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Georgia Tech Football Countdown to Kickoff: No.1 S Juanyeh Thomas

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 17: Defensive back Juanyeh Thomas #28 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets runs the ball down field during the first quarter of their game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 17: Defensive back Juanyeh Thomas #28 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets runs the ball down field during the first quarter of their game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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The Georgia Tech football season is just 24 hours away and with these last 24 hours, we preview Georgia Tech’s most exciting player Juanyeh Thomas.

The Geoff Collins’ era of Georgia Tech football is nearly here and with just 24 hours remaining until the Jackets 2019 season kicks off on Thursday night, it’s time to look at Tech safety and return man Juanyeh Thomas.

The Niceville, Florida native was a freshman All-American for the Yellow Jackets last season as a return man, becoming a prolific return man for the Jackets over the course of the season. As a return man, Thomas returned two kickoffs for touchdowns one against Virginia and one a week later against Georgia. He totaled 606 kickoff return yards last season for the Yellow Jackets. With a full year of experience, it will be fun to see what magic he could pull off in 2019 returning kicks.

While his biggest impacts were felt on special teams in 2018, Thomas has the potential on defense to be an impact player. Tech fans saw glimpses of Thomas’s defensive potential last season as he totaled 15 tackles over the course of last season including one interception and one fumble recovery.

The highlight of Thomas’s time on defense last season was easily a 96-yard interception return that Thomas had against the Louisville Cardinals last season which he returned for a touchdown.

Overall, Thomas in 2019 should be a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the Yellow Jackets. While there are parts of his defensive game that need to be worked on, his speed and athleticism will make him a dangerous safety to throw at and one who can make a quarterback easily pay for a bad throw. With all that being said, no matter where Thomas plays in 2019, he’ll be an exciting player to watch and one who fans will need to pay attention to on every play as he has a chance to make a big-time play, every play.

The Jackets and Tigers are set to kickoff tomorrow’s season opener at 8:00 pm, tomorrow night at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.