Georgia Tech Releases Depth Chart

It’s game week boys and girls! And you know what that means? It means we get a brand new shiny depth chart that we get to talk about! The one we got was far from what we expected, so let’s take a quick look and talk about it.

Offense

Oh boy, where to start. First off, the biggest surprise I see in the backs is that Jordan Ponchez-Mason and Jerry Howard are listed as an OR. For those who don’t remember, Howard was the primary back-up last season while Ponchez-Mason took a redshirt year. While that may not be super surprising that they’ll both be Benson’s back-up, this is quite surprising:

Ponchez-Mason will get the start at B-back. I imagine they’ll split the carries pretty evenly, but I think this really speaks to the talent of Ponchez-Mason. All that to say, this could be a pretty fun season.

Next up, let’s talk offensive line. Obviously, Kenny Cooper is still down with an injury, so Tech is having to adjust with that. The real surprise here is that redshirt-senior Andrew Marshall is listed as the second string to redshirt-freshman Zach Quinney. There were reports that Marshall suffered from an injury during camp, so that might have something to do with that. Regardless, it’s interesting nonetheless.

Now, it’s time for me to eat a little crow. When Scott and Brad Morgan first signed with the Jackets, I wrote an article about Scott, saying that I didn’t think he would start anytime soon at Tech. I viewed both the Morgan twins as solid reserve players, but not starters.

Well, not too long after I wrote that, I received a message on Twitter from Scott, saying that my article had inspired him. At that point, I challenged him and Brad both. I said that if either of them ever starts at Tech, I would happily eat crow in an article. So Scott, Brad, great job of proving me wrong and best of luck this season.

Defense

Oh boy!! I was pumped when I first saw this part of the depth chart, mostly in the secondary. Before I get to the secondary, though, I do want to touch on the linebackers. First thing you notice is that David Curry is starting over Bruce Jordan-Swilling, which means that Curry is finally healthy. The other thing you notice is that Quez Jackson — a true freshman — is serving as Brant Mitchell’s back-up. This is gonna be fun!

The secondary. In this two-deep, there is a single upperclassman that appears. It’s grad transfer Malik Rivera who is listed as the starter at FS. Note that I’m not including the Stinger position in the secondary since it’s more of a hybrid position. Outside of that, it’s all freshmen and sophomores starting and serving as back-ups. Y’all, I’m pumped. Also, get on board the Juanyeh Thomas HYPE TRAIN cuz it’s rolling!!

One noticeable absence from the secondary is Lamont Simmons. No word on him yet, so we’ll see what’s going on with that.

Special Teams

Outside of the returners, there isn’t much surprise here. It looks like Shawn Davis has the kicking job for now and Pressley Harvin III will be holding with Lucas Johnson out. For whatever reason, Brad Stewart is the back-up holder, but whatever.

More exciting, Juanyeh Thomas (GET ON THAT HYPE TRAIN) is slated to serve as the kick and punt returner. Thomas is easily the most talented return man we have had back there since Jamal Golden in my opinion, and has the opportunity to surpass him. Regardless, it’s gonna be fun!

Ed. Note: This previously stated that Zach Roberts was the starter at SS (short snapper, which is used for field goals). It has since been changed to reflect that Jack Coco is actually going to be starting there.

What are your thoughts on the depth chart? Biggest surprise?