Tech looking for answers at wide receiver
Greetings-
In the final few weeks of the offseason, we’re taking a look, position group by position group, at the 2011 Georgia Tech team. Coming off of a 6-7 season, Tech’s first losing season since 1996, the Jackets have questions to answer along with hope for an improvement on both sides of the ball. Let’s take a look at the roster…
Projected starters: Stephen Hill (Jr., 6-5, 206), Tyler Melton (Sr., 6-0, 206)
Others to watch: Jeremy Moore is coming back from a season-ending knee injury sustained last summer. Daniel McKayhan is the only receiver on the roster besides Hill and Melton who has caught a pass at Tech, and he has three. Incoming freshman Corey Dennis is one of three who’ll get a good look in fall camp.
Key losses: Starter Kevin Cone and backup Correy Earls had a combined 15 catches last season, two for touchdowns.
Key fact: N.C. State, which led the ACC in completions last season, had seven players with more catches than Hill, who had a team-best 15.
Key fact II: Despite ranking last in passing offense in the ACC, Georgia Tech led the league in yards per completion at 17.0.
Key question: Who’s going to assert himself? The group did not distinguish itself last season except by its considerable number of costly drops. Hill, who has shown glimpses of his potential in his first two seasons, will need to provide some sort of stabilizing and playmaking force on the perimeter. By whatever measurement, the receivers can and should be better.
Recent developments: Chris Jackson, whom coach Paul Johnson dismissed from the team last fall, asked to return in the spring. Assuming he meets a number of conditions, Jackson, who has yet to play since transferring from Alabama in 2009, will be reinstated and could make a strong bid for playing time. It would not be at all surprising if Dennis or fellow incoming freshmen Jeff Greene and Darren Waller get into the two-deep.
Outlook: Poor. It’s probably the weakest position group on the team. The receivers have been putting in hard work over the summer, Hill in particular, and they need to do so. The chances of finding a Demaryius Thomas clone are not good, but this group has to improve from last season.
Your turn: Can the receivers make an impact this season?
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157 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
July 8th, 2011
5:42 pm
Holy moly! Heather Denich has an interview with Omoregie Uzzi today. Boy, he’s giving the props for the defense.
notice how all the ugag blogs
July 8th, 2011
5:57 pm
have had their comments closed? even schultz declined to even have an open comment section yet he allowed those dawgs to trash the buckeyes and jackets unabated!
talk about a thin skin. they sure can dish it out but they cant take it.
but hey the is why their perennial dreams teams are also rans.
look for the dawgs to once again point to the gt game as a season saving game. tooooooo funny.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 8th, 2011
6:09 pm
That just proves once again that the AJC is nothing but a THUGa rag.
old dog needs to go back to
July 8th, 2011
6:19 pm
what he does best…. licking nads.
just win baby
July 8th, 2011
7:45 pm
Cool breze. I already told you why, CPJ likes the bait and switch game. Make them overplay the run and then BANG hit’em over the top. The reason we sucked last year is bec we couldn’t do the latter, in large part do to the butterfingers out wide. The run gets easy to stop then and all you can do is punt. And watch your D get rolled. Last year’s problem. But if you have a bonafide pass catcher ala BayBay, then your O is unstoppable and it doesn’t matter how sucky your D is. Brings back memoriesn huh.
Born2Buzz
July 8th, 2011
8:05 pm
Everybody bashing Hill may be in for a surprise this year. He has been working very hard in the offseason to improve. At least that is my hope.
As others have said, our O will not be a problem. The key to the season is how well the D plays.
Sorry to switch subjects but did anyone see that the USA U-19 BBall team coach by none other than the great (according to Hewitt Fan) Paul Hewitt just lost to the Russians and will finish no better than 5th in the World Championships. Not surprising to anyone that watched GT Bball the last 6 years, the USA team couldn’t defend the perimeter and the offense was stagnant and devolved into iso plays. Ha! George Mason is going to be sooo sorry.
