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Georgia Tech

Catching up with Tyler Marcordes

12:38 pm February 15, 2011, by Doug Roberson

It may one day be one of those stories of legend:

Kid shows up at Georgia Tech’s football offices, hoping to impress the coaches.

Coaches look at his smallish size (200 pounds) and his average film, are polite but it’s obvious to the kid that they aren’t interested.

Kid thinks, “I can be better.”

Kid begins working out.

Kid puts on 30 pounds and grows a couple of inches.

Kid shows up months later at Tech. Kid is now 6-4, 230 pounds with film that went from “Just Go With It” average to “The King’s Speech” excellent.

Tech offers him a scholarship. Kid takes it.

The kid is Tyler Marcordes, one of the Yellow Jackets’ 22 recent signees.

Like his father, Marcordes said he was a late bloomer. As a freshman, he was 5-9, 140 pounds. But once he bloomed he developed into an all-conference quarterback and safety at Normal Community West High School in Normal, Ill.

He is projected to play outside linebacker at Tech. To do so, he has been eating seven meals a day — “bunch of grilled chicken” — and training hard to add the necessary weight and strength. He’s putting in the work even though he said he’s fine if Tech decides to redshirt him.

The whole story is interesting.

Marcordes and his father were considering what colleges he should attend during his junior season. They appreciated Tech’s academic reputation, so they decided to visit Atlanta and the Institute. It was Tyler’s first time in the city. He loved the campus, calling it “a dream.”

Tech’s coaches showed them around, but it seemed obvious to Tyler that the recruiting process probably wasn’t going to go any further.

But he really liked the school and wasn’t ready to give up.

“I didn’t’ start working until after that,” he said. “I wanted to see where I could go with it.”

As he grew other schools began to show an interest. He committed to Illinois in November.

And then he, his dad and a friend flew to Atlanta because they were going to visit Furman, which was still recruiting him. His dad emailed Tech’s coaches to see if they should stop by on their way. Tyler called the Furman’s coaches to tell them he was coming to their game. The coaches told him that they had just been fired.

“We turned around and came back,” he said.

When they arrived at Tech the Jackets coaches were so impressed with the film from his senior season he said that they offered him on the spot. He committed in December.

He hopes to come down to watch a spring practice and he said he’s excited about playing for defensive coordinator Al Groh.

“In the Georgia Tech system, the outside linebacker in the 3-4 has a lot of responsibility and they make a lot of plays,” he said.

– Doug Roberson, AJC

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85 comments Add your comment

dawgfan

February 16th, 2011
12:49 pm

DawginLex hit the nail on the head @ 10:06. I always get a big kick out of Tech fans crying like little girls about what a big fat meanie I am. Well, act like scumbags and I will treat you like scumbags. Tech fans will make up whatever lie they need to in order to disparage UGA. Okay, not all Tech fans. Probably not even most Tech fans. But its enough Tech fans and they make enough noise where I feel its necessary to lay the smack down. All this thug talk is a flat out lie. Say what you want to about UGA fans, but we don’t make up lies about your players. I actually have absolutely nothing against your players whatsoever. Take a look in the mirror Techies. YOU are the problem. Filthy no good liars.

Thanks.

wolfman

February 16th, 2011
12:50 pm

Don’t you just love that kids with this kind of work ethic get a chance!

GTBob

February 16th, 2011
1:06 pm

That’s nice dawgfan. Thanks for dropping by with your daily nonsense.

wolfman, I agree. Getting a player that is a proven hard worker is good for him and great for our team. That kind of attitude and commitment will not only increase his chances of succeeding but will wear off on other players and can improve the attitude and morale of the whole team. I’m happy to be getting guys like this.

dadgumitpaw

February 16th, 2011
1:36 pm

dawgfan..

