Georgia Tech True Freshmen with Early Chance to Contribute in 2020

Since the day he took over the job, Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins has made sure everyone knows how big of an emphasis he has and will place on recruiting.

Since then he has gone on a full-time mission to sell the program to high school recruits, and his efforts have already started to pay dividends. The Jackets boasted the No.24th-ranked recruiting class in 2020 according to Rivals.com and the No. 27th-ranked class according to 247sports.com.

Several of those members of the 2020 class, now true freshmen, are already making an impact on the practice field and will now look to translate that into significant playing time as the 2020 season begins this coming Saturday when the Jackets travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to tangle with Florida State at 3:30 p.m.

The following list includes the true freshmen that could see early snaps for Collins and crew as they aim to be a part of the Jackets’ improvement this season:

Jahmyr Gibbs (RB)

Gibbs is the name that many Jackets’ fans are the most excited about when it comes to this year’s freshman class and for good reason. He is one of the most highly-touted recruits Georgia Tech has reeled in in quite some time, beating out schools like Florida, LSU and others for his services, and there has been a ton of buzz around him in preseason camp.

Gibbs was rated a four-star recruit by all the major recruiting services coming out of Dalton High (Ga.) and the No. 2 all-purpose back and the No. 10-ranked player in Georgia according to Rivals.com.

The Georgia Tech coaches have used a lot of different words to describe the kind of player Gibbs is and what he can turn into over the next few months and years. What that likely means is the the explosive, speedy back is going to see his share of touches early on as a freshman.

It may be a crowded backfield already with the Jackets returning Jordan Mason and Jamious Griffin, among others, but don’t be surprised if Gibbs works his way into the rotation early on and makes the most of his time on the field with a few big plays.

Jordan Williams (OL)

Williams is a massive human at 6-6, 300-plus pounds and was a dominant offensive lineman on the high school level at Gainesville High (Ga.). Don’t let the three-star rating by major recruiting services fool you… was a highly-sought after commodity as a recruit, but it was Georgia Tech that won out.

Williams was recently named as a Preseason Freshman All-American by 247sports.com as it looks like he will slide into the starting lineup at right tackle for the Jackets according to the news coming out of preseason camp. It will be a lot to put on a true freshman, but if he can translate what he did in high school, the coaches and fans have a lot to look forward to.

Tucker Gleason (QB) and/or Jeff Sims (QB)

It doesn’t happen a lot, but a true freshman quarterback could see the field early on in 2020 for Georgia Tech. Actually, two true freshmen quarterbacks could see the field.

Tucker Gleason and Jeff Sims are among the four Tech QBs battling for the starting spot in preseason practice, but don’t be surprised if both are used when the Jackets take on Florida State in the opener. Gleason is the more traditional pocket-type quarterback as he was rated the No. 26th-ranked pro-style QB by ESPN and a three-star prospect by all the recruiting services while Sims was a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 6th-ranked dual-threat quarterback by ESPN.

Gleason was an early commit and locked into Georgia Tech for almost a year before Signing Day, and Sims was a late flip from Florida State. Getting both in the same class helped Collins develop depth at one of the most important positions on the field.

They each have different skillsets (see highlights below), but both are talented enough to get on the field early in their career and make an impact.

Gleason highlights via Hudl-

Sims highlights via Hudl-

Miles Brooks (DB)

This may be the wild-card pick of the group, but some players are just too talented to keep off the field. Brooks could fit into that category despite defensive back being one of the deeper position groups on the Georgia Tech roster.

Brooks was a four-star recruit across the board by ESPN, 247sports and Rivals, and he was one of the first commits to lock himself into a spot into the Jackets’ 2020 class. He was rated the No. 10 cornerback in the country by Rivals.com and had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State and others.

Despite the experience that Georgia Tech returns at cornerback, you can never have enough depth at a position like that. Brooks is a prime candidate to provide some of that depth. He could end up being one of Jackets’ fans favorite players in the 2020 class when it’s all said and done.