GT Fan...
July 8th, 2011
8:33 pm
Hey, ya’ll quick pickin on “Vorhees” or else he’ll put on his hockey mask, get his machettee and chop us all to peices!
Nice “handle” dork! And you call GT fans nerds….
wes
July 8th, 2011
9:49 pm
Paul Johnson is still building this program…figuratively and literally: See our new indoor practice facility (which blows UGA’s out the water, btw). Also, it is year 4 for CPJ. It is now year 11 for CMR. When UGA gets rid of him and have to start rebuilding themselves, Georgia Tech will have the upper hand.
I appreciate some of the DAWG posts earlier in the thread. I thought they were spot on. You hardly ever see that on these stupid ajc blogs.
wolfman
July 8th, 2011
10:12 pm
Look at the bright side… It can’t be any worse than last year!
sports
July 9th, 2011
12:08 am
This bunch is looking for answers everywhere!
macrotech
July 9th, 2011
12:54 am
RJ Voorhees, tomorrow isn’t even a “fact”, yet…HOW is it a “fact” that Tech won’t win?! You MIGHT want to get the kleenex out and wipe off your crystal ball…seems to be smudged by that loss to UCF in the Liberty Bowl! If you have the receipt, Walmart will take that crystal ball back…THAT’S a fact!!!
Smoove Criminal
July 9th, 2011
1:30 am
@wolfman
It could be, Hill could lead the team with 10 catches and even more drops. But that would be going to extreme and I don’t see that happening.
The only way the outlook could be poor this year is if Tevin Washington is the starting QB at any point in the season. Weak, weak arm that didn’t get the ball anywhere near a receiver alot of the time and when it was, the ball was contested if not picked off it seems like. The WR corps has nowhere to go but up especially if Washington isn’t behind center this year.
Buzz Me
July 9th, 2011
4:44 am
Hill cant catch a cold and we cant throw the ball so what does it matter?
Paddy
July 9th, 2011
6:34 am
I believe GT’s passing game will be better if Washington is not the QB. Someone better than Nesbitt and Washington must present a legit threat. If they do, then more than 8 wins every year is always possible. Defense will not be am excuse this season. It will be much improved.
Seriously?
July 9th, 2011
8:20 am
Tech uses wide receivers? As my dad used to say, being a wide receiver at GT is as useful as teats on telephone pole.
Coach
July 9th, 2011
9:03 am
Mountain Jim, saying that Nesbitt “could not last a season” is misleading. Recall that he broke his arm attempting to make a tackle after his interception. Can’t wait to kick it off!
RedandBlackDAWG
July 9th, 2011
10:11 am
I think Techs. passing game would be better if it were incorporated into each game plan, not as just a stop gate or change of pace thing, but part of actually moving the ball downfield. It would make defenses have to prepare for it, and not just key on the running play so much. I think it would also help their recruiting efforts as well. More two dimensional means more problems for the opposing team.
rex
July 9th, 2011
11:11 am
Wes, How do explain almost 5 and a half DECADES of Georgia dominance?
Old Blind Dawg
July 9th, 2011
12:17 pm
For what it’s worth Schultz closed the thread because GT fans were adding nothing to the discussion – they were attacking and spewing their drivel. Sad when your program sucks so bad you have to attack young men in order to feel better about yourself and your pathetic program.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 9th, 2011
12:44 pm
Blind, and what the hell do you think that most of the mutt fans who post on the Tech blogs do? There are some mutts who post intelligent posts here that are interesting and sometimes even worthwhile to read. But the vast majority of the mutts who post on here do nothing (ABSOLUTELY NOTHING) but trash and bash Tech, its coaches, its athletes, its students in general, and its fans. And YOU, BUBBA, are one of the worst. And yet nobody ever closes the threads here or bans any of you redneck losers. You mutts are spoiled and pampered bullies.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 9th, 2011
12:46 pm
Blind, you definitely never add anything to the discussion here, so why don’t you take your seeing-eye dog and get the hell out of here.
