Special guest blog from Nick Claytor

A few days after three of my best friends and teammates announced that they are heading to the NFL reality has set in.

If you haven’t read or heard about this recruiting class here’s the scoop: We’re close.

So as a bevy of my teammates and I watched Derrick Morgan, Jonathan Dwyer, and Morgan Burnett declare for the draft emotions swirled in the room. These are our brothers; no one outside of the GT family can understand how proud we are of their accomplishments and how excited we are to watch them take their talents to the NFL.

Families and newscasters were present. During the press conference inside jokes and sly smiles were shared between teammates.

“We are all family,” Derrick Morgan said. “I’m not leaving them behind I’m just paving the way forward.”

This sentiment was true as this year’s team barreled its way to an ACC Championship and a BCS berth.

There has always been an emphasis on the ‘07 class and how important it is for us to be successful. We are only part of a way there.

As the first part of the class leaves the rest of us are beginning to become leaders. We have yet to win a bowl game. That has to change.

To answer any questions if there’s a lack of players left, we have strong talent on both sides of the ball and the classes under us are filled with solid players. We have a bonafide leader in Josh Nesbitt and you better believe he has what it takes for us to be successful.

So as our friends and brothers move onto their dreams we will remember them and stay in contact.

Gone are the days of loud locker room arguments over who had the best high school football team. Gone are the spontaneous freestyle rap sessions. But we know that these guys can’t stay away for too long. All the great ones always come back!

– Nick Claytor