Washington heads into fall as Tech’s No. 1
Projected starter: Tevin Washington (Jr., 6-0, 205)
Others to watch: Synjyn Days redshirted last season and stayed No. 2 through behind Washington in spring practice. He often struggled with ball security, though he acquitted himself well in the spring game. Vad Lee is an anticipated incoming freshman who has fans atwitter with his passing ability. Demond Smith is another freshman who will get a look.
Key losses: Joshua Nesbitt was a three-year starter and the heart of Georgia Tech’s 2009 ACC championship team. Including the game in which he sustained a season-ending broken arm, the Yellow Jackets finished the season 1-4.
Key fact: Coach Paul Johnson has made it clear that Washington is the starter going into fall camp. It could change once practice begins, but Washington did enough last season and in spring practice to maintain a lead on Days.
Key fact II: Washington had two 100-yard rushing games in his four starts and averaged 105 yards in those games. Nesbitt didn’t get his second 100-yard rushing game until his 17th career start. They both averaged 4.4 yards per carry last season. This isn’t to suggest that Washington is Nesbitt’s equal, but that his play following Nesbitt’s loss had its merits.
Key question: How good can Washington be? He didn’t put a vise grip on the job following Nesbitt’s injury, and he didn’t help himself with a dismal performance in the spring game. As a result, fan sentiment has ridden high with the backup (Days) and the incoming freshman (Lee).
However, coaches were encouraged by Washington’s play overall in the spring, and it’s worth pointing out that Tech finished No. 1 in the nation in rushing with Washington running the offense for almost a third of the season. He lacks great arm strength, but if he makes progress in the passing game and ball security, he could be a surprise.
Key developments: Both Washington and Days have been working hard over the summer in strength and conditioning sessions, and Washington has taken a leadership role among teammates. Lee made a strong early impression in summer 7-on-7 passing drills.
Outlook: Questionable. It’s hard to get away from Washington’s 1-3 record as a starter, but it’s also not fair to pin it entirely on him given the way the Jackets offense was able to move the ball in those games. Losing Nesbitt last fall may have helped accelerate Tech’s spiral last fall, but the experience it gave Washington could prove beneficial come September. Having Days, who has shown playmaking flash but whose next college snap will be his first, as the No. 2 isn’t the ideal.
Your turn: What do you think?
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141 comments Add your comment
Born2Buzz
July 12th, 2011
4:49 pm
George Stein, I forgot about Mike Cox although I know they were brothers. Not sure which one RJ was referring to.
Ramblin Man
July 12th, 2011
4:52 pm
Hayes you would be wrong about ACC schools not seeing an option offense since high school so you argument starts off flawed. Now as far as defenses figuring out the offense I would like to see your stats to back that up. Now I will grant you that GT looked bad in several games, but that often had nothing to do with the opposing defense. The numerous dropped passes and bad pitches had little to do with the opposing D. These are just pass/rush stats with points scored and turnovers so several factors are not included here.
UNC pass 76, rush 372 with 32 points and 1 turnover
NC State pass 116, rush 247 28 points and 2 turnovers
Wake Forest pass 130, 209 rush 24 points and 2 turnovers
UVA pass 59, rush 477 33 points 2 turnovers
Clemson pass 83, rush 242 13 points 1 turnover
VT pass 80, rush 346 21 points 2 turnovers
UM pass 101, rush 308 10 points 2 turnovers
Duke pass 90, rush 320 30 points 2 turnovers
Imagine what GT could have done with some of those passes actually caught and some of those unforced fumbles, well unfumbled.
spider
July 12th, 2011
4:53 pm
Just be very careful before the trip to BYU in a couple of years. Make sure you all contact the NCA about who is in that replay booth with the replay official. Those so called Christians out there will cheat you.
kc
July 12th, 2011
5:09 pm
83alum-couldn’t have said it any bette. I totally agree with you.
kc
July 12th, 2011
5:09 pm
better. sorry.
FUCPJ
July 12th, 2011
5:50 pm
CPJ can’t recruit!!!! there for GT will never be the same unless he hires someone to run the offense!! Bring back O’Leary and Fridgen!!!!!!!!!
