Georgia Tech Football: The impact of Ivey and Johnson’s commitments

On Wednesday night, the Georgia Tech football program received commitments from two defensive ends including a potential game changer.

Jared Ivey (North Gwinnett – Suwanee, GA)

A 6-foot-6, 222-pound defensive end from the Atlanta suburbs is an absolute huge pickupp for the Yellow Jackets recruiting class. In the  composite rankings, Ivey is ranked as the 330th best player in the country and  33rd best player in the Peach State.

However, 247Sports’s is much higher on the Tech commitment than any other recruiting sites, ranking him as a top-175 player in the country, top-10 weakside defensive end in the country, and top-20 player in the state of Georgia. Additionally, he has an overall rating of .8952. Gowdy committed to the Jackets over Colorado, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Stanford, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.

In his HUDL highlights above, you can see Ivey is a freakish athlete with both great speed and reach. Additionally, as seen in his HUDL package, you can see that Ivey played mostly as a stand-up, hybrid type defensive end. It will be interesting to see if the Yellow Jackets coaching staff uses Ivey in a similar manner. Long term, he projects as a starting defensive lineman for the Jackets with high upside and game changing potential.

In terms of his part in the Jackets 2020 recruiting class, Ivey ranks fourth in the Jackets recruiting class, only behind RB Jahmyr Gibbs, DB Miles Brooks, and WR Bryce Gowdy.

Emmanuel Johnson (Fort Dorchester – North Charleston, SC)

The second commitment of the evening came in the form of South Carolina prospect Emmanuel Johnson. A three-star prospect with a rating of .8302, Johnson is ranked as a top-100 stronside defensive end in the country by 247Sports and a top-40 player in the state of South Carolina. He also had a scholarship offer from Tennessee before committing to the Jackets.

While not quite athletic as Ivey, Johnson is still a quality athlete and has a skillset that the Georgia Tech coaching staff can definitely build upon in the future. Long term, Johnson could develop into a starting caliber defensive lineman for the Jackets but at the very least should be a solid contributor on the line.

Overall, after the additions of Ivey and Johnson, the Jackets recruiting class of 23 commits ranks 22nd in the country, fourth in the ACC, and an average rating of .8674. For comparisons, last year’s recruiting class ranked 50th in the country, ninth in the ACC, and .8553. The Jackets 2020 recruiting class now features six defensive line commitments with Kyle Kennard, Akelo Stone, JaQuarri Wiggles, and Albany Casey. That being said, Wiggles has already announced on Twitter that he will be signing next week with either Georgia Tech or Illinois.

The early signing period is set to begin next Wednesday, December 18th. The Jackets are still looking to add a potential piece next Wednesday when four-star quarterback Jeff Sims makes his college decision. Sims on Wednesday, decommitted from Florida State after being committed since February.