Archive for July, 2011

The eighth and final installment in a series of position group breakdowns of the 2011 Georgia Tech football team:

Georgia Tech will need more special-teams plays like this one, from Fred Holton in the Georgia game. JOHNNY CRAWFORD/jcrawford@ajc.com

Projected starters: K Justin Moore (So., 5-10, 160), P Sean Poole (So., 6-1, 161), LS Tyler Morgan (6-3, 205).

Others to watch: David Scully will be Moore’s main competition, likewise Chandler Anderson at punter. Both returner spots look wide open. At punt returner, Jemea Thomas, Roddy Jones and Tony Zenon are possibilities. Last season, B.J. Bostic was the primary kickoff returner, averaging 20.5 yards per return. Embry Peeples, Orwin Smith and Daniel McKayhan also had opportunities. Incoming freshmen Chris Milton and Broderick Snoddy may also get looks. Sean Tobin is an incoming freshman long snapper to whom coach Paul Johnson gave a scholarship.

Key losses: Scott Blair, who handled field goals for the past three seasons …

Continue reading Improvement imperative for Tech special teams »

The seventh in a series of position group breakdowns of the 2011 Georgia Tech football team:

Cornerback Rod Sweeting and safety Rashaad Reid are leading candidates to start. JOHNNY CRAWFORD/jcrawford@ajc.com

Projected starters: CBs Rod Sweeting (Jr., 6-0, 181), Louis Young (So., 6-1, 190), S Isaiah Johnson (So., 6-2, 195), Rashaad Reid (Sr., 5-10, 191)

Others to watch: S Fred Holton was effective on special teams as a true freshman last year and will make a run at a starting job. S/CB Jemea Thomas will be in the mix at both positions after a productive spring and may end up as the nickel. CB Michael Peterson mostly played special teams last season but has experience to his credit. CB Ryan Ayers will also get a look for a spot in the lineup. S Lance Richardson is another possibility. The incoming defensive backs are Jamal Golden and Domonique Noble.

Key losses: Georgia Tech lost all four starters in the secondary, CBs Mario Butler and Dominique Reese and S Mario …

Continue reading Tech secondary has talent, lacks experience »

My colleague Doug Roberson spoke with CineSport about Georgia Tech’s NCAA penalties.

Continue reading Video: What the Tech penalties mean »

Greetings-

For those of you pinning your hopes on a successful appeal by Georgia Tech to the NCAA of its sanctions, I’m going to tell you that it doesn’t look good. I hope  to develop this a little more for a story, but at the very least, the numbers are against president G.P. “Bud” Peterson and athletic director Dan Radakovich.

Since the NCAA changed its appeals process in 2008, the appeals committee has heard 13 cases and overturned just one of them. And that’s only the schools that decided to take a crack at an appeal. As of Monday, Tech had not made a decision on an appeal It has until July 28.

The NCAA considers four standards for overturning a decision.

• The ruling by the Committee on Infractions was clearly contrary to the evidence.
• The individual or school did not actually break NCAA rules.
• There was a procedural error that caused the Committee on Infractions to find a violation of NCAA rules.
• The penalty was excessive and is an abuse of …

Continue reading Georgia Tech’s appeal hopes appear dim »

Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich denied a report that Tennessee was interested in making him their next athletic director.

Volquest.com, a website devoted to Tennessee athletics, reported on Friday that the Volunteers were interested in hiring Radakovich as their athletic director until the NCAA report came out on Thursday in which the Yellow Jackets were stripped of their 2009 ACC championship in football, put on four years of probation and fined $100,000. In the report, the NCAA said that Tech tried to manipulate player interviews with investigators and that Radakovich had improper conversations with football coach Paul Johnson regarding an on-going investigation.

Radakovich’s name has been linked in the past to many openings, including the a.d. job at Miami.

“I don’t know where this comes from,” Radakovich said. “I’ve never spoken to Tennessee. I’ve got enough on my plate here. I wish them well with whatever they are looking to do.”

To eliminate any nuance, …

Continue reading Radakovich “entrenched” at Georgia Tech »

Many of you may have read Sean Bedford’s letter to the NCAA.

Bedford, an all-conference center at Tech the past two seasons, isn’t the only player who is using social media to express his frustration with the NCAA’s decision to strip the Yellow Jackets of the 2009 ACC championship.