WnE is a Ugag fan
July 12th, 2011
6:02 pm
End of story.
gt4ever
July 12th, 2011
6:20 pm
Can you say DEEP DODO!
seriously wrecked
July 12th, 2011
6:31 pm
Nothing personnel against the kids but what other D 1 schools would Washington or Days be playing QB or even be considered a starter? Maybe Army?
threetrone
July 12th, 2011
7:03 pm
I don’t agree with #1 at all. He did poorly after Nez per ce got hurt. He’s short, and he does not throw well for a short QB like Tommy Suggs did for South Carolina in the early 70’s when I was at Tech. Suggs somehow saw over his OL while in the pocket, almost with X-ray vision, when they beat us in Atl. I don’t know about SlimJim, it’s been a long time since I saw a T-night game, which now is a day game. I believe Lee could be considered a hs phenom like Lebron James was, skipping college for the pros. Therefore Tech should start him immediately as #1 pro talent, and tell Washington and SlimJim to have a seat on the bench. I’d like to see Tech drop the vegas gold for old gold. Wearing vegas never occurred in the 70’s, when the SI director said in College Football Mag that Tech’s colors were white and old gold. I don’t want Tech to change colors to a light shade of gold since it’s hotter now than in the 70’s, and vegas gold is a desert shade of khaki gold. Old gold goes with the beautiful Fall color of leaves on campus and around Atl, and around the state and around the South with colder Fall temps than in recent times.
Luke
July 12th, 2011
7:13 pm
Actually threetrone,
Nesbitt was listed as 6-1/217 and Washington is listed as 6-1/205. The 12 pounds doesn’t make that big of a difference and I think the biggest visual difference was the fact that Nesbitt was built like a LB (huge upper-body), while Washington is built more like a standard RB (bigger legs and lower body).
The statement that he’s “too short” just isn’t true though.
Buzz Me
July 12th, 2011
7:13 pm
VAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD
LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Luke
July 12th, 2011
7:15 pm
Seriously wrecked,
Though Washington only received offers from Troy, Memphis, etc., Days received scholarships from NC State, Oklahoma State, Indiana, Louisville, and Kansas State.
ACC Forever & FSU Rules
July 12th, 2011
7:44 pm
Give it up techies. Face reality – FSU, VT, NC & possibly Miami or Clemson will be the contenders in the ACC. GT will be as always – near the bottom.
If you knuckleheads are counting on the Vad Lee passing machine you will be sorely disappointed. Lee’s passing success can be attributed to outstanding WR’s – very good pass blocking OL and the shotgun formation – three keys GT doesn’t have. FSU all the way.
Supersize that order, Mutt
July 12th, 2011
7:52 pm
ACC Forever, last time I checked, Tech had beat FSU two times in a row, NC almost all the time, and Miami and Clemson more times than not. Looks like VT is the only team regularly to offer Tech any real competition on a consistent basis now.
230gr Full Metal Jacket
July 12th, 2011
8:10 pm
Now come on Supersize, don’t go clouding things with facts. You know a Criminole fan is almost as delusional as a dawg fan!!!
ACC Forever & FSU Rules
July 12th, 2011
8:14 pm
@ Supersize I’m not concerned with the past – I am looking forward. FSU has out recruited GT by such a wide margin I fear many of those little service academy players CPJ sign’s would get hurt if we played you guys.
GT made a brief run with CG’s players. Hope you guys enjoyed that little run as it is not likely to happen again for decades. You guys can’t even beat UGA when they are way down.
Supersize that order, Mutt
July 12th, 2011
8:15 pm
230gr, they do come close, I guess, but there are still miles and miles of differences between the mutts and the criminoles. At least the criminoles do have a few national championships since 1990 to brag about. What have the mutts done in that time that matters to anybody outside the state of Georgia? Hell, even the Jackets have one NC in that time frame. The only thing the mutts have to brag about, as much as I hate to admit it, is beating Tech. But I guess we should be proud that they think so highly of beating us. Of course, that’s their only claim to fame.