I don’t think you are a ‘big fat meanie’…I think you reacted angrily as a fan of your team when you read a stupid post by stinger, just as stinger likely reacted after yet another GT blog was going down the tubes due to uga fans trying to take over the blog with their own stupid posts. Clean old fashioned hate has evolved into this modern techo blog silliness.

dadgumitpaw

February 16th, 2011
1:38 pm

“techno”

Brock

February 16th, 2011
1:48 pm

dogfan woke up long enough from his stuper to call us scumbags and to put us in our place………on a tech blog none the less. you are the biggest loser.

Coach(sic) Markkk Rikkkkkkt

February 16th, 2011
1:55 pm

ugag won 6 lost 7 …just like Tech.

Coach(sic) Markkk Rikkkkkkt

February 16th, 2011
1:58 pm

Hey, dawgfart
you leg-humpers are the epitome of the word ’scumbag’

Coach(sic) Paul Johnson

February 16th, 2011
2:22 pm

Again,

Georgia Tech has lost 5 of their last 6 football games, only beating Duke.

Just a reminder.

Luke

February 16th, 2011
2:27 pm

Hey “Coach”.

Georgia Tech and Georgia both have lost 6 of their last 13 football games. Skewing the stats in not impressive and if you want to throw in stats, you’re right, Georgia Tech lost 5 out of their past 6. They were ever beaten by the other opponent.

Headley Lamar

February 16th, 2011
2:47 pm

ugag won 6 lost 7 …just like Tech.

We went 6-7 in the SEC. Thats almost the equivalent of being 11-2 in the ACC and being ACC champions.

Georgia Tech and Georgia both have lost 6 of their last 13 football games

In completely different conferences against drastically different competition.

BigTimeTECHFan

February 16th, 2011
3:10 pm

We went 6-7 in the SEC – You didn’t even play Alabama or LSU and lost to Florida when they were down.

The teams UGA lost to would be average in ACC:
Miss St: Tech killed 2 year in a row
South Carolina who played in SEC conf title got killed by FSU, who was runner up in ACC. Nobody in SEC beat Auburn, so it’s not like the whole conference was as good as them. Yet Clemson took them to overtime in Auburn, did better then any SEC team against them, and Clemson was just average ACC team.

Luke

February 16th, 2011
3:21 pm

Headley,

You went 0-3 against the SEC West, and managed to beat the three worst teams in the SEC East, two of which went to a bowl game yes, but lets be real, they had a combined record 6-18 against SEC teams (including UGA). So you saying that its completely different conferences against drastically different competition kind of validates my point. You cannot judge a team by wins and losses alone. Lets be real, UGA should have beaten Auburn and Colorado, but guess what…they didn’t.

So thanks for proving my point Headley.

Robert

February 16th, 2011
6:37 pm

John,
Kiss my donkey!

dawgfan

February 16th, 2011
7:48 pm

Its ashame UGA and Tech both went 6-7 in 2011. How will we ever know which was the better team? If only there were some objective criteria or test we could use to find out. Tech fans, can you maybe come up with something? You guys are obviously a lot smarter than us dumb hillbilly redneck UGA fans so its probably best that you take a crack at it instead of us. I’ve wracked my brain and can’t think of anything. Anytime I try to think of a solution I just start thinking about Thanksgiving for some strange reason. Weird huh?

Thanks.

Genius Jacket

February 16th, 2011
8:01 pm

We finally get a recruit I like. He’s a white boy who can pass math classes.

Paddy

February 17th, 2011
6:42 am

Genius Jacket……..not so fast there GJ! He may look white, but he is just passing. Both of his maternal grandparents are black and were math assit. professors at Whicita St. U.

Ramblin Man

February 17th, 2011
7:49 am

dawgfan,
Nobody disputes the fact that UGA beat GT last year, but fact is both went 6-7 and looked bad no matter what conference they play in. The fact that some UGA fans use the “but we play in the SEC” mantra all the time makes them look stupid. Since you spend more time on GT blogs than anybody I know I would think you might have caught on to the fact that many GT fans don’t dispute that UGA should win considering how they recruit compared to GT. The fact that you come on here daily and try and look all tough while pounding your chest about how good UGA is does give me a good laugh though, so I thank you for that.

