Georgia Tech expecting immediate help from junior college defensive end
ATLANTA -- Georgia Tech might already have a player signed, sealed and delivered who could help it in 2016.
Counting in this year's recruiting class is Desmond Branch, a transfer from Trinity Junior College who could be a bookend with KeShun Freeman at defensive end. Branch (6-foot-3 and 265 pounds) could play right away and provide some help applying pressure to the quarterback.
The New Mexico native had 32 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks last fall at Trinity. Branch already has enrolled at Georgia Tech and will be able to participate in spring practice.
Two other players are also enrolled: linebacker Emmanuel Bridges and B-back Dedrick Mills. Bridges (6-2, 215) made the GHSA Class AAAAAA all-state team after helping Newnan finish 10-3. Mills (5-11, 195) rushed for 1,211 yards and 22 touchdowns and helped Ware County reach the Class AAAAA semifinals.
Georgia Tech has an unusual situation with recruiting this year. The season-long series of injuries sustained in 2014 that led to a 3-9 season forced the staff to play a lot of true freshmen who might ordinarily have been redshirted. On the two-deep depth chart for the final game of the season, there were nine freshmen listed, with four of them in the starting lineup. There were four redshirt freshmen on the two-depth list.
The Yellow Jackets have picked up 13 total commitments, including three at wide receiver, a position the team was stretched thin at this season as the Yellow Jackets started sophomore Ricky Jeune and freshman Brad Stewart. After Micheal Summers quit the team in midseason, the team essentially was rotating three receivers.
That area has been addressed by the team's recruiters. Receivers who have committed include Steve Dolphus (6-5, 200) from Westside, Jalen Camp (6-2, 210) from South Forsyth and Jair Hawkins-Anderson (6-2, 185) from Northview.
Dolphus had 52 catches for 832 yards and nine touchdowns for the Seminoles this season. He has 83 catches and 15 touchdowns the past two seasons. Camp caught 47 passes for 819 yards and 15 touchdowns for South Forsyth. Hawkins-Anderson caught 19 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 111 yards and nine touchdowns.
Another area that needed to be addressed was the offensive line, which struggled this season and lost veteran guards Trey Braun and Errin Joe as they played our their eligibility. By the end of the season there were two freshmen in the starting lineup -- Will Bryan and Trey Klock.
The Yellow Jackets have commitments from two offensive linemen: Kenny Cooper (6-3, 285) from Calhoun and Florida's Parker Braun (6-3, 272), the brother of departing lineman Trey Braun. The Yellow Jackets have a commitment from undersized defensive tackle Chris Martin (6-2, 250), an honorable mention all-state pick from Grayson.
The Yellow Jackets have another outside linebacker commitment from Jakob Brashear of Dacula and a defensive back commitment from Jarett Cole of Norcross. Brashear had 74 tackles as a junior. Both were All-Gwinnett County selections.
There are also commitments from Xavier Gantt of Buford, who is listed as "athlete" but is expected to play in the secondary, and Alabama quarterback Jay Jones, who tweeted his decision on Saturday after taking an official visit.
This story was originally published January 17, 2016 at 8:16 PM with the headline "Georgia Tech expecting immediate help from junior college defensive end ."