The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yates’ preparation, patience pay off for Jackets
He’s poised to lead offense after injury to starting quarterback.
As using the transfer portal has become more common, it is easy for a college athlete to weigh options and leave a program to search for what’s deemed a better place. No more do players have to “grind it out” or wait for their turn.
For sophomore quarterback Jordan Yates, he stayed at Georgia
Tech even when things were not the best. For a program that has a combined 7-17 record over the past three seasons, there weren’t many bright days at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
In Yates’ freshman season of 2019, the Yellow Jackets went 3-9 while he played in only three games. His stats that season consisted of 4-for-12 passing for 38 yards with zero touchdowns and interceptions.
The next season, he redshirted after three games as backup signal-caller. His final stats were 4-for-9 passing for 16 yards with no touchdowns and interceptions.
This usually is the time when most athletes would look at other options and more than likely transfer to a school where they can get the opportunity to play. Instead, Yates continued working on his craft and skills in the offseason.
Yates’ work has put him in the
position to be the leader of the Jackets offense after an injury to starting quarterback Jeff Sims. From being the star quarterback at Milton High School and one of the top quarterbacks in Class 7A in Georgia, he has progressed a lot since then.
“It’s night and day,” Yates said on his progression from high school to college. “You learn so much from being in the film room all day, meeting, stuff like that. Physically getting bigger stronger, arm strength.”
Entering this season, Sims returned as Tech’s starting quarterback, but he was injured in the season opener against Northern Illinois, which meant Yates was the next man up. Yates finished the game 12-for-18 passing for 135 yards and one touchdown, but the Jackets came up short, losing 22-21.
The next game for Yates became a coming-out party that many were not expecting. He threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns on 17-for23 passing Saturday. That was his best game of his college career.
“He’s a competitor; I was really proud of him on Saturday,”
‘It’s night and day. You learn so much from being in the film room all day, meeting, stuff like that. Physically getting bigger stronger, arm strength.’ Jordan Yates Georgia Tech quarterback, on difference between high school and college football
Collins said Tuesday. “In this program, we don’t worry about starters; we want everybody to prepare like it’s going to be their show on Saturday. I think Jordan has done that for the last two years. I think that’s the philosophy of the program that helps guys when they get their opportunity at the next level.”