Malik Rutherford faced a problem at the podium. He’d been asked how fellow Georgia Tech wide receiver Avery Boyd looked during summer workouts, but there was added pressure to the question: Boyd sat mere feet away, listening to every word.
“From last year, he got way better,” Rutherford began. He then ran into trouble. “I feel like he got way smarter.” Boyd, third wide receiver Christian Leary and the assembled reporters burst into laughter.
Rutherford then let a secret slip.
“He’s a big guy who can stretch the field,” Rutherford said. “He can play a little bit of tight end.”
Regardless of whether Boyd has gotten smarter, he has had an interesting offseason. He’s a 6-foot-3, 232-pound receiver with sub-4.4 speed and a “ridiculously bright” future, per former Tech coach Geoff Collins. Problem is, Collins said that just before Halloween in 2020. Almost three years later, because of a series of injuries, Boyd’s only stats have been tackles on special teams.
Tech brought in several transfers at wideout over the offseason, but coach Brent Key and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner still want Boyd on the field. To do this, they’ve gotten creative.
Boyd is learning to play tight end five years after he started learning football entirely. He’s a Florida native, but focused mainly on track growing up. He started playing football as a high school junior, and his athletic talent and potential were what brought him to Tech.
He’s flashed that potential, notably in this year’s spring game. He caught only two passes, but impressed on both. In the first, he rose in the corner of the end zone and caught a ball over a hapless defensive back. In the second, he utilized his speed to run past defenders on a go route, outrunning the opposition all the way to the end zone.
Two receptions, two touchdowns, 66 yards. Not bad for a guy who doesn’t have a regular-season catch – yet.
Still, Tech’s receiver group is filled with potential. The Yellow Jackets have returning talent, plus incoming transfers from Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M. Adding versatility can only help Boyd contribute.
However, he isn’t necessarily transitioning to tight end, or “thrown in the fire,” as he put it. It’s just another threat for the Jackets. He can play snaps there when needed, just to add another dimension to the Tech offense.
“He’s sort of a Swiss army knife,” wide receivers coach Josh Crawford said. “I think he’s a guy that will be able to help us in a myriad of areas.”
Crawford praised Boyd for his resilience through injury. His freshman season ended with a broken ankle when he was tackled running a jet sweep. The carry went for no gain and was called back because of a penalty, keeping him off the stat sheet entirely. In 2022, he was held out of spring practices with a torn ligament in his thumb. He’s never fully gotten going.
For Boyd, taking a couple of snaps at tight end is another way to contribute. He acknowledged he struggled the first couple of times he lined up in a tight end stance, but he’s made progress. Now, he can give Tech more options.
“If (defenses) focus on (other receivers), I’m going to score,” Boyd said. “If they worry about me and my matchup, they’re going to score. We’re throwing the ball around to everybody.”
It’s not known how much Boyd will be used as a tight end. He spoke as one of three featured receivers, yet when Crawford spoke about the receiver group, he didn’t mention Boyd. There’s competition at tight end, too, so while Boyd has versatility and unique athletic ability, there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to contribute. He’s shown flashes, but for now, the potential Collins saw when recruiting him is still only potential.
Taking snaps at tight end wasn’t the only reason Boyd had an interesting offseason. He got a pair of South African boerboel puppies in March, and they’ll be seven months old in a week. The brothers, which Boyd named Ghost and Gunna, will weigh between 150-200 pounds when fully grown, but they’re only half that now. Still, they’ve caused mayhem.
“It’s like every day I call him from camp, they pick a different room to destroy,” Boyd said.
Tech hopes Boyd finds playing tight end easier than raising puppies. Still, Boyd loves his dogs.
“It’s been something,” Boyd said. “Still, I wouldn’t trade those dogs for anything.”
As for Rutherford’s response, he finished his answer by looking directly at Boyd.
“I’m happy for you, Avery,” Rutherford said. “I’m ready to see you ball this year.”
