THE FLATS – Georgia Tech freshman defensive back Clayton Powell-Lee (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake H.S.) was named honorable mention freshman all-America by College Football News on Tuesday.
Powell-Lee, who did not see significant action on defense until free safety Jaylon King sustained a season-ending injury at Pitt on Oct. 1, finished fifth on the team with 48 tackles and tied for first in the Atlantic Coast Conference and third nationally with three fumble recoveries. He also had an interception and three passes defended, despite making only six starts.
Powell-Lee turned in one of the nation’s top defensive performances of the season when he intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble, all in the final seven minutes of the game, to help lead the Yellow Jackets to a come-from-behind 28-27 victory at Virginia Tech on Nov. 5. Powell-Lee, who missed practice for much of week and did not start the game due to illness, was named ACC Defensive Back of the Week following the performance at VT.
In only the third start of his career, Powell-Lee made 14 tackles at Florida State on Oct. 29, which were the most by an ACC freshman and tied for the most by any ACC defensive back in a game this season.
The son of former Georgia Tech wide receiver Gary Lee, Powell-Lee finished tied for third in voting for the 2022 ACC Rookie of the Year award.
Powell-Lee and the Yellow Jackets open the 2023 season on Sept. 2 when they host new annual ACC rival Louisville in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Click HERE to make a deposit to secure season tickets for Georgia Tech’s seven-game 2023 home slate, which includes the opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Louisville and six home dates at Bobby Dodd Stadium, featuring visits by ACC opponents North Carolina, Boston College and Syracuse and Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate versus archrival Georgia.
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.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTAthletics), Facebook, Instagram or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
