Top 5 players in GT History (in your opinion)

JJacket

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Here's mine
1) Joe Hamilton - just in command at QB.
2) John Dewberry - the QB who turned it around
3) Justin Thomas - next level player. There was no such thing as a broken play once he took over the team.
4) Eddie Lee Ivery - UGAg felt it necessary to hurt him at all costs
5) Calvin Johnson - I love RB, but had we gotten a prototypical QB, he becomes the greatest WR in CFB history.

Fight me, it is the off-season. Or change my mind, I'm game

And no, I didn't put defensive players on there so bonus is

6) Keith Brooking - all time leading tackler in GT History. Back to back seasons of 147 & 146 tackles.
 
Last edited:

coit

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In no particular order:

  • Joe Hamilton
  • Calvin Johnson
  • Jon Dwyer
  • John Davis
  • Pat Swilling
 

CornerBlitz

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Quick response off the top of my head.

1. Calvin Johnson
2. Joe Hamilton
3. Kim King
4. Pat Swilling
5. Sean Jones
 

georgytech

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In no particular order
Wade Mitchell
Rufus Guthrie
Billy Lothridge
Pepper Rodgers
Eddie Lee Ivery
but hard to leave out Rock Perdoni, Luscious Sanford, Keith Brooking ,Randy Rhino, Clint Castleberry, Gary Lee, Calvin Johnson, Joe Hamilton & a slew of other players from each decade of football. Been a lot of good ones & methinks list like this are a disservice to a lot of great players that get overlooked.
To prove my point I came back to edit ...I meant Billy Shaw to be on that list.
 

JJacket

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In no particular order
Wade Mitchell
Rufus Guthrie
Billy Lothridge
Pepper Rodgers
Eddie Lee Ivery
but hard to leave out Rock Perdoni, Luscious Sanford, Keith Brooking ,Randy Rhino, Clint Castleberry, Gary Lee, Calvin Johnson, Joe Hamilton & a slew of other players from each decade of football. Been a lot of good ones & methinks list like this are a disservice to a lot of great players that get overlooked.
To prove my point I came back to edit ...I meant Billy Shaw to be on that list.
It is why I made it 5. Make it tough.

Hamilton was clearly the best player in CFB his senior season and should have won the Heisman. I just don't know if I can say that about any other GT player, although Calvin Johnson is close. Calvin should have had 150-200+ yards in every single game he played.
 
F

flushed 01

Guest
Here's mine
1) Joe Hamilton - just in command at QB.
2) John Dewberry - the QB who turned it around
3) Justin Thomas - next level player. There was no such thing as a broken play once he took over the team.
4) Eddie Lee Ivery - UGAg felt it necessary to hurt him at all costs
5) Calvin Johnson - I love RB, but had we gotten a prototypical QB, he becomes the greatest WR in CFB history.

Fight me, it is the off-season. Or change my mind, I'm game

And no, I didn't put defensive players on there so bonus is

6) Keith Brookings - all time leading tackler in GT History. Back to back seasons of 147 & 146 tackles.
Billy Lothridge, Calvin Johnson,Joe Hamilton are the 3 best. The remaining 2 could be any number of 20 or so players
 

The Champ

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Since I’ve been a fan (mid 90s)

1. C. Johnson
2. J. Hamilton
3. D. Morgan
4. S. Mason
5. D. Smith
 

Jo_Vision

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Top 5 of the guys I’ve watched
1. Justin Thomas
2. Jonathan Dwyer
3. Bay Bay
4. Shaq Mason
5. Derrick Morgan

Definitely doesn’t qualify as a top 5 in any measurable way but Marcus Marshall is probably the single player I’ve had the most fun watching.
 

jts1207

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What? No Keith Brooking love?


Calvin
JoeHam
DSmith
DMorgan

Any number of others….
 

gtchief

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I've seen a couple mentions on here but if Shaq Mason was the reason we went from OB winners to fluke-win-at-home-to-get-only-P5-win-en-route-to-a-3-win-bowl-streak-ending season, he should be on the list somewhere.
 

