay ATL in 2020 80
Harrison Jump OL 82.56 Below the Line in 2019; unlikely to be ATL in 2020 78
Zakk McKeehan OL 82.02 Transferred before 2019 Season 78
Christian Malloy RB 80.65 Transferred before 2020 season 80
Jaylen Jackson WR 80.59 Transferred before 2019 Season 80
Wesley Wells K N/A Transferred before 2020 season Not Good
Updated Average 83

Summary:

After doing my ratings updates, the 2018 class ended up with an 83 average, which is a few points below their original rating. Charlie Thomas and Juanyeh Thomas are the gems of the class. Jaylon King, TK Chimedza, Malachi Carter, Quez Jackson, Zamari Walton, and Jordan Domineck all have been or are expected to be solid starters. The average is dragged down by having 9 members of the class contribute very little. This became a hallmark by the end of CPJ’s tenure, but the 2020 and 2021 teams will continue to benefit from the top end talent that CPJ managed to bring into his last full class.