Georgia Tech Football Recruiting Commitment Breakdown: Tony Amerson a near perfect fit for the Jackets

Tony Amerson became Georgia Tech football’s fifth commitment in the class of 2019 and is a near perfect fit for the Yellow Jackets.

Post by both Lee Cagle and Dylan Callaghan-Croley

Tony Amerson, a 5-foot-11 running back from Saint James School in Montgomery, Alabama committed to the Yellow Jackets on Saturday afternoon. Rated as a three star running back by the major recruiting services, Amerson was offered by multiple schools including Louisville, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. The Jackets recruited Amerson as B-back and is the second running back in the 2019 recruiting class joined by Devin Ellison, a probable A-Back at the next level for the Yellow Jackets.

He will not likely see the field immediately for the Yellow Jackets, but his potential upside make and familiarity with the spread option offense makes him a very solid addition to the recruiting class and will be an assets once he’s on campus.

With his commitment, Amerson is now the highest rated commitment of the 2019 recruiting class as he’s ranked as the 727th best player in the nation, 48th best running back and the 31st best player in the state of Alabama.

Once Amerson arrives on campus he’ll be part of a stable of B-backs that features the main duo of KirVonte Benson and Jerry Howard. Redshirt freshman Jordan Mason and true freshman Christian Malloy could also be considered part of the stable but are listed as both A-Backs and B-Backs.

With such a deep stable of B-backs, Amerson’s abilities to impact immediately on The Flats will most likely be limited. That being said, having a year to refine some of his skills on the field could help take his game to the next level.

What Amerson brings to the Jackets:

The first thing you can tell from Amerson’s highlight film is that his school, St James School runs a spread option offense similar to the one that the Jackets offense runs. The offensive similarities already make Amerson a great fit for the Yellow Jackets and will allow him to make a quick and easy transition when he arrives on The Flats next year.

Amerson’s highlight reel shows just part of Amerson’s highly productive season that included 230 rushing attempts for 1686 yards and 28 touchdowns.

As a player, Amerson isn’t the fastest running back but his 5-foot-11 and 212-pound frame allows him to plow through defenders and makes him a hard back to bring down. So don’t expect Amerson to be a big play guy for the Yellow Jackets but could be a great short yardage back.

That being said, don’t let that fool you, Amerson may be a star running back for St.James but he also plays defensive end and is quite athletic which will serve him well once he arrives on campus.

Overall, Amerson is a player that could find a nice role on The Flats come 2019 and beyond. While he may not be a burner and have the ability to out run every defender on the way to touchdowns, he still could find himself in a great spot to develop into a long-term starter or the Jackets thanks to his familiarity in a spread option offense and his tremendous frame.

Next: Georgia Tech Football Recruiting Friday Update

While he won’t see the field in his first year on campus in all liklihood, he has a great chance as falling in behind Jerry Howard in 2020 as the backup running back. After that, it could be Amerson’s job as the starting running back over the course of the three seasons after that.

If you’re looking for a final conclusion, it’s pretty simple;

Amerson isn’t a flashy running back, he’s not going to blow you away with his speed but he is going to fight for every yard and has a chance to be a highly productive player for the Yellow Jackets if he can stay healthy.  Even if Amerson doesn’t turn into a starter for the Jackets, his abilities will provide the Jackets with a strong change of pace back when needed and a great goal line threat.