The Georgia Tech program, much like the Georgia Southern and Navy versions that preceded it, is a tribute to Paul Johnson's stubbornness. That's meant as a compliment, a nod to one of the most consistent forces in college football.
Johnson's teams have never challenged for an FBS national title -- Georgia Southern won back-to-back Division I-AA titles under him in 1999 and 2000 -- but he's competed in the postseason in 17 of his 18 years on the sidelines. The only time Johnson didn't play in a playoff or bowl game? The 2002 season, his first at Navy.
His option offense comes with its own catalogue of inherent doubts, but the Yellow Jackets are coming off the most successful FBS season in Johnson's career, finishing No. 8 nationally in the AP Poll after beating Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl.
However, Georgia Tech loses multiple key players from that team, particularly on the offensive end, and it's difficult not to look back on the last time this program reached a high-profile: After a 24-14 Orange Bowl loss to Iowa in 2009, the Yellow Jackets suffered major personnel losses and fell back to the six-win mark the following season. Is that in store for Georgia Tech this around, or is enough talent in place to keep the reigning ACC Coastal Division champs rolling?
"We have our own set of expectations. I think we left (the ACC Kickoff) a year ago picked to finish fifth in our division. We didn't pay much attention to that, just like we won't pay much attention to being picked to finish first," Johnson said of the preseason media poll picking the Yellow Jackets to win the Coastal Division. "I think you've got to play the games on the field. We've been in the ACC championship game three of the seven seasons we've been there. That's certainly our goal and what we're shooting for again this year."
In his first season running Johnson's triple-option offense, Thomas vindicated his decision to turn down the opportunity to transition to defensive back for Nick Saban and Alabama. The diminutive playmaker was never going to orchestrate the Crimson Tide's attack, but he was set on being a quarterback and Johnson's program was all too eager to give the four-star athlete the opportunity.
Save for the rebuilding 2010 season, Georgia Tech option attack has always been good for a top-40 offense in terms of efficiency. But the Yellow Jackets have never functioned as effectively as they did behind Thomas in 2014, finishing third nationally in offensive efficiency (S&P+ rankings) -- before Thomas claimed the job, Johnson's teams highest ranking was 16th (2009, 2012). There were veterans scattered all over the roster, but the 5-foot-10 rising redshirt junior was the key.
Thomas was named second-team All-ACC by the league's coaches after posting 2,805 total yards and 26 touchdowns, capped by a four-touchdown effort in the bowl game.
"I think he'd be a really good quarterback in any system," Johnson said. "But his skill set really fits what we like to do. He's got great quickness. He's really fast. He's got a quick release. I think one of the things that people don't realize sometimes, if I'm not mistaken, he was either third or fourth in passing efficiency a year ago in QBR. I think the more he plays, the better he's going to get."
Perhaps more impressively was how he pulled all the right strings for an offense that needed to be great, making the correct reads, putting the ball in playmakers' hands and, crucially, avoiding injury. The Yellow Jackets committed just 18 turnovers, tied for their lowest single-season total in Johnson's tenure.
Thomas' return, barring injury, means Georgia Tech's offense should have a standout athlete and decision-maker running the show, which hasn't always been the case in past years.
Thomas finished third in the preseason ACC Player of the Year voting behind Clemson's Deshaun Watson and reigning winner and Pittsburgh's workhorse running back James Conner, but his adjustment to losing the lion's share of his supporting cast will determine not only his final placement among the league's top players but also the Yellow Jackets' defense of their Coastal crown.
Holding four different defensive coordinator positions over the past seven seasons, Ted Roof has rarely orchestrated a formidable defensive unit. His most impressive work over that stretch came before he returned to his alma mater for the 2013 season, as he led Penn State into the top-25 in many major defensive categories (efficiency, scoring, red-zone scoring) in 2012, but his time in Atlanta has been marked by mediocrity. Georgia Tech has finished 54th and 50th, respectively, in defensive efficiency in the past two years.
Things could be looking up, though.
Georgia Tech returns eight starters to a defense that showed improvement in its final seven games last season and, while the losses of linebacker Quayshawn Nealy, defensive tackle Shawn Green and safety Isaiah Johnson hurt, that experience trickles down the depth chart. Throw in a 2013 starter along the defensive line, Jabari Hunt-Days, one of the program's top recruits in recent years, and Roof should have plenty to work with.
The Yellow Jackets' defense made turnovers its calling call as it pushed toward the ACC title game, forcing 17 turnovers in the final six regular-season games -- a statistic bolstered by a preposterous six forced turnovers against Pitt -- before coaxing two mistakes out of an efficient Mississippi State offense in the Orange Bowl. That's a staggering amount of turnovers considering that Georgia Tech's offense holds onto the ball most of the game.
