Bit of Scholly News

GTLiebs

GTLiebs

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Not sure how new this is to you guys, but Paul Johnson has awarded three walkons a scholarship.

They are:
Mario Edwards (DB)
Zach Krish (OL)
Sean Bedford (OL)
 
wow, that's big big news, what year are they? And, a dumb question, does that affect how many recruits we bring in 2010?
 
Almost assuredly they're graduating seniors, so as not to influence our 2010 recruiting.
 
beej got owned.

I'm only counting 4 senior starters this year and 3 of the four are on the oline.

Griffin, Howard, Sellers, Voss. I'm not even sure if Sellers will start.
 
GTKyle said:
beej got owned.

I'm only counting 4 senior starters this year and 3 of the four are on the oline.

Griffin, Howard, Sellers, Voss. I'm not even sure if Sellers will start.
Click to expand...

Certainly if these walk ons looked like they had the skill to start then I say go for it. Honestly our OL from last year was very much slapped together and we should be doing what we can do to bring some consistency.
 
Scholarships are one-year contracts. I'd imagine the stipulation for them is that they get it for this year, with next year being conditional.
 
Another Example of the Genius of Paul Johnson!

My take on this deal is that Coach Johnson told these 3 guys that he was going to give them a chance to show what they could do this spring. All 3 of them stepped up in a big way. Bedford, though undersized used his smarts and quickness to come in and hold his own at the Center position. This was key since Voss was out with a shoulder surgery and the others tried there just were not able to displace Bedford. Krish saw an opportunity with Cord being sidelined and he battled Uzzi for that spot. I think the coaches saw enough to realize Krish was legit and could definitely be involved in the rotation this coming season. Uzzi is still in there battling and will be a factor as well. The message to Uzzi is that he best work hard this summer and fall if he wants that starting spot. McRae and Smith showed some good potential but not to the point they seperated themselves from the pack. McRae seems to be pretty versatile and played Center, Guard and Tackle this spring. Phil Smith played mostly tackle, both have great size. I think Barrick continued to improve and placed himself as a solid starter. The surprise was Sellers. He really performed well this spring and put himself solidly in the mix for playing time this fall. He was already one of the strongest players on the team and now if he can put on 10 to 15 lbs. this summer he will be a solid contributor capable of major playing time. Mario Edwards was given new life at the Wolf position. His size and speed are perfect match for the position and when given the opportunity when Cooper Taylor was injured he stepped up in a big way to show he could handle that spot really finishing ahead of AT Barnes. AT is still slowed a bit by his injury from the Georgia game and should be more solidly in the mix this fall but the message sent was he best not rest this summer and will need to work hard if he wants significant playing time this fall.

So in essence, I feel that Coach Johnson has sent the message that competition is open at all positions and the reward of playing time will come to those that prove it in practice and on the field. He will utilize all available resources to mazimize the full potential of each individual on the team. You have an opportunity to play if you perform regardless of where you start out, whether it be 5 star recruit or walk on. I don't think these guys would have gotten scholarships if Coach Johnson thought he could better serve the team's goals by recruiting additonal scholarship athletes. I think he truly believes that these 3 guys have earned the right to be considered a valuable part of the mix to help Georgia Tech succeed on the field in 2009. A motivational technique that has been missing in past years. This greatly enhances the team's overall morale and ultimately it's on the field performance.

Go Jackets!
 
Jacket59 said:
does that mean they're juniors now and will be seniors in the fall, or that they're sophomores now and will be juniors in the fall? If it's the former, then beej was right. If not, then I'm wondering how it will affect recruiting numbers next year as well.
Click to expand...
dwyer is listed as junior in the same roster, so just using that, it means they will be in their junior eligibility year for football.
 
Mario Edwards transferred to GT as a walk-on. Because he was able to show he could contribute significant PT at the Wolf position he was placed on scholarship for the upcoming 2009-10 season...along with Bedford, and Krish. All are Jr-R players with eligibility remaining for the 2010-11 season.

This means we have 81 on scholarship, 6 of which are seniors. This gives us 10 open slots for the 2010 class, to get to 85, assuming zero attrition and assuming all 75 returning scholarship players are put on scholarship again for th 2010-11 season. With 22 potential scholarship seniors for 2010-11, it is always possible some will graduate one year early and would create more openings.

However, as things stand today we have room for 10 ships in the 2010 class.
 
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