Georgia Tech Football: Paul Johnson enters 2018 on hot seat
A fresh start
Georgia Tech’s defense was streaky in 2017, mixing shutdown performances (in an upset win against Virginia Tech, the Jackets held the Hokies to just 258 yards of offense and a measly 4.2 yards per play) with disasters (against UGA, the defense was gashed for 471 yards and 7.9 yards per play). With bowl eligibility on the line in the last two games of the season, the bottom fell out – Tech gave up an average of 40.5 points and 485.5 yards and lost both games handily.
Now defensive coordinator Ted Roof is off to NC State, a move that fans of the Ramblin’ Wreck were probably not too torn up about. As a result, the Jackets get to start fresh on defense; they’ve brought in former Appalachian State defensive coordinator Nate Woody to run the unit.
Woody promises to institute an attacking 3-4 with an emphasis on building depth so as to rotate players in the front seven frequently. If nothing else, it’s a welcome change from Roof’s bend-but-don’t-break defenses that were often accused of being passive and didn’t do enough behind the line of scrimmage in 2017.
Do the Jackets have the pieces to run Woody’s scheme? It depends on how you look at it.
A few senior leaders, and a whole lot of unknowns
On one hand, Tech’s starting lineup is littered with experienced seniors. Anree Saint-Amour is the Jackets’ returning leader in sacks and tackles for loss, and he’ll likely be joined on the defensive line by fellow upperclassmen Desmon Branch and Brentavious Glanton. Seniors Victor Alexander and Brant Mitchell combined for 111 tackles in 2017 and return to anchor the linebacker corps, and safety A.J. Gray will be the keystone of a young secondary after leading the team in interceptions last season.
The issue? Apart from them, there’s very little experience returning. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as there are plenty of talented players who could step up and thrive in Woody’s new scheme, but giving this unit the benefit of the doubt feels a bit like putting the cart before the horse. The secondary, in particular, is concerning – the Jackets let opponents throw for 17 touchdowns last season and only recorded six interceptions, and Gray is the only returner of note.
Do a bit of mental gymnastics and you can imagine this being an improved bunch. Woody’s attacking 3-4 could create more havoc and turnovers than Roof’s defenses did, and some of the highly-touted underclassmen could step up to fill the holes in the lineup (keep an eye on sophomore outside linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling, who could thrive as an edge rusher this season). But Tech fans will be stuck in wait-and-see mode until then.