"We became very opportunistic. We were pretty good with takeaways. After the North Carolina game a year ago we turned to more pressure and decided we're going to get off the field one way or the other," Johnson said. "Our guys kind of took to that and we played better on defense down the stretch."
In total, the Yellow Jackets finished the season forcing turnovers in 26 percent of opponents' possessions, the top mark in the country. The offense typically capitalized on the field-possession swing: Georgia Tech scored 338 of its 530 total points off turnovers.
"From a coaching standpoint, Coach Roof has been preaching the takeaway since day one, since the day he stepped on the campus at Georgia Tech. In practice we do what we call a takeaway drill," senior corner D.J. White said. "At the same time you have guys that are ball hawks. That's something they have in them. That's probably the key to that."
If Roof's unit can continue to force mistakes and put the offense in good positions, that should be good enough to be competitive on a week-to-week basis against a difficult schedule.
The skill-position starters are gone.
That's not an exaggeration, either. The team's four starting backs -- Synjyn Davis, Zach Laskey, Charles Perkins and Tony Zenon (combined 2,511 yards and 22 TDs) -- and two leading receivers, NFL draftees DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller, graduated, leaving a gaping hole in the supporting cast. While Thomas was the ticket to the team's notable efficiency spike, that's a substantial amount of talent lost.
Georgia Tech is perennially stocking its recruiting shelves with all-purpose backs and athletes, so there are 800-yard candidates scattered across the roster. In an offense that has run for more yards than any other FBS program since Johnson arrived in 2008, multiple players are bound to see a jump in their individual statistics. (Redshirt senior Broderick Snoddy is an A-back to keep an eye on. He's waited in the wings for years and is now the team's top returning rusher behind Thomas.) There may not be quite as many answers in trying to replace two NFL draft picks at receiver, but former three-star recruit Michael Summers is the most productive returning target.
There's promise along the offensive line, however, as the Yellow Jackets return four starters to a team that ran for an ACC-record 342.1 yards per game and protected one of the nation's top-rated passers.
Yes, All-American guard and fourth-round draft pick Shaq Mason is no longer around, but if 6-foot-7, 365-pound redshirt sophomore Shamire Devine can fill Mason's void -- how many voids could he not fill at that size? -- Georgia Tech should still have one of the best units in the ACC.
Despite winning the collective turnover battle, Johnson was pretty up front about last season's defense at the ACC Kickoff, "Statistically we weren't very good defensively if you look at yards per play, total yardage, whatever." He went on to compliment the job Roof did as the season wore on, but it's clear that with so much returning talent the team expected to be better than 64th against the run and 90th against the pass in 2015.
One major issue that White pointed to as an offseason talking point was third-down conversions, notably how many times Georgia Tech's opponents were able to keep drives alive last season.
Only 13 other teams nationally allowed opponents to convert third downs at a higher rate than Georgia Tech's 45.6 percent.
"That really was the main focus for us during the spring. You got to be intense all three downs," White said. "Sometimes you can be on the field and make two great plays, but you get to third down and you have a letdown, doesn't mean anything. Finding it in ourselves to really be intense on that third down is going to be key."
Just playing the odds here -- second-team All-ACC selection Adam Gotsis and first-team freshman All-American KeShun Freeman are back to anchor the defensive line, plus the return of four starters in the secondary -- expect Georgia Tech to be better at getting off the field this season. There's too much returning talent available and, honestly, it would be difficult to be much worse.
Compared to select ACC counterparts, Georgia Tech's 2015 schedule is a gauntlet.
Just compare the past two Coastal Division champions: Duke's out-of-conference schedule features Tulane, N.C. Central, Northwestern and Army to complement ACC crossover opponents Boston College and Wake Forest. (Sure, the crossover games are out of Duke's hands, but this is a three-year trend for the Blue Devils.) Georgia Tech, on the other hand, will face Alcorn State, Tulane, Notre Dame and annual rival Georgia outside of ACC play before playing Atlantic crossover opponents Clemson and Florida State.
That's ... a stark contrast.
As it pertains to the ACC standings, there's no significant break in the schedule for the Yellow Jackets. Two of the first three conference games come on the road against Duke and Clemson, interrupted only by a home date with North Carolina's high-octane offense. Three of the subsequent four games come at home, but they come against Pitt, Florida State and Virginia Tech. The conference slate ends with a road date in Miami.
This is all to say that replacing NC State with Florida State in the crossover games and flipping to a road game against Clemson means this '15 schedule is noticeably tougher than last season's division title. (It should be noted that Johnson's teams have fared quite well against the ACC heavyweights.) The unrelenting nature of Johnson's offensive production and an improving defense could mean Georgia Tech doesn't take too many, if any, steps back from last season's Orange Bowl title but still finishing with a worse record.
Considering that consensus top Coastal challenger Virginia Tech avoids both Clemson, Florida State and Louisville on its conference schedule, Georgia Tech is already at a disadvantage before the season kicks off.
