ACC Coastal Champions

Great step forward to reach the Dec 5th ACC Championship game with a pasting of Duke yesterday. Now, the team will finally get a week off after 11 straight games. They'll prepare for a home game against the Dawgs and get recharged for either Clemson or Boston College in the ACC Championship. It's been one hell of a season for Georgia Tech. I wonder how things might be different had they not played Miami when they did-specifically playing their third game in 12 days to open their season. But the ifs and buts are like candy and nuts...

Derrick Morgan will definitely be heading to the NFL after this year. He's going to be a good one at the next level too. If Morgan is not a first team AA it will be criminal. Next year we'll have Egwubine and Cross as likely starters at DE, with backups Robert Hall (return from injury), Osahon Tongo and several promising newcomers, including Too Tall Dieke, Chris Crenshaw and Euclid Cummings. All are progressing nicely on the scout team, especially Dieke who has added a lot of weight to his frame. Overall with the DL next year, you get starters Ben Anderson and Logan Walls back, plus top backups TJ Barnes and Jason Peters. JC Lanier is healing up from his shoulder surgery and is expected back by spring. Unless Anthony Williams or Denzel McCoy comes in and just tears it up, it will be awfully tough to see the field. Overally, the DL should be in great shape for next season-much better than this year even without Morgan.

So a scholarship will open up because of Morgan's departure. Can Tech steal super pass rusher TJ Stripling away from Georgia? I'd say 50/50 at this point. Stripling is about to set the all time Georgia HS record for sacks in a season-I think he is somewhere around 20 right now. He will need to put on some serious weight but what a steal it would be to get this kid.

As for other players that might leave early-Dwyer, Bebe, Burnett-stay tuned. I'd say right now that Burnett and Bebe definitely stick around for their senior seasons. Dwyer would probably be 50/50. Can he improve his draft stock anymore by staying another year or is the allure of a national championship enough to keep him around?