2012 record: 7-7 overall, 5-3 ACC
Spring Practice opens: March 25
Spring game date: April 19
2012 in review: Few teams had a more bizarre season than the Yellow Jackets. They were excellent one week, terrible the next, and then hit an awful skid that saw them lose at home to Middle Tennessee State (49-28) and BYU (41-17). Georgia Tech allowed 40 or more points six times, including 50 at UNC. But the Jackets closed strong, narrowly losing to FSU in the ACC title game and squashing Southern Cal, 21-7, in the Sun Bowl. While some folks wanted Vad Lee to get more snaps in place of senior quarterback Tevin Washington, he got enough experience, which bodes well for the future.
Biggest hole to fill: Georgia Tech seemingly always has plenty of guys that can step in and carry the ball, but few have been as consistently productive as Orwin Smith, who is gone after amassing 4,278 all-purpose yards in his career. The Yellow Jackets have quality players ready to step in, but can A-backs Robert Goodhigh (54 carries, 434 yards, four touchdowns), B.J. Bostic (34 carries, 227 yards) or Synjyn Days (23 attempts, 154 yards and a score) rise up and meet the challenge?
Watch out for: Quarterback Vad Lee came in highly touted and played enough last season to offer more than a glimpse of his vast potential. But now the job is all his, and by mid-season he will be better than Tevin Washington ever was and could be as effective as Josh Nesbit. Lee completed 27 of his 56 pass attempts for 596 yards, four scores and three interceptions a year ago, but with regular time under center should be more efficient this fall. He also ran the ball 96 times for 544 yards for an average of 5.7 yards per carry. He ran for nine touchdowns. He is a new starter, but has shown us enough to expect big things from him.