Hal

February 17th, 2011
8:02 am

He sounds hungry to prove himself to me. Best of luck to him.

Tech Man

February 17th, 2011
10:34 am

Sounds like a Tech Man already. Well done by the coaching staff. The young man has a bright future…on and off the field.

gt4ever

February 17th, 2011
1:56 pm

John,

Eddie Lee Ivory was the same kind of player….. Hard worker, commited to making himself better…. This kid sounds a lot like that, a kid that doesn’t have quit in his vocabulary….. He may never be more than a special teams player, but the upside to this kind of kid is not projectable. He could end up in the NFL for 12 years….. Face it, we have to get these kind of kids, because we have NO recruiting coaches to get us any better!

gt4ever

February 17th, 2011
2:50 pm

TECH MAN.

This young man practically threw himself at our football program…… This coaching staff had little or nothing to do with this kid finally commiting…. The coaches are doing a horrible JOB recruiting….

Not Disappointed

February 17th, 2011
2:58 pm

glad to have you young man! Ramblin Wreck!

BIG BEE

February 17th, 2011
5:06 pm

Nice to read the blogs and notice who always starts the negative stuff. Here dawgie,dawgie, start another so we can have another laugh.

FSU ACC

February 17th, 2011
6:59 pm

awwww how cute cpj recruited Rudy. at least your hypocrite coach didn’t have to worry about this kid taking a visit anywhere else.

on the plus side Rudy was in Lord of the Rings and we all know techies loved that movie.

buzzo

February 17th, 2011
7:04 pm

you better watch your smart alec comments about Lord of the Rings you big meanie or I’ll cast a spell on you with my 18th power hexing wand.

FSU ACC

February 17th, 2011
7:06 pm

You have to love the gt fan base. 78 whole comments over a 2 day period. The SEC kicked you losers out and it’s only a matter of time before we do too.

Free Shoes University

February 17th, 2011
7:58 pm

Hmmm

gt4ever

February 17th, 2011
8:46 pm

No FSU ACC LOSER,

We left the SEC, and if my memory serves me right we beat you the last time we played…… So go POUND sand! Typical FSU fan, absolutely no football IQ…. Or any IQ for that matter….

bitter nesbitt

February 17th, 2011
9:53 pm

finally good news—i hope this kid does not have any hang ups====like killing 150 year old oak trees—-who would consider alabamma now???

so kids dont have a clue—-bammer land = neck ville

Tech Grads Need A Hand - Help Atlanta

February 18th, 2011
8:41 am

Hope Jackets can get it together on the field next year. Two Tech grads and a BC grad (ACC fellow) are running a PR campaign to try to keep the Thrashers in Atlanta. We know some of you could care less about hockey, but many Tech grads do like hockey – and the Club Hockey Team at Tech will indirectly be hurt if the Thrashers move to Canada. I was once the captain of Tech’s Club Hockey Team. How can you help? Please go the the page below and “like us” on face book and forward the link below to a few of your Tech buddies – any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated – we also love Tech and Tech sports – as we know you do:

http://www.keepthethrashers.com/fans.html

superDawg

February 18th, 2011
4:33 pm

stinger is a beeotch and after all the GEORGIA wins over tek I would keep my mouth shut.tek ain’t sheet and should not bring up anything that has to do with UGA.

Paul Hewiit

February 18th, 2011
8:38 pm

I poisoned the trees outside of Alexander Coliseum. I must of used too much poison though, as apparently I have killed the entire basketball program.

buzzman

February 18th, 2011
11:49 pm

Hey, Doug this blog has been here for 3 or 4 days. Do you ever come up with any news that may be current. Let me get this correct you are the Tech beat writer? Do you sleep all day long. Certainly there is something new going on at Ga. Tech? Get all this old junk off the journal web page.

GT Fan

February 19th, 2011
12:14 pm

Paul Hewiit
February 18th, 2011
8:38 pm

… now THAT is funny! Its a sad state of affairs when jokes like this will probably receive no comebacks, because EVERYONE knows its true ;-(

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