In a year when the in state talent base is so deep that Mark Richt is maneuvering to sign his largest recruiting class in years, Georgia Tech is going a different route.
Georgia Tech’s 2013 recruiting class may turn out to be the smallest since Paul Johnson has been the coach at the ACC school.
The Yellow Jackets project to sign around 14-15 football recruits next February, according to Johnson.
What I can’t figure out is why there’s a numbers crunch at Tech in the first place. It’s not like Johnson’s been loading up on recruits. According to Carvell, Tech’s classes under Johnson run like this: 17 in 2012, 23 in 2011, 19 in 2010, 21 in 2009 and 20 in 2008. Do the math and you’ll find that’s an average of 20 per year. The NCAA allows 85 football players to be on scholarship at any given time, so the only way I can figure that Tech is squeezed now is if there’s been almost no attrition and a boatload of players from his first two classes redshirted. Otherwise it looks like Johnson has left scholarships on the table.
Is there a method to his madness? You tell me.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever get close to 25 signees like some of the other schools because we try not to over-sign. We try to hit our number.”
Two things from this: one, if you’re looking for the real reason the Johnson Doctrine has been crumbling of late, here you go. When you limit your numbers and you’ve got a kid who’s qualified and given a verbal commitment, drawing a line in the sand about taking visits to other schools gets harder and harder. And, two, if Georgia Tech follows a deliberate strategy of not offering the full amount of scholarships it has to make available, it’s an invitation for some other schools to come into this state to pick up the slack. Which it appears many are now doing with some success.
Of course, the other possibility is that Johnson truly believes that when it comes to the triple option, it really is more a matter of the Xs and Os than the Jimmies and Joes. Me, I think it’s just proof that Tech misses Giff Smith badly.
Get The Picture 
Yup, the Giffer was a force. Methinks he’ll ‘Be Back’ one o these days…
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The man is a genius I tell ya! Need an example? Recall when he called time out to ice Blair Walsh, who missed badly. Then after the time out called by CPJ drilled the field goal. Priceless.
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I guess if you can’t recruit, your expectations shouldn’t be too high.
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Multiple choice time …
A. The Johnson is lazy
B. The Johnson is a johnson
C. The Johnson has no charisma
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D. All of the above?
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Talked with a Tech friend last night and the topic turned to football. He’s completely demoralized. He is of the opinion that Tech’s going to be a 7 or 8 win program until they fire Paul Johnson. He says, without prodding from me, that Johnson’s high water marks were largely reached with Chan Gailey’s players, and he doesn’t see a lot of bright spots on the team.
I smiled.
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At least Paul Johnson routinely outcoaches Mark Richt, right? I guess the Techies can continue holding onto that myth when Johnson is fired after going 1-6 against Richt.
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Can’t get my Tech nephew to return my calls. We usually don’t talk football, but now methinks he is wary.
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Of course, we could’ve told Johnson three years ago that issuing ultimatums to Tech commits was like a McDonald’s manager telling a prospective employee, “You better not go interview for any jobs at General Electric or IBM or anything, ’cause you can FORGET about flipping any burgers at this establishment, you hear me??”
Nice to see the CPJ disillusionment settling in with the Tech fan base, though even I’m a little surprised to seeing it happen this soon. The way they reacted after that 2008 win, I figured it’d keep them full up on hubris for at least four more years.
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To crush your enemies — See them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!
… b’cept they don’t got no women.
Insult to injury.
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They’ve been Conanized! I didn’t know they were Catholic.
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Might as well be… the vow of celibacy would be a piece of cake.
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Does that mean they would have to give up their tickle piles?
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Johnson’s recruiting strategy is so genius, we can’t even figure it out.
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Paul uses a derivatives formula. All of his players have been derived.
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CPJ’s recruiting approach is an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in mystery – with a gooey caramel peanutty center. Just in tme for Easter.
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I usually drink green tea in the afternoons. It burns coming up thru your nose. Totally worth it tho…thanks.
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Do they have any scholarship restrictions because of NCAA penalties right now?
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