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Georgia Tech Football: A.J Gray and Jake Stickler end college careers due to health issues

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 1: A member of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team holds his helmet up at the beginning of the fourth quarter during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field on November 1, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia Tech beat Florida State 31-28. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 1: A member of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team holds his helmet up at the beginning of the fourth quarter during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field on November 1, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia Tech beat Florida State 31-28. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /
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The news that A.J Gray and Jake Stickler will be ending their college football careers due to health issues is not the news, Georgia Tech football fans wanted to hear on Monday.

The Georgia Tech football team will be losing two key members, losing both a returning offensive and defensive starter. On Monday, head football coach Paul Johnson announced that senior defensive back A.J Gray and senior offensive lineman Jake Stickler have both decided to end their football careers after dealing with health issues.

According to a release by the Georgia Tech athletic department, Gray’s decision to end his playing career is due to a heart condition that would make it unsafe for the Sandersville, Georgia to continue playing. With Gray’s departure, the Yellow Jackets are losing one of their most experienced defensive members as Gray appeared in 33 games over his first three seasons on The Flats. Gray finishes his career with 147 total tackles and three interceptions.

The Jackets coaching staff will now be responsible for replacing one of the Jackets best secondary members of the last few seasons which won’t be an easy task.

Jake Stickler’s reason for hanging up the cleats was not made public and is left as ‘undisclosed’ at this time. Stickler last season started 10 of the Jackets’ 11-games. The ten games started last season game him 20 total career games. Last season, Stickler was solid on the right-side of the offensive line, helping make it the strongest side for the Jackets to run the ball on.

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The good news for the Jackets is with the loss of Stickler, they should be able to slide redshirt senior Andrew Marshall into his spot. Marshall missed all of last season with a foot injury and also sat out this spring. He should be ready to go by the time fall camp begins.