Georgia Tech Football: Recruiting Class Revisited - 2016

In terms of recent classes, the 2016 signing class fell short of others with a national ranking of 60th and a composite rating of .8322 by 247Sports. None of the 18 players who signed with the class ranked higher than a 3-star and only two were in the Top 500 nationally. Most of the class has moved on through transfers but a few do remain who have proven to be better than their original grade. They enjoyed a bowl win over Kentucky their freshman year but have seen mediocre results at best since. The few redshirt seniors have one last year to make their time with the team a special one.

OG Parker Braun | 3-Star | .8756 Rating

Tech fans will remember Parker Braun fondly as he was a solid piece for the offensive line even early in his career. Last year was the final season of his collegiate career in which he opted to play for the Texas Longhorns as a graduate transfer. Braun was an All-American Freshman his first year at Tech and was selected as First Team All-ACC his sophomore and junior years.

DE Jordan Woods | 3-Star | .8702 Rating

Woods was one of the more promising recruits of the class but never took the field as a Yellow Jacket. He suffered an injury his freshman year and redshirted but decided to transfer the following season to FIU. He has mainly served as depth to their defensive line the past two years.

LB Emanuel Bridges | 3-Star | .8634 Rating

Another recruit that never saw time at Georgia Tech was Bridges. He redshirted his freshman year and then transferred to East Mississippi CC which was featured on “Last Chance U.” He finished second on the team in tackles the following year with East Mississippi as they won the NJCAA National Title.

RB Xavier Gantt | 3-Star | .8605 Rating

Xavier was was a smaller running back recruited for the A-Back position under Paul Johnson but only saw two carries for two yards over his career. He left the team after the first spring practice under Coach Collins as his wasn’t a good fit anywhere in the new system.

RB Dedrick Mills | 3-Star | .8534 Rating

Mills only played his freshman year before being dismissed for multiple team violations. His removal from the team stung as he lead the team in rushing and was poised to be a big name in the ACC the coming year. Instead, he enrolled at Garden City Community College where he was injured in 2017 but broke out with 1,358 yards in 2018. Last year he joined Nebraska where he led them in rushing and received honorable All-Big Ten mentions.

QB Jay Jones | 3-Star | .8514 Rating

Jones was a bit of a head scratcher when he transferred from Georgia Tech after two seasons and appearing in one game. He had a chance to compete as the QB for the 2018 season but claimed he wasn’t willing to play in the Johnson’s run-oriented offense. He has since been featured on “Last Chance U” at Independence Community College and has struggled to succeed there as well.

DT Brandon Adams | 3-Star | .8501 Rating

Unfortunately, anyone who followed Georgia Tech Football last year is aware of the tragic passing of Brandon Adams before the start of spring practice. He would have been a key piece along the defensive line last year and it is a shame his family and team mates lost such an important person in their lives.

WR Jair Hawkins-Anderson | 3-Star | .8489 Rating

Another player who saw limited playing time and transferred after last season. His only recorded stat was a reception for two yards.

S Jarrett Cole | 3-Star | .8472 Rating

Cole followed the path of many others and transferred after Tech hired Coach Collins. His lone stat was a tackle against Alcorn St during the 2018 opener.

DT Chris Martin | 3-Star | .8453 Rating

Martin will actually be on his final season this year and saw several starts at defensive tackle after serving as a reserve in his previous years. He recorded 8 tackles last season and should be in the mix again this season.

DE Desmond Branch | 3-Star | .8418 Rating

Branch was actually a 2014 graduate but transferred to Georgia Tech after a redshirt year with New Mexico and a year in the JUCO ranks. He wrapped up in his collegiate career with Tech in 2018 with 61 tackles, an INT, and 1.5 sacks.

WR Stephen Dolphus | 3-Star | .8410 Rating

Dolphus is still with the team but didn’t see any playing time last year and will have a hard time breaking through with more depth at the receiver position.

LB Jakob Brashear | 3-Star | .8339 Rating

Brashear dealt with injuries over his short career only appearing in two games. He took a medical scholarship after the 2018 season.

QB Lucas Johnson | 3-Star | .8272 Rating

Lucas seemed to always be on the verge of competing for time at the QB position but suffered an injury in fall camp before the 2018 season. When Collins took over last year many thought he would be the guy who could open up the passing game but could never get a rhythm going behind a shaky line. He entered the transfer portal after the season and will play closer to home at San Diego State.

C Kenny Cooper | 3-Star | .8072 Rating

The first time I heard of Kenny Cooper was when I was thinking we have a backup center, b-back, and quarterback about to take on Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium at night, what could go wrong? Well, nothing really went wrong for the offense as Cooper helped the offense pound the Hokie’s defense in the turf. He has been a consistent starter through his career until an injury shortened what was to be his final season last year. He will return this year to lead an improving offensive line once again.

WR Jalen Camp | 2-Star | .7912 Rating

Camp has always had potential to be a break out player but has had some nagging injuries and took a redshirt last year after only seeing a few games. Expect him to be a big threat this year now that he has healed and gained a lot mass in the weight room.

CB Ajani Kerr | 2-Star | .7743 Rating

Kerr never managed to become a full-time starter but made some plays through his time at Georgia Tech. He contributed the most during the 2018 season but saw his minutes wane in 2019. He transferred to Tulane as a grad transfer this year with one year left.

DT/OL Jahaziel Lee | 2-Star | .7676 Rating

Lee was recruited as a defensive player who ended up on the offensive line. He played early and often filling in where depth became thin. When Collins took over Lee asked to play defensive line again and was jumping between both sides until injury against The Citadel ended his season. He will be back for one final year and should provide a seasoned veteran to the interior of the defense.