The close of the 2009 season was bittersweet for the Yellow Jackets. While they took home the ACC Championship, they were forced to deal with the departure of four key players: Jonathan Dwyer, the team’s leading rusher; Demaryius Thomas, the first receiver selected in the 2010 NFL Draft; Derrick Morgan, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year; and Morgan Burnett, arguably the best safety on the squad.
Regardless of these players leaving, Georgia Tech seemed to retain enough talent to earn a No. 16 ranking in the AP preseason top 25 and become a leading contender to win the ACC title this year.
Senior quarterback Joshua Nesbitt is the team’s biggest asset coming into the season. Last year, Nesbitt played almost every snap for an offense that averaged more than 422 yards from scrimmage and scored more than 33 points per game—both tops in the conference. He also proved himself a dual threat, rushing for 1,037 yards and 18 touchdowns in addition to his 1,701 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air.
And though he will have to deal with the loss of Dwyer and Thomas, Nesbitt’s new offensive arsenal will include a few talented athletes whose performance has been overshadowed in recent years. Topping this list includes running back Anthony Allen, a senior who spent his first two years of college at Louisville. Though Allen lacks the explosiveness of Dwyer, he did rush for more than 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Cardinals. Allen averaged an incredible 9.7 yards per carry last year for the Yellow Jackets.
In addition, look for sophomore receiver Stephen Hill to have an immediate impact for the Georgia Tech offense. With Thomas gone, Hill will likely be Nesbitt’s favorite target this season. At 6-foot-5, the sophomore will be a big target and has the speed and agility to be dangerous.
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