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Georgia Tech Football 2017 Position Previews: Previewing the Jackets stable of A-Backs

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 29: Clinton Lynch
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 29: Clinton Lynch /
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In the second position preview for 2017, it’s a time to take a look at the Jackets three-man stable at A-Back.

Obviously, the A-Backs aren’t the focus of the Georgia Tech offense but we’ll start off with the group. The 2017 group of A-Backs will be headlined by Clinton Lynch and Qua Searcy while J.J Green will also see serviceable time this upcoming season.

Clinton Lynch:

Lynch arguably the veteran of the group returns to The Flats in 2017 for his redshirt junior season. The Norcross, Georgia native enters the season around 6-foot-0 and 190-pounds. Last season, Lynch proved himself to be a viable option for the Yellow Jackets in both the passing game and rushing attack. On the ground, Lynch picked up 415 rushing yards on 37-carries, an outstanding average of 11.2 yards per carry. He was also one of Justin Thomas’s most reliable targets as he brought in 16 total receptions for 490-yards. That’s an average of 30.6 yards per catch.

With a first-year starting quarterback in 2017, Lynch will most likely be a big target once again for any Tech quarterback. Lynch should be in for another stellar season in 2017 and could make one of the best running back tandems in the ACC if not country between himself and Maxwell Award candidate Dedrick Mills. When Mills needs a breather, the Jackets have a quality second option in the backfield.

  Qua Searcy:

Another redshirt junior, Searcy will bring experience to a strong backfield for the Yellow Jackets in 2017. Last season, Searcy played in all 13 games for the Jackets and rushed for 273 yards while bringing down 183 receiving yards.

Searcy averaged 5.9 yards on the ground last season and 18.3 through the air while combining for two-touchdowns. Of course his biggest impact and touchdown last season was his game-winning touchdown against Georgia that helped put the Yellow Jackets up 28-27 as the fourth quarter neared it’s end.

This upcoming season Searcy could make a bigger impact and split more time with Lynch. His numbers should see a bit of an increase and wouldn’t be shocking if he had the third highest total yardage out of all the running backs.

J.J. Green:

 A redshirt senior in 2017, Green has not had a huge impact in terms of stats yet through his first three seasons. Last season, Green appeared in 11 games for the Jackets but had just 25 rushing attempts and three receptions. He’s not going to put up any huge numbers in 2017 but he will provide the Jackets with a safe option to carry the ball when needed. He’s not going to make it look special but he’ll get the job done when needed.

Overall:

Overall, the Jackets stable of A-Backs in 2017 will serve a good compliment to Dedrick Mills in the B-Back position. They’re not going to put up the big numbers but all three options at A-Back will provide the Jackets with their own unique game and strong suits. As we saw last year, they’re not going to make the biggest impact every game but when they do, it could be pretty huge.

 Position Previews:

  •  Quarterback
  • A-Back
  • B-Back (7/20)
  • Offensive Line (7/22)
  • Wide Receiver (7/24)
  • Defensive Line (7/26)
  • Linebacker (7/28)
  • Secondary (7/30) 
  • Special Teams (8/1)