July 30, 2013
THE FLATS – More than 100 Georgia Tech players, including 84 scholarship players, report back to campus Wednesday and begin preseason camp Thursday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets, who return 15 starters and 54 total letterwinners from a team that won the ACC’s Coastal Division and played in the ACC Championship Game last year, open the season Aug. 31 against Elon.
All practices are closed unless otherwise noted on RamblinWreck.com.
Fan Day is Saturday from 4-5:30 p.m. on Historic Grant Field.
“I like this team,” head coach Paul Johnson said. “I think they’ve worked hard in the offseason and we’re excited to get camp started. I think we have potential to do some good things.”
The Yellow Jackets overcame a 2-4 start to finish 7-7 overall and 5-3 in the ACC last season. Tech defeated USC, the preseason No. 1-ranked team, 21-7 in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. The win over the Trojans, combined with the addition of new defensive coordinator Ted Roof and many pieces of Tech’s high-octane offense returning, has created an optimistic atmosphere on the Flats.
The 2013 version of the Yellow Jackets will be an experienced bunch. Eighteen seniors are on the roster, including 11 who started last season. Georgia Tech’s returning players have a combined 361 career starts. The Jackets have their most depth on the offensive line, at the B-back position and in the defensive secondary since 2009.
“Clearly, we need to get off to a better start (this season),” Johnson said. “Four of our first five games are against division opponents, so we’ll know where we stand in early October.”