thebull35
July 12th, 2011
8:15 pm
@ ACC Forever and FSU rules: correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t WAKE FORREST won a conference title more recently than Florida State? I’ll answer that, YES. So until FSU actually WINS something, please lets not crown them as being “back”
Supersize that order, Mutt
July 12th, 2011
8:20 pm
ACC Forever, EVERYBODY has ALWAYS “out recruited” Tech. THUGa ALWAYS does, and even though they have won 9 out of the past 10, that’s all they have done, and all but one of those games was close. I think the Jackets can hold their own against the “big boys.” I remember back in the 70s when USC came east with their BIG BOYS to play a much smaller Bama team. Bama beat the hell out of them with speed and quickness. Size and the number of stars by a recruits name doesn’t mean a thing; it’s what happens on the field of play. Remember “little” Joshua Nesbitt snatching the fumbled ball back from one of your big boys 2 years ago? That was a play for the ages.
5150 UOAD
July 12th, 2011
8:28 pm
What a JOKE.
I hope Washington heard me during the Spring game yelling for him to find a new JOB because he sucked in that game. Synjyn Days was a lot better and should be the starter by the first game.
seriously wrecked
July 12th, 2011
8:38 pm
Luke , just because they offered doesn’t mean they wanted him as a QB. Didn’t say he wouldn’t play just not at QB, perhaps if he had the proper coaching.
right
July 12th, 2011
8:41 pm
yes supersize, 6 top ten finishes 2 , SEC titles ,3 BCs bowl appeaances and 7-3 bowl record over the past 10 years , winning record vs. everyone in SEC except uf. and beating tech is the only thing UGA hangs it hat on. Beating tech is a gimme been happening for the better part of 5.5 decades.
thebull35
July 12th, 2011
8:43 pm
I’d like to take this moment to finally clear this “MYTH” that Josh Nesbitt was a passing QB prior CPJ getting a hold of him. For some reaon everybody thinks that Gailey was just a genious for finding great dual threat QB that could both throw it and run it. Well, the truth of the matter is that Josh was a terrible passer his freshman year and in fact, he actually got MORE accurate, (I know, I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it myself) under CPJ. He looked like this in high school because he played against small schools, (can’t remember if Greene County is 1A or 2A). Now I’m going to back this up with some stats that are going to scare you a little, and also keep in mind that Josh couldn’t even beat out Taylor Bennett, and we all saw how great of a QB Bennett was. Now I LOVED Josh Nesbitt as Tech’s QB, so I’m no undercover UGA fan trying to spew venom on this blog. In fact, I’m trying to end all of this talk that Gailey had this great eye for recruiting the QB position and CPJ doesn’t. So here you go, and let’s give our QBs a chance to grow and be judgemental a few years down the road
Year Team G Cmp Att Comp% Yds Yd/A TDs Int Sacked Yds
2007 GaTech 11 5 13 38.5 93 7.2 1 2 0 0
PS I think that we are in trouble if Washington starts more than 2 games for us this year
Supersize that order, Mutt
July 12th, 2011
8:44 pm
right, all those stats, ALL those big-time recruits, and still no NC in all that time…..well one in the past 55 years, but that’s it. And you still brag about beating Tech more than you do about beating anybody else. It must mean something to you. If it doesn’t, then why the hell are you on a Tech blog? I bet you don’t post on Auburn or Bama’s blogs, now do you?
Supersize that order, Mutt
July 12th, 2011
8:46 pm
thebull35, I agree with your last statement (about Washington), but let’s hope we are both wrong. I don’t care who the starting QB is, as long as he gets the job done. Maybe, HOPEFULLY, Washington will show some improvement and we’ll be happy with him, assuming nobody else emerges as the natural starter. I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.
ACC Forever & FSU Rules
July 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
For you GT history buff’s FSU has dominated the ACC – prepare to be dominated by FSU.
Prepare to crawl back into the cellar.
Not a Hewitt Fan
July 12th, 2011
10:01 pm
Im a die hard Tech fan, but I have to agree with WnE regarding our QB situation. Coach turkey neck will prob sit on the sidelines again with arms crossed shaking his neck fat and yelling to himself as the offense continually turns the ball over. Go Jackets!
