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Georgia Tech Football: A Few Thoughts on the Tech’s Eventful Signing Day

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 12: A general view of Bobby Dodd Stadium during the game between the of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Tulane Green Wave on September 12, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 12: A general view of Bobby Dodd Stadium during the game between the of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Tulane Green Wave on September 12, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Wednesday morning began the early national signing period for college football that runs through Friday and it was an eventful first day for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The early national signing period kicked off on Wednesday and morning and while most recruits who will sign have already signed by now, it was an eventful day for Georgia Tech. The Jackets signed 17 players overall, lost a commitment/signing and gained two commitments/signings. The Jackets recruiting class is most likely done for now but Geoff Collins will have about a month starting January 1st to get back on the recruiting trail to finish off the recruiting class. So there is still time for the Yellow Jackets to round out this class.

Here are a few quick facts on the recruiting class as of Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. All numbers according to 247Sports.

  • Players Signed: 17 (16 HS recruits + grad transfer Joshua Southers
  • Players who did not sign: 2 (Joshua Black and Larry Dowdy)
  • 247Sports Team Ranking: 52 (started the day at 47)
  • ACC Ranking: 11 (started the day at 10)
  • Average Rating: .8515 (-0.06 drop from this morning)

If you’re going just by those numbers, it doesn’t seem like the greatest start to the recruiting class for Geoff Collin’s tenure. That being said, it’s important to realize that Collins had basically two weeks to add a few players to this class and that he still has a month left with a handful of scholarships to work with. The second important thing to remember is that this recruiting class while not rated highly, does have a few players who are really flying under the radar and can turn into important pieces of future Tech teams. Only time will tell but personally, I wouldn’t look to much into the ratings on this class. The 2020 recruiting class where people should begin judging Collins and his ability to recruit.

Ahmarean Brown signs with Tech over Iowa State:

The Florida speedster was down to Georgia Tech and Iowa State heading into Wednesday and Georgia Tech let it be known early that he was signing with the program. That being said, he ended up officially signing with the Yellow Jackets in the middle of Wednesday afternoon. Brown has the chance to be a huge big play wide receiver for the Yellow Jackets and has the ability to take the top of a defense. He’ll have a chance to come in and play immediately for the Yellow Jackets.

Britton Allen’s flip to USC:

There’s not much I think Geoff Collins really could’ve done here. USC is a national brand and even in their down years, it’s an attractive place to be. Allen this past weekend took to an official visit out to USC and it seemed to be enough to pull the IMG academy safety out of Tech’s grip. It’s unfortunate for the Yellow Jackets but they’ll have a month to fulfill in the open spot.

Sylvain Yondjouen:

Yondjouen’s name was going around premium boards before Wednesday but due to paywalls, we really couldn’t say much about it. That being said, when Yondjouen committed to the Jackets on Wednesday it didn’t really come as a shock but either way, it’s a huge pickup for the Yellow Jackets. At 6-foot-5 and 232-pounds, Yondjouen is huge but is still a raw prospect overall but that is just an extra advantage for the Yellow Jackets. Yondjouen has a high ceiling and if the Yellow Jackets can tap into it, they could have a star on their hands on the defensive line. FWIW, 247Sports’ has the Belgium native as a borderline 3/4 star prospect.

Next. Georgia Tech Football: Early Signing Day Afternoon Update. dark

Overall:

Overall, it was a considerably good day for the Yellow Jackets. They signed most of their commitments (16 out of 18) while also signing graduate transfer Joshua Southers from Vanderbilt. While losing Britton Allen to USC certainly put a damper on part of the day, the Yellow Jackets were able to pick a nice commitment in Sylvain Yondjouen.  The only commitments left to sign are offensive lineman Joshua Black and Larry Dowdy. The Jackets still have several notable targets left on the board who didn’t sign Wednesday.