Any hopes Georgia Tech had on building upon their surprising 2014 season in which they finished 11-3 and won the Orange Bowl, by making a major splash on the 2015 recruiting scene has fallen on hard times thus far. The Yellow Jackets haven’t had a terrible recruiting season, securing 26 commitments, ranking 41st nationally and 8th in the ACC, but have failed to make even a four-star splash, let alone five-star. We take a look at some of the stronger three-star commitments Georgia Tech have picked up here, mere hours before National Signing Day.
Christian Philpott – Wide Receiver
- Three-star recruit
- 6’3″, 205 pounds
- North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, FL)
Philpott isn’t the best of the three-star’s Georgia Tech gained a commitment from, ranking 57th at his position, and 69th in the state of Florida, but he may be one of the more valuable. Paul Johnson relies on the triple-option offense that depends heavily on the run, and largely neglects the pass. Why would the addition of Philpott possibly make an impact to the Yellow Jackets then? Outside of Deandre Smelter and Darren Waller last season no Yellow Jacket receiver had more than 200 receiving yards. And when Smelter went down with an injury late in the season the flexibility through the air was severely limited for Johnson and Georgia Tech. Even for an offense who relies so heavily on the run, they need the option of a capable receiving threat to avoid becoming adversely one-dimensional.
The pipeline of receivers coming up through the ranks appears solid for Georgia Tech, and Philpott will solidify it. He has decent speed, running a 4.75 40-yard dash, and boasts solid hands and rout running ability. Philpott had a solid senior season hauling in 44 passes for 902 yards and nine touchdowns, his second straight season with as many scores. His size and skill set may allow him to make an impact sooner than later for the Yellow Jackets.
https://twitter.com/Philup81/status/556493210076602371
Victor Alexander – Linebacker
- Three-star recruit
- 5’10”, 220 pounds
- Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fl)
Alexander is another product of Jacksonville’s stacked Trinity Christian Academy, and will move north to Georgia after possibly committing to the Yellow Jackets recently. The exact position of Alexander is yet to be decided after a weekend that saw him decommit from UCLA in favor of Georgia Tech only to seemingly recomit to the Bruins (Maybe?), before apparently opting to just wait until signing day to make a decision. Indications from Alexander gave the impression his move to Georgia Tech was due to family pressure, before seemingly committing to the Bruins, then not saying anything at all.
Victor Alexander has confirmed via text that he committed to Georgia Tech today. He was a longtime #UCLA commit.
— Bruin Report Online (@BruinReport) January 31, 2015
Victor Alexander on flipping back to UCLA: "I never left. I just had my mama getting real emotional on me."
— Bruin Report Online (@BruinReport) February 2, 2015
Should Georgia Tech be able to sign the inside linebacker they will be getting a consensus top 25 player at the linebacker position. Alexander is a solid tackler, with a nose for the ball and is also able to defend well against the pass. In his senior season at Trinity Christian Alexander collected 77 total tackles, 17 for a loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles.
Alexander’s “official” commitment currently is believed to lie with UCLA, but for a guy with such indecision this close to signing day, and pressure from home, anything is possible on signing day. Georgia Tech is likely still very much in play, and needs a solid commitment from a player like Alexander to solidify this recruiting class.
Marcus Marshall – Running Back
- Three-star recruit
- 5’10”, 200 pounds
- Millbrook (Raleigh, NC)
To close out January Georgia Tech picked up a commitment from running back Marcus Marshall, younger brother of rival Georgia’s Keith Marshall. The siblings will now become Saturday rivals after Marcus selected the Yellow Jackets over the likes of Vanderbilt or Wake Forest of his home state. His older brother Keith was a highly recruited running back when he selected the Bulldogs, and boasts much better size than his younger brother.
What Marcus Marshall does bring to the table, however, is speed. He ran a 4.4 40-yard dash, and has the sheer speed and cuts to enable him to motor his small frame past defenders on big play runs. In his last season at Millbrook high school Marshall surpassed his older brother’s school records for yards and touchdowns with 2,198 and 30 respectively, boosting his recruiting stock. How he will translate at the next level remains to be seen, but a speedy, elusive back will be another valuable weapon in head coach Paul Johnson’s tool chest.
Outlook
Georgia Tech will fill out their 26 commitments by signing day, and may already have depending on how committed Alexander truly is to UCLA, and if there are any last minute defections. The class is solid, filled with capable three-star recruits, but lacks the punch of several other upper echelon ACC schools.
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