Wide receiver Tyler Melton changed his Facebook profile photo to one of Tech’s players standing on the podium after the ACC championship game.

Former inside linebacker Brad Jefferson posted this: Just heard they so called, “took our acc championship away,” dats funny..lol! Take something away from gladiator(ha), YEA RIGHT! All they can say is that they tried…

Former kicker Scott Blair posted this: We beat Clemson twice in 2009. We only needed to beat them once to prove we were the best in the ACC anyway.

Former linebacker Kyle Jackson has asked all Tech players to change their profile photo to a picture of their ACC championship ring.

On Twitter:

Offensive lineman Phil Smith: They can’t strip me …

Continue reading Tech players using social media to slam the NCAA »

Former Georgia Tech quarterback Calvin Booker had a somewhat murky role in the NCAA’s investigation into Georgia Tech’s football program.

Booker, a drop-back quarterback whose skills didn’t really fit into Paul Johnson’s option scheme, was at the apartment of Demaryius Thomas’ cousin, Earl, when Thomas and Morgan Burnett arrived that October, 2009 night. Booker was friends with Earl’s roommate, Herbert Hilliard.

In Georgia Tech’s response to the NCAA on March 17, this description was included as one of the alleged violations:

In October 2008, Herbert “Hype” Hilliard, a friend of Calvin Booker, an employee of RFL Sports Inc. (RFL Sports), a sports agency based in Atlanta, provided then football student-athlete Demaryius Thomas several items of clothing valued at approximately $312. In addition, Hilliard provided then football student-athlete Morgan Burnett with similar items of clothing as Thomas at a similar value.

Thomas speculated that because he thought Booker was …

Continue reading Why was Calvin Booker banned by Tech? »

Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Brian Gregory said the NCAA’s decision to place minor limits on recruiting is simply another challenge that must be passed, joining no arena for the 2011-12 season and the loss of two key players.

“When you’re trying to build back the program, with a new culture and adding to that culture by bringing in the right type of player … it’s impaired a little bit,” he said. “We’re going to have work double-time. Fit 48 hours into a 24-hour day.”

The NCAA announced Thursday the following penalties on Thursday related to violations that occurred during predecessor Paul Hewitt’s time as coach:

• A reduction of two men’s basketball recruiting days during the 2011 summer evaluation period (self-imposed by the university).
• A limit of 10 official visits for men’s basketball for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
• Four years of probation (for the entire department).

Gregory, who was hired away from Dayton earlier this year, was told about the …

Continue reading Gregory says Tech and basketball will come out stronger »

Here are comments from Georgia Tech Dr. G.P. “Bud” Peterson, athletic director Dan Radakovich and football coach Paul Johnson from a 4:30 p.m. news conference.  The NCAA announced earlier in the day that the Yellow Jackets would have to forfeit its 2009 ACC title for minor violations and failing to fully cooperate with NCAA investigators looking into those violations. It would also receive:

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Four years of probation from July 14, 2011 through July 13, 2015.
• A reduction of two men’s basketball recruiting days during the 2011 summer evaluation period (self-imposed by the university).
• A limit of 10 official visits for men’s basketball for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
• A vacation of all contests won by the football team during the 2009 season after November 24. The ACC said Tech must return the trophy. No champion for the season will be named.

From Johnson:

On if he was surprised when he learned that Demaryius Thomas and …

Continue reading Comments from Johnson, Peterson and Radakovich »

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
PUBLIC INFRACTIONS REPORT
July 14, 2011
A. INTRODUCTION.
On Friday, April 15, 2011, officials from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and the former head men’s basketball coach, accompanied by his legal counsel, appeared before the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions to address allegations of NCAA violations in the football and men’s basketball programs. This case was very troubling to the committee in a number of respects. Because the committee finds violations of both the cooperative principal (Bylaws 19.01.3 and 32.1.4) and the conditions and obligations of membership (Bylaws 3.2.4.3 and 14.11.1), this case provides a cautionary tale of conduct that member institutions should avoid while under investigation for violations of NCAA rules. Rather than fulfill its requirements under NCAA bylaws, Georgia Tech failed to cooperate in an apparent effort to avoid potential allegations of rules violations, thereby eliminating the …

Continue reading Read the NCAA’s public report »