Former Georgia Tech standouts E.J. Jenkins and Ace Eley face off in NFL Preseason

Jenkins and Eley both saw the field today for the Jets and Panthers

It was a good day in the NFL for former Georgia Tech standouts today. 

In one game, former teammates E.J. Jenkins and Ace Eley faced off against each other. Jenkins plays for the New York Jets, while Eley plays for the Carolina Panthers. Jenkins had one catch for five yards and Eley finished the game with one tackle. 

Both players are fighting to make the roster this season. Jenkins caught two passes for 18 yards in his NFL debut last week and this was Eley's first action in the NFL. 

It has been a journey for Jenkins to get to this point and he was not always playing at the FBS level. From 2017-2020, Jenkins played at St.Francis (PA) and was a star at that level. He redshirted in 2017 and then put up modest numbers in 2018 (five catches for 52 yards) before bursting on the scene in 2019.

In his first big season, Jenkins hauled in 39 passes for 779 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 20 yards per catch. With guys his size, they don't usually have a big yards per catch average, as they are used mostly in the red zone or they don't have the athleticism to make catches down the field.

It was clear that Jenkins could play at a higher level and for the 2021 season, he transferred to the SEC to play for South Carolina. After catching eight passes for 117 yards and one touchdown, Jenkins decided to transfer for his final season of eligibility and landed at Georgia Tech.

Jenkins caught 17 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns while averaging over 18 yards per catch. His best game last season perhaps was against Florida State, when he hauled in three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Ace Eley made his NFL debut for the Panthers today / Georgia Tech Athletics

Eley put together his best season during the 2022 campaign. Eley led the team with 118 tackles, was tied for second on the team with 3.5 sacks, had three pass deflections, and led the team with four forced fumbles. In a year with so much changing around Georgia Tech, Eley was a constant on Saturdays in terms of tackling and play-making.

Eley had his best season in 2022 according to PFF as well. He had a career-best 63.3 grade on defense, 64.0 run defense, 57.5 tackling, 65.1 pass rush, and 57.1 coverage.

While those two former Yellow Jackets faced off today, another was making plays against one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. 

Former Georgia Tech safety Juanyeh Thomas has been making a name for himself this training camp on the Dallas Cowboys and in the Cowboy's first preseason game today, he showed off his ball skills by going up and getting an interception from one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Trevor Lawrence, who of course played Thomas when he was the quarterback at Clemson.

.@STG_Yeh1 said COWBOYS BALL! 🏈#JAXvsDAL | 📺: @CBS11 & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/m39Oe1aJ1H

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 12, 2023

The Jets play the Tampa Bay Buccanneers next week and the Panthers play the New York Giants. 

Best of luck to these guys as they continue their NFL careers!

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