ACC Football: Biggest offseason question for every team
By John Buhler
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: How does Matthew Jordan’s injury in spring ball impact the Ramblin’ Wreck’s 2017 campaign?
The Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech got back to their winning ways in 2016 after a disastrous dumpster fire of a 2015 season. Georgia Tech went 9-4 (4-4) last fall with big wins over Virginia Tech and Georgia. The ACC Coastal team has its ups and downs under head coach Paul Johnson, but should be a bowl caliber team annually.
While Georgia Tech returns the best part of the vaunted triple-option attack in running back Dedrick Mills, the Yellow Jackets will have to replace three-year starting quarterback Justin Thomas, who was so crucial in running the Georgia Tech offense.
The guy that has won the starting job after Thomas’ graduation is junior Matthew Jordan. However, he had suffered a foot injury earlier this month that will keep him out of Georgia Tech’s annual spring game. Johnson recognized that this is unfortunate for his team, but does like his depth at the quarterback position heading into fall camp.
Could Jordan be pushed by signal callers like TaQuon Marshall, Jay Jones or Lucas Johnson? Possibly, but it would take a tremendous spring game for any of them to unseat Jordan as Thomas’ heir apparent at the quarterback position.
Jordan played in nine games for Georgia Tech last fall, but mostly in goal-line, run-based packages. Georgia Tech’s offense isn’t predicated on an aerial assault, but Thomas’ ability to let it rip occasionally was to the boon of the Yellow Jackets. These passing reps lost by Jordan before his first year as a starter could be problematic in his first year under center for the Ramblin’ Wreck.