Georgia Tech Football Fall Camp position preview: Cornerbacks

Georgia Tech has an ongoing competition at the cornerback position in 2023

Jackson Caudell | Jul 29, 2023

Georgia Tech Football Fall Camp position preview: Cornerbacks /

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Stop me if I have said this before, but Georgia Tech is going to have competition at one of the positions on defense.

Defensive end and linebacker are going to be two important battles on that side of the ball, but cornerback is going to be crucial as well.

This position looked like it was settled early in the offseason when Zamari Walton announced that he would be coming back for another season, but Walton entered the transfer portal shortly after and transferred to Ole Miss, who Georgia Tech plays on Sept. 16th. Walton was a dependable starter last year alongside Myles Sims, but there are question marks as to who it will be that replaces Walton.

There is no worry about Sims though. He started every game last season and is going to man one of the spots this season. He received a favorable coverage grade of 70.1 on PFF and which is the second-highest returning mark on the team, trailing only safety LaMiles Brooks. Sims finished the year with 43 tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception. He is going to be one of the leaders of the defense in his final season in Atlanta.

There are a number of guys competing to start on the other side and this spring, defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker talked about who could get that starting job:

"Kenan Johnson has been behind and another one that I want to make sure that I bring up is Kenyatta Watson and Rodney Shelley is playing the slot nickel position so it is corner and we have the nickel position, we also see the nickel as a corner/slot guy. For example, Rodney is playing outside of the slot corner right now because there are more jobs to be able to do and you can learn the complexities of the defense and then to kick back out and know the complexity of the defense and do a better job but maybe a tougher technique.

So there is some competition outside of that spot, Kenyatta has the most experience and played the most downs, and Kenan Johnson, I would compliment him on his first four days, he has put some good tape out there."

Johnson and Watson are both redshirt juniors and are the likely candidates to replace Walton on the other side of Sims, but another guy that will likely play a factor is Ahmari Harvey.

According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Johnson played 161 total snaps for the Yellow Jackets and finished with a 69.9 grade overall, which is solid. Johnson finished the season with 12 tackles and one pass deflection. He was a bit up and down when he was on the field, but it seems as if the coaching staff liked what he did this spring.

Watson played 67 snaps last season and finished with a 51.7 grade on PFF. He totaled seven tackles last season.

Harvey only played 12 snaps after transferring in from Auburn. He also had six tackles in the spring game.

Kenan Johnson should see plenty of snaps this season for Georgia Tech / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

While those three players should compete on the outside, the nickel position looks like it will be a two-man race between K.J. Wallace and Rodney Shelley. Wallace played 403 snaps last season according to PFF (Pro Football Focus), but finished with a grade of 47.8 in coverage. He finished the season with 45 tackles and one interception.

Shelley did not see many snaps last season but impressed the coaches this spring and could be the starting nickel.

Georgia Tech did bring in one transfer this offseason at cornerback.

Daniels is a 6'0 178 LBS cornerback that played 122 snaps last season for the Big 12 champions, which was a big bump up from the two snaps he played in the 2021 season. His snaps came on the outside corner position, but Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker loves versatility and I would not rule him playing in the slot.

Daniels's overall grade from last season is 65.2, with his highest individual mark coming in run defense with a 72.0 grade. He finished with a 53.2 grade in tackling and 63.5 in coverage.

He has not played a lot of snaps in his career, but Daniels should exceed his snap total from last year. He has the ability in coverage.

There are two freshmen coming in this fall, Steven Jones Jr and Nico Dowdell. Both are players that can be contributors in the future, but it is always tough for freshmen to make an impact.

Sims is a lock to be a starter and I think Johnson and Watson are the likely next two guys on the depth chart. I am interested to see if either Harvey or Daniels can make a serious push to see more snaps this fall. Also, keep an eye on the battle at the nickel position between Wallace and Shelley.

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