George Stein
July 9th, 2011
1:09 pm
Eh, I’m not sure OBD is spoiled or pampered, Supersize. He’s just an idiot who loves to hide behind his keyboard.
To the extent that Tech fans were writing inappropriate things on Schultz’s blog, they should be banned. I always welcome UGA (DawginLex and Dawglasville come to mind) fans who have something constructive to add – even if it’s critical – and I think a lot of them wouldn’t mind having a football discussion with Tech fans. The challenge is when it devolves into a nerd/redneck debate between a bunch of idiots.
RedandBlackDAWG
July 9th, 2011
1:21 pm
Does anybody know if there is any film you can watch on this big kid tech. has at wide receiver. Just want to see if he utilizes that heigth and if so, he might be a good one.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 9th, 2011
1:25 pm
George, I don’t want to get into a political debate here, but OBD and the others like him, remind me of the far-left liberal fanatics in this country who think it’s criminal and unconstitutional and whatever other terms they can come up with for conservatives, and especially religious conservatives, to speak their mind (they call it hate speech), but they can say and do anything they damn well want to say about anybody and everybody. I am not, and have never been a Glenn Beck fan, but what happened to him and his family at that concert in NY seems to me typical of the way the far left operates. And it’s just the way some of these mutts operate: they can say anything they want, but the AJC will close the thread if too many Tech fans say the “wrong” things. What’s good for the goose should be good for the gander, be it political speech or Tech – Georgia speech
Supersize that order, mutt
July 9th, 2011
1:26 pm
RedandBlack, what kid is that? Have you tried Googling his name? There might be something online about him somewhere.
Sportsrealist
July 9th, 2011
1:33 pm
Tech is looking for answers at receiver because they have no talent there. Why would a receiver want to go to Tech when they are consistently 114th to 119th in the county in passing yards. Seems like a logical answer to me. Then again, this is Tech and they aren’t to strong in the logic area. Math YES- logic NO!!!
RedandBlackDAWG
July 9th, 2011
1:35 pm
Supersize,
Stephan Hill. I know I have heard his name mentioned before and I will go see if I can find anything for him by a search. I think I remember him as being real sure handed but his coaches wanted a few more pounds on him, but I am not sure.
Old Blind Dawg
July 9th, 2011
1:45 pm
Good grief………………
Supersize that order, mutt
July 9th, 2011
1:54 pm
RedandBlack, Stephen Hill is a sophomore, but to date he has certainly not appeared to be sure-handed. He dropped more passes than he caught last year, and I mean he DROPPED them; it wasn’t a question of the QB not getting him the ball. He was a MAJOR disappointment last year. We can only hope he has developed into what he appeared to be coming out of HS.
Supersize that order, mutt
July 9th, 2011
2:00 pm
Actually, he may be a junior. The years all run together. lol
rex
July 9th, 2011
2:13 pm
It’s comic watching the PJs offense try and “throw” the ball. Qbs that can’t pass, receivers that run poor routes , can’t catch and offensive linemen that can’t pass block are the signs of poor coaching. For good measure throw in a porous defense and pathetic special teams and we equate it with genius.
RedandBlackDAWG
July 9th, 2011
2:31 pm
he might improve supersize. Sometimes these guys take a couple of years to develope at this level. I do believe he could benefit from a few extra pounds though, if that is his listed weight this year. Those secondary boys can see a target stretched out like that from a mile away. He has got a lot of exposed area when he stretches for a ball, and those ribs can be sore in a hurry, LOL. Might be also, that he is worried before the ball gets there, and he has already taken some of those shoulder pad to bone jarring hits. Maybe, it has gotten into his head.
gt4ever
July 9th, 2011
4:06 pm
Yeah, I love it… Our offense is on autopilot! It just can’t beat anybody good! Hey, it didn’t even beat a BAD uga team for the last two years… I hope some of these grape juice drinkers are right, but I think we are in DEEP dodo…. Win or Lose, always better to be a GT man!
