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Georgia Tech Football: Four-star wide receiver Nate McCollum joins 2020 class

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 1: Ramblin' Wreck of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets enters the field prior to their game against the Alcorn State Braves at Bobby Dodd Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 1: Ramblin' Wreck of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets enters the field prior to their game against the Alcorn State Braves at Bobby Dodd Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets added another top prospect to their 2020 recruiting class on Friday morning.

The Georgia Tech football program and head coach Geoff Collins has earned their 22nd commitment in the 2020 recruiting class on Friday morning. Four-star wide receiver Nate McCollum committed to the Yellow Jackets with an announcement on Twitter.

McCollum, a native of Hampton, Georgia and a multi-sport standout athlete at Duchtown High School is ranked by 247Sports’ own ratings as a almost a top-300 player in the nation, coming in at the 302 spot nationally. They also rank him as the 53rd best wide receiver in the country and the 30th best player in the Peach State.

His composite ranking does have him as a three-star but doesn’t drop him down a ton though as he still comes in as a top-500 player nationally, as well as a top-80 wide receiver and top-50 player in the state of Georgia. His composite rating as a three-star is due to being ranked as a three-star by Rivals as well as by ESPN.

https://twitter.com/nate_mccollum/status/1187716270541737984

McCollum is the fourth wide receiver to commit to the Yellow Jackets during the 2020 cycle as wide receivers coach Kerry Dixon and other Tech coaching staff members have put together a tremendous group of wide receivers.

Also joining McCollum will be composite four-star recruit Bryce Gowdy, Grayson High School product Ryan King, and three-star Avery Boyd. The Jackets also have a commitment from tight end Billy Ward out of Locust Grove, GA. McCollum’s primary recruiter according to 247Sports was wide receivers coach Kerry Dixon.

Before committing to the Jackets on Friday, McCollum was originally committed to North Carolina State. A commitment he held from March 31st, 2019 to September 26th. It appears trips to The Flats including a trip on September 7th, helped get the Yellow Jackets in a better position and since they’ve been able to seal the deal with the elite wide receiver.

Overall, McCollum received 18 known scholarship offers throughout his recruitment with notable programs such as Appalachian State, Michigan, Michigan State, Syracuse, and Tennessee all once offering the Georgia native.

McCollum won’t only be playing football at Georgia Tech, he will also be playing on Danny Hall’s squad as a member of the Georgia Tech baseball team. According to Perfect Game, McCollum is an outfielder / second baseman. His highest Perfect Game rating is that of a 10, which equates to a player being an “elite college level prospect” or a potential high draft pick in a future MLB Draft. Additionally, Perfect Game ranks him as a top-150 player nationally and selected him as a second-team Underclassman All-American this past high school season. You can see those two honors and others, here.

Highlight Tape:

As a player, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound wideout will bring elite-level speed to the Jackets offense. According to 247Sports, his verified 40-yard dash time is that of 4.41 which gives the Jackets a nice trio of elite speed threats in Ahmarean Brown, Adonicas Sanders, and now McCollum.

Above in McCollum’s highlight tape, you can see him show off that 4.41 speed as he continuously burns opposing cornerbacks. Dutchtown has used McCollum a variety of ways over his high school career, putting him on the outside, in the slot, and even in the backfield. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him used similarly to that on The Flats.

In the highlight tape, we don’t see McCollum needing to make too many contested catches thanks to his speed but we do so see is him having tremendous tracking skills. His baseball and especially outfield play has most likely helped the development of this skill. That being said, as a deep-threat, having the ability to track balls in the air is arguably one of the most important skills a wide receiver like McCollum can have.

McCollum does have some elusiveness to him but doesn’t appear to use all that many quick cuts or jukes to get by defenders which may limit his ability for big yardage after the catch on short and intermediate throws. His speed should allow him to still pick up plenty of yards and yards after the catch but it will be interesting to see if he develops more in that area.

Overall, McCollum is a player who may need a year of development before seeing consistent playing time but the tools and intangibles are there for him to be a highly successful wide receiver.  The Jackets return a strong core of wide receivers in 2019 which should him give him time to develop off the field. Long-term, however, McCollum projects to be a potential impact-player on the offense for the Jackets and will be one of the Jackets “home run hitters” in terms of big plays and touchdowns.