Could Georgia Tech Have its First 1,000-Yard Receiver Since 2009?

Demaryius Thomas was the last Yellow Jacket to record a 1,000-yard season

Georgia Tech has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2009, but there is a chance that they break the drought this year. 

In fact, Georgia Tech has only had a 1,000-yard receiver twice since 2004. Calvin Johnson had 1, 202 yards in 2006, and Demaryius Thomas had 1, 194 yards in 2009, marking the last Georgia Tech wide receiver to accomplish that feat. Of course, those are two of the best players in program history and two of the best wide receivers of the last 25 years in college football. 

One reason for optimism that one of the Yellow Jacket's wide receivers could reach that mark is that Georgia Tech's passing attack made a big leap forward in 2023 and most of the main pieces are back. Quarterback Haynes King and receivers Eric Singleton Jr, Malik Rutherford, and Christian Leary are all back for another year and the Yellow Jackets have the players to be one of the best offenses and passing attacks in 2024. Georgia Tech had the third-most improved scoring offense in NCAA Division I FBS last season, averaging 14.0 points/game more than it did in 2022 and they could see more improvement in 2024. 

The player that I think is most likely to break the drought for Georgia Tech is Eric Singleton Jr. Singleton emerged last year as quarterback Haynes King's favorite target early on and he was the leading receiver for the Yellow Jackets in his first year for the program. 

Singleton Jr. ranked fourth among all freshmen nationally (true or redshirt) in 2023 with 59.5 receiving yards per game and was tied for fourth among true freshmen nationally with six touchdown receptions. His 714 receiving yards and six touchdown catches both ranked among the top 10 overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while his six TD receptions were the second-most by a freshman in Georgia Tech history.

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 ESPN’s, College Football News, The Athletic’s, On3’s, and 247Sports freshman/true freshman all-America teams.

Georgia Tech Wide Receiver Eric Singleton Jr / Georgia Tech Athletics

In just his first season on The Flats, Singleton nearly got to 1,000 yards. His chemistry with King was evident and his nearly 15 yards per catch showed his ability to stretch the field and make big plays. I think he is in for a big season, but he is not the only Yellow Jackets wide receiver that could be in for a big season. 

Malik Rutherford was the second-leading receiver on Georgia Tech. He caught 46 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 10. 5 yards per catch. His biggest performance came in Georgia Tech's big win over North Carolina. Rutherford caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He was a reliable player and can stretch the field with his speed. He is also a player who can get the ball in a variety of ways.

Christian Leary was the fourth-leading receiver for Georgia Tech this season, catching 25 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, while also returning kickoffs. He was also responsible for the biggest play of the season for Georgia Tech:

GEORGIA TECH STUNS MIAMI.

The craziest ending to a game this season. pic.twitter.com/bZqQoRAxss

— College Football Alerts  (@CFBAlerts_) October 8, 2023

Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner was one of the coaches behind the Yellow Jackets' turnaround on offense and he wants the passing game to be more explosive this year than it was last year:

"Well, I think the next step of everything with me revolves around winning. And what do we got to do to continue to win games and take that next step forward and be able to compete for an ACC championship? And the most exciting thing about it is we got a lot of guys back, right? And then we got a lot of guys here that were early enrollees that we signed in January and so I think we've got like 38 of the 43 guys that are on scholarship going into the fall already here. So just continuing to build continuity. Obviously, it's a new season, but we did last year. It doesn't matter right? So we're just looking to improve every day. We obviously got to be more explosive, be more explosive in the passing game, and continue to run the football. That's going to be who we are." 

Faulkner thinks the Yellow Jackets have the pieces in place to make that happen too:

"Yeah, and I do think at times last year really, you know, we were explosive in the passing game. but that, that goes hand-in-hand all 11 right that's not just the quarterback that's not just the receivers that's the line the tight ends and protection and the running backs as well so yeah we got to be more explosive do we have the pieces yes I believe we have the pieces but that's not just the pieces on the perimeter that's pieces up front and then also in the backfield in a tight end so to be able to make it all go we need all 11."

Georgia Tech will be a team that will want to run the football and be a physical team this upcoming year, but I think there is a chance that the Yellow Jackets could also have their first 1,000-yard receiver since 2009. 

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