BankerDawg
July 9th, 2011
6:27 pm
Question gt4ever…what was it about your offense specifically that caused you to lose to “good” teams last year?
Are you sure it wasn’t just god awful untimely turnovers and a horrific to poor defense? Or was it really CPJ’s offense? Be honest.
I get it, when I analyze the Dawgs, I always end up being over pessimistic about everything because I am too emotionally tied to it, so it’s nice to get an outsider’s opinion on things. In my opinion, Tech’s offense absolutely is on autopilot and will only get better. Just my opinion…you are certainly welcome to yours.
The only grape juice I like is either called Cabernet or Pinot…and occasionally maybe a Shiraz.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS!!
TECHREDNECK
July 9th, 2011
7:06 pm
You never know what to expect from CPJ. He does things his way and could not care less what fans say. On the other hand CMR is fan scared. Some fan suggested he run on the feild with the team and he says “thats a good idea”. He’s a nice guy but nice guys finish LAST.
just win baby
July 9th, 2011
7:49 pm
@ sportsrealist and Rex
Understandable to doubt Tech’s passing ability, especially based on last year. While the offense is run-based what you apparently fail to realize is that if you add in a semblance of a good pass catcher, well that happens to be the key to our championship potential. 2009 is the proof. Nesbitt, not a prolific passer by any stretch, but given a good receiver like BayBay and the offense is unstoppable. Somehow he dropped the ball against the dawgs and you won a game you probably shouldn’t have (I know our porous D had something to do with it, usually the O makes up for it).
So ridicule our desire for a passing game all you want. A smidge of an air game is all we need.
Really
July 9th, 2011
8:02 pm
Funny a someone from Tech saying “nice guys finish last” about a coach that owns them, has finished in the to 10 6 times in 10 years while tech last venture into a final poll was 1998, and only 3 time since 1967.
TECHREDNECK
July 9th, 2011
9:00 pm
O.K. “Really” 2nd from last. If Tech is as bad as you JAWJA people say and you OWN them, you don’t OWN much do you?
GTRules
July 9th, 2011
9:24 pm
Steven Hill wil be at least 15 lbs heavier this year.
Really
July 9th, 2011
9:42 pm
Sorry Techredneck but Richt leads everyone we play on a regular basis other than florida. And you’re absolutely correct , no one hangs their hat on beating Tech.
Really
July 9th, 2011
9:44 pm
By the way the 6 top 10 finishes in 10 years ties him with LSU for the most in the SEC. Will Pj ever win a bowl game?
Really
July 9th, 2011
9:45 pm
But you can talk trash with Duke.
Wreckmaniac
July 9th, 2011
10:14 pm
Mountain Jim: Your point is totally correct. Nesbitt is the toughest guy I have ever seen play football. You must have three QBs ready to go at any moment with the beating they get in the Johnson offense.
As far as Hill, I not sure he should really even make the team. He needs to start the year as the 3rd WR at best. He is not the answer.
Saban
July 9th, 2011
10:30 pm
Tech football is a joke! Try Alabama football ..you silly pencil pushers!
Coach Grohbo
July 9th, 2011
11:05 pm
Find some ends who can block this year and we will be better.
superDawg
July 10th, 2011
6:39 am
run this UGA does own your beehinds and if not for UGA you would not even be on this blog.
superDawg
July 10th, 2011
6:41 am
you would be the NATS.
Gorilla Biscuit
July 10th, 2011
9:19 am
9-1. ’nuff said.
Doc
July 10th, 2011
10:49 am
Daniel McKayhan should be a starter
killerj
July 10th, 2011
12:29 pm
Coach Johnson Will Work It Out………………….Roll Wreck…THWG!