Wrecked

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Billy Lotheridge, Randy Rhino, Joe Hamilton, Eddie Lee Ivery, Robert Lavette
 

JJacket

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I've seen a couple mentions on here but if Shaq Mason was the reason we went from OB winners to fluke-win-at-home-to-get-only-P5-win-en-route-to-a-3-win-bowl-streak-ending season, he should be on the list somewhere.
I would say big Nat Dorsey is up there too.
 

The Champ

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I've seen a couple mentions on here but if Shaq Mason was the reason we went from OB winners to fluke-win-at-home-to-get-only-P5-win-en-route-to-a-3-win-bowl-streak-ending season, he should be on the list somewhere.
Shaq was the primary reason the 14 offense was so good. Our success was built on the fact that we could run that zone run up his backside and he bulldozed every team downfield. Didn’t matter who the BB was. Everything else flowed off that one play.
 

JJacket

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Shaq was the primary reason the 14 offense was so good. Our success was built on the fact that we could run that zone run up his backside and he bulldozed every team downfield. Didn’t matter who the BB was. Everything else flowed off that one play.
Kind of true, but notice this play was all JT5. JT5 made a lot of ööööty plays look good. Tackle absolutely whiffs on this block. The edge is unblocked, 72 does the Sewak fish flop, and JT5 has nowhere to go. Almost any other QB in CFB takes a loss here.

lEvaiVM.gif
 

THWUGA

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I'll interpret the question as the *best college football players* to play at GT *since 1970* since that's 50 years ago and even if you're old enough to remember further back than that, it's a different game

1. Calvin Johnson - unquestionably, IMO. He was a WR, so his touches depend on the QB, OC, OL, etc. But the best CFB to play for us. Unanimous AA and the only player in the modern era to earn first team AA awards in multiple seasons.
2. Joe Hamilton - objectively the best college football player in 1999 and was robbed of the Heisman thanks to a lifetime achievement award given to Dayne in his worst college season.
3. Ken Swilling - one of 3 unanimous AAs in GT history, captain of national title team
4. Pressley Harvin - objectively the best in his position in college football, unanimous AA (Swilling and CJ only other 2 in GT history)
5. Shaq Mason - I'll take heat over this pick and that's fine, but I don't think there's been a bigger stalwart on our OL in the modern era. When we needed 1, 3 or hell 6-7 yards, we run it up his ass and he'd blow the DT off the line then go hunt for 2-3 more downfield. He could cut, sure, but he was just as productive putting you on your back. Great feet, hands, smarts, everything. I saw Nat Dorsey shut down Julius Peppers at the peak of his powers and that's the closest I've seen a GT OL come to how good Shaq was on a routine basis.

A few left out

DT - on the edge, just wasn't in the scheme to be all he could have been at the college level

Harrison Butker, all time leading scorer at GT. Tough to objectively call him top 5 in GT history. We've been blessed with a handful of strong players at that position that have been both consistent and clutch, and that muddies the waters a bit. I'm ignoring NFL success completely, though right now he's the best kicker in history except for Justin Tucker tha god

Michael Johnson, AA and tha freak - an absurd talent who as a youngster earned the knock that he took too many plays off, but god love him, so much fun to watch.

Tony Hollings, who barring a knee blowout 1/3 thru the season (vs Vandy, Clemson, UConn and BYU) was on track to match Barry Sanders' college football rushing TD pace (11 TDs in 3.5 games).

Gibbs, though barring injury I think it will become clear over the next 7 years what we had here.

Kelly Campbell - my lord, was he an incredible college WR.... Everything he did - route running, hands, speed (though I've read he's 40 was slow, his on-field speed and quickness in routes were absurd). With little Joe, probably the best weed smoker as well.

George Godsey - spectacular until that knee gave out, still holds so many records. 3IAR,B

Morgan Burnett, Derrick Morgan, Jon Dwyer - what a recruiting class, holy öööö
 
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