By Kevin Thomas
SouthernPigskin.com

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How far the Yellow Jackets go will ultimately lie with how quickly some super-sophomores take the next leap.

A year ago at the ACC Kickoff, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were picked to win the ACC Coastal Division. It certainly didnt turn out that way.T he team that always surpassed expectations met very few of them in a forgettable 3-9 season. Paul Johnsons squad went from the highest of highs, Orange Bowl Champions in 2014, to the lowest of lows, one conference win in 2015 and a missed spot in the postseason for the first time in nearly two decades. Health and a roster full of experienced young players, however, has led to optimism this preseason.

A slew of injuries a year ago forced the Yellow Jackets to play many players earlier than expected.

x9cI looked on the field last year at Miami, the score was 7-7. We were in the start of the second quarter. We had the ball on their 4-yard line. I have nine freshmen playing offense. When that happens, it’s tough to be successful in our league, on this level in general,” Georgia Tech’s head coach noted.

Moving forward, Johnson knows last season’s growing pains could be this fall’s payoff.

x9cWe’re still going to be young in the skill positions. But fortunately, those guys all played a year ago, so it’s not going to be like they’re totally starting brand-new,x9d he added.

One such player is sophomore B-back Marcus Marshall, who ran for 659 yards as a freshman. Marshall was pressed in to duty with injuries to C.J. Leggett, Patrick Skov and Quaide Wiemerskirch. Despite a quick call to duty, he averaged 7.6 yards per carry in his debut year, an impressive average normally reserved for the speedy A-backs in the Yellow Jacket offense.

Quarterback Justin Thomas is expecting even more after a season of experience from his starting B-back.

x9cHe’s elusive, he can make anybody, I think, miss, outrun anybody in the league,x9c quipped the Georgia Tech signal caller, x9cI think this year he’ll have a lot more experience, when to hit the hole, where to hit the hole. I think he’ll be a lot better.x9d

Defensively, the Yellow Jackets are expecting big things from youngsters as well. Sophomores A.J. Gray and Brandt Mitchell will be called on to fill big roles in the back seven. Mitchell, who logged ten games at linebacker, showed good instincts at the position as a true freshman. Pairing him alongside senior P.J. Davis should allow for a big step forward. Expect Mitchell to be challenged early on as the linebacker core lacks the depth of other positions on the field.

Gray was likewise pressed into action due to injury in the Yellow Jackets’ secondary. A highly-recruited freshman, Gray saw action in ten games a season ago and received high-praise from his head coach at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte.

x9cA.J. Gray probably had as good a spring as anybody on our football team.x9d Johnson stated. “He was surviving last year on pure athleticism out there because he wasn’t sure what he was doing as a true freshman playing safety. I think he’s got the opportunity to be one of the all-time great players at Georgia Tech. If he can build off his spring, he had a tremendous spring, I think you’ll be excited to watch him play this fall.x9d

Johnson’s comments are high praise from a coach who doesn’t always hand out bouquets of it. Grays ability to emerge as a leader in the defensive backfield could solve many problems for the Yellow Jackets, as he is stout against the run, but quick enough to hold up in pass coverage.

Georgia Tech is looking for a bounce-back year with a healthy offensive line, a senior quarterback in Thomas and a deep defensive line. That said, how far the Yellow Jackets go will ultimately lie with how quickly some super-sophomores take the next leap. Marshall, Gray and Mitchell will be reasons Georgia Tech returns to its traditional standing, or reasons some questions remain.