Scatch
July 12th, 2011
10:43 pm
Tevin better perform better in fall or he won’t be the starter. If Lee has the skills, put him in. Enough with this save him for later crap. You never know what can happen and the field is wide open. Put the guy who will win the most games in.
Morris
July 12th, 2011
10:46 pm
Dominated in the 90’s fsu rules. Haven’t done much the past 10 years. You’re probably a retard uga fan. Btw, did you see this? Ranked #2 in the sec in recruiting the past 10 years and you have no nat champ appearance and just two conf champ games, just like Gt with a far less acc ranking.
And you talk so mighty about beating us. You SHOULD beat is 90% of the time fool. But you don’t.
http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1239389
Paul in RDU
July 13th, 2011
12:53 am
ACC Forever & FSU Rules
July 12th, 2011
8:14 pm
@ Supersize I’m not concerned with the past – I am looking forward
ACC Forever & FSU Rules
July 12th, 2011
9:34 pm
For you GT history buff’s FSU has dominated the ACC – prepare to be dominated by FSU.
—————-
Looks like ACC Forever & ACC Rules has some serious cognitive dissonance, In one post he claims that the most recent 2 games between GT and FSU don’t count (both GT wins) because the future is what is important. Then in his very next post he brags on FSU and says that FSU used to dominate the ACC.
Irony is obviously lost on this guy.
Supersize that order, Mutt
July 13th, 2011
1:16 am
Paul, he’s like the THUGa fans. You really shouldn’t confuse them with facts. Plus, I doubt he has a clue what irony means anyway….LOL
OldSchoolTechFanatic
July 13th, 2011
8:18 am
Washington deserves to be opening day QB, but after that it should be fair game.
ACC Forever & FSU Rules
July 13th, 2011
8:45 am
Paul I was responding to the post regarding past and future winners. I had no intention of looking back until someone brought it up.
Irony – that’s what we used to do to our shirts.
JM
July 13th, 2011
9:51 am
I hope to see some really good competition in August. May the best QB win. I think it’ll be the player with the best knowledge of the playbook and the player with the best ball control.
Vad Lee b sayin
July 13th, 2011
10:33 am
i not end the top 50 qbs eye b recutted two b a atleet. glade gt toook me what is da treeple opshun?
Supersize that order, Mutt
July 13th, 2011
10:58 am
Somebody here is definitely racist.
Vad Lee b sayin
July 13th, 2011
12:22 pm
Say what?
WnE
July 13th, 2011
1:19 pm
For those that think that Days is some sort of “savior at QB”, the truth is , is that ONLY GT and TOLEDO wanted Days as a QB, those other big schools like Okie St, NC State, etc. wanted Days as a SAFETY.
For brief history lesson once upon a time ONLY GT wanted Reggie Ball at QB, while other D1-A Schools wanted Ball as a DB or WR and we see how that turned out.
Not one BCS-level School wanted either Washington or Days at QB other than GT, yet we’re NOT supposed to “blame” the Genius HC that cannot seem to find Recruits to play QB in his system.
For those that think that Vad Lee is some sort of savior, schools like VANDY and MINNESOTA were willing to give him a shot at QB while most other BCS Schools wanted him as a WR, all those other HCs that see our QBs as something other than QBs at the BCS-Level are not all wrong and they’re not all idiots either.
In summary Coach Fish Fry isn’t smarter than ALL of them, which is why our QB depth is so shaky at the start of CPJ’s 4th yr. at GT.
Not one “decent” successor to Josh has been groomed by Coach Kung Fu Panda since Dec. 2007 when he took the GT Job.
It is easy to argue with Ol’ Wrecks, it is MUCH HARDER to argue with facts!
Improvement expected from experienced defensive line | Georgia Tech
July 13th, 2011
6:25 pm
[...] July 11 – Quarterbacks [...]
thebull35
July 14th, 2011
8:59 am
WnE, give it a rest. We haven’t had a PASSING Qb since Godsey. Lee is our best shot. Are you disappointed that CPJ shot down your passes at him? Is that why you are so venomous on this blog? Right now you are starting to sound like a nagging girlfriend. Just talking for the sake of talking. I’d rather listen to my girlfriend nag than read all the crap that you post. Give it a rest dude