THE FLATS – Georgia Tech linebackers Ayinde Eley (Olney, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel (Maryland)) and Charlie Thomas (Thomasville, Ga./Thomasville) continued to receive postseason praise for their performances in 2022, earning second-team all-ACC honors from The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Having already received all-conference recognition from the ACC, the AP’s selection comes from a panel of 14 sports writers who regularly cover the league.
Eley amassed a whopping 118 tackles to lead Georgia Tech and rank third in the league. In a historic season, Eley became the first Division I FBS player since 2016 to compile 118 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during the regular season.
Co-leading the nation, Eley is also one of just two Yellow Jackets since at least 2000 to force four fumbles in a regular season (Eric Henderson, 2015). He ranked fifth in the ACC in fumbles recovered and 20th in tackles for loss.
Thomas also turned in a monstrous 2022 campaign in which he ranked second in the conference in solo tackles (71), and fifth in total tackles (112) and fumbles recovered (2). He also finished top-20 in the league in tackles for loss (10.5).
For the regular season, Thomas was the only player in the nation and only the second in Division I FBS since 2000 with 112 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two fumbles forced during the regular season – joining Paul Dawson, TCU in 2014.
Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
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