FB FOOTBALL
2013: THE ‘SHOW ME’ SEASON Returning talent, depth and experience creating optimism on the Flats
By Adam Van Brimmer
E
Every Georgia Tech football player knows Coach Paul Johnson’s favorite mantra. “Show me, don’t tell me.” The “show me” season is ahead. The Yellow Jacket roster is littered with veterans. They have talent to rival that of the 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference title team. New defensive coordinator Ted Roof has infused the Jackets’ much-maligned defense with a renewed spirit. Likely first-year starting quarterback Vad Lee has stirred memories of Joshua Nesbitt, if not Joe Hamilton and Shawn Jones. Yet all those strengths mean nothing until they translate into victories. As Johnson quips almost daily on the practice field, “show me, don’t tell me.” “Until you do it on the field, it’s really hard to talk about,” Johnson said. “We’ll have our opportunities.” Johnson’s sixth season on the Flats looks to be the one he’s been building toward. His brilliant start at Georgia Tech – 20 wins in his first two seasons and a Bowl Championship Series game berth – proved impossible to match the last three seasons, even as the Jackets played in the ACC Championship game last fall and came within a game of it in 2010. Those were young teams, though, as Johnson redshirted as many players as possible in his early recruiting classes. This fall, Georgia Tech will start as many as 16 players who have contributed significantly the last two seasons. The offensive line, vital to any offense but particularly so for option teams, will feature players with 102 starts between them. “This is our oldest team, with guys who have played a lot of football,” Johnson said. “We’ll see how it goes.” All eyes will be on Lee, the redshirt sophomore quarterback who dazzled at times in 2012. He is the first true dual-threat quarterback Johnson has had at Georgia Tech and naturally draws comparisons to Hamilton and Jones, who ran option-style offenses as Yellow Jackets in the 1990s. Teammates say his leadership skills match his physical abilities. In a team survey conducted by Georgia Tech’s sports information department this summer, Lee was voted the “best leader” with 67 votes. The second highest vote getter, offensive lineman Ray Beno, received five votes. Offensive lineman Will Jackson spoke high-
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Only 10 active players in college football own more career interceptions than Jemea Thomas.
The Buzz
GT Buzz Magazine - #1 Fall '13.indd 4
8/19/13 9:05 AM