Technical Tidbits 8/27: Tech players draw attention of NFLPA

It’s Friday and we are officially one week and a day away from the start of the collegiate football season! Naturally, today’s Tidbits will be focused on football.

There must be a lot of factors that weigh into a school’s popularity with student athletes. The scholarships, the coaching, the opportunities to play, and certainly one of them has to be the opportunities that come after their collegiate careers draw to a close. This article about the six Yellow Jackets on the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Big Board was encouraging as it provides evidence that Georgia Tech produces talent that draws attention of the NFL or NFLPA.

The athletes in this case are safeties Tariq Carpenter and Juanyeh Thomas, wide receiver Malachi Carter, running back Jordan Mason, cornerback Tre Swilling, and defensive end Keion White (BTW — congratulations to all of them on this recognition). Should they get the opportunity to play in the game, it would present them a chance to showcase their talent to NFL teams, increasing their chances as NFL prospects, and perhaps of even getting drafted.

The news is also encouraging for the football program as it will certainly draw attention from high school recruits who may take have cause to take another look at Georgia Tech. Everyone knows that Geoff Collins has a knack for recruiting, and something like this adds to his already strong arsenal of recruiting tools. The other day I was watching an NFL preseason game where the color commentator was noting how so many former Alabama players are now dispersed throughout the NFL on various teams. Hopefully as Georgia Tech’s football program grows and improves, there can be similar sentiments about its former players.

This article focuses on Georgia Tech’s offensive and defensive coordinators Dave Patenaude and Andrew Thacker, respectively. In particular, it discusses their confidence in their respective units given the number of returning starters or the new transfers who have joined the team. Both the offense and defense are getting a lot of their starters back. And with the additions made from the transfer portal, the team will be a more experienced one than it was last season.

Ideally, this will translate to a more mature team, and hopefully, one that can perform better. Certainly, as the article points out, the team will have depth which can be crucial to a team’s success as injuries do pile up over the course of a season. Tech certainly does have a tough schedule ahead, but when you see that the coaches are confident, it does provide encouragement about the team’s prospects.