THE FLATS – Georgia Tech wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. (Douglasville, Ga./Alexander H.S.), offensive lineman Ethan Mackenny (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter H.S.) and place kicker Aidan Birr (Kennedale, Texas/Kennedale H.S.) all earned recognition on freshman all-America teams announced by ESPN and College Football News on Thursday. Singleton and Mackenny were both named to ESPN’s 23-player freshman all-America team while Singleton received second-team honors and Birr was an honorable-mention selection on CFN’s freshman all-America squad.
Singleton Jr. leads all freshmen nationally (true or redshirt) with 64.2 receiving yards per game and ranks second among true freshmen nationally with six touchdown receptions. His 706 receiving yards and six touchdown catches both rank among the top 10 overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while his six TD receptions are just one shy of the Georgia Tech freshman record of seven, held by Calvin Johnson (2004) and Ahmarean Brown (2019). He finished second in voting for ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, third in balloting for the conference’s overall Rookie of the Year and was previously named to The Athletic’s, On3’s and 247Sports freshman/true freshman all-America teams.
Mackenny appeared in 10 games and made nine starts at the critical position of left tackle as a true freshman. He helped anchor an offensive front that paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to lead the ACC in rushing offense (197.1 ypg – 16th nationally) and rank second in the conference in fewest sacks allowed (1.25 pg – 20th nationally). He was previously named to On3’s true freshman all-America team.
Despite missing the entire 2022 season due to a knee injury and not taking over the Yellow Jackets’ place-kicking duties until the third game of this season, Birr made an astounding 14-of-16 field goal attempts and 34-of-35 extra points as a redshirt freshman. His .875 field goal percentage ranks 13th nationally (fourth among freshmen).
The freshman trio helped contribute to Georgia Tech putting together a 6-6 overall record, collecting two wins over nationally ranked opponents and earning its first bowl berth since 2018. With a 5-3 conference record, the Yellow Jackets finished in a tie for fourth in the final ACC standings after being picked to finish 12th in the 14-team league in conference’s preseason poll.
The Yellow Jackets conclude their season on Friday, Dec. 22 at the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla. versus UCF. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Georgia Tech’s allotment of Gasparilla Bowl tickets is sold out, but tickets can still be purchased directly through the Gasparilla Bowl website at gasparillabowl.com/tickets.
Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2
Looking to build on the success of last year’s Competitive Drive Initiative, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech athletics are partnering once again for Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2. Initially launched on Nov. 7, CDI Turn 2 has reached its initial goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund and has a new goal of raising $3 million in new gifts to the A-T Fund by Dec. 31. Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Foundation will match eligible gifts to accelerate the impact for Tech athletics and, like last year, not only will gifts to CDI Turn 2 be matched, but so will the contributor’s benefits in the way of A-T Fund giving levels and priority points. To learn more and contribute online, visit atfund.org/turn2.
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