Three Jackets quit playing careers with eligibility left

DT Chimedza, TE Harris, blocker Quick leaving.

Each with eligibility remaining, three Georgia Tech players have decided to end their football-playing careers. Defensive tackle T.K. Chimedza, tight end Pejé Harris and offensive lineman Pierce Quick confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-constitution that they have moved on from playing at Tech or elsewhere.

Quick, who started eight games for the Jackets last season at left guard after transferring from Alabama, figures to be the most significant on-field loss. Quick was in position to stay in the starting lineup with his remaining two seasons of eligibility but injuries led him to retire. Quick has transferred back to Alabama, where his path to a degree was quicker than at Tech, and is on track to graduate this spring. He plans to pursue a career in coaching.

Chimedza and Harris both earned their degrees last May in business administration and literature, media and communications, respectively, and had one year of eligibility remaining. Chimedza appeared in eight games last season and was credited with six tackles. He played 149 defensive snaps in the defensive tackle rotation, according to Pro Football Focus. In his career, he played in 32 games, starting 12. Perhaps his most memorable on-field contribution was the recovery of a fumble on the goal line against South Florida in 2019 to help preserve a 14-10 win over the Bulls.

Harris played in 40 career games, starting eight. He began at wide receiver and moved to tight end prior to the 2022 season. He played 246 snaps last season, splitting time with Dylan Leonard and Luke Benson. In his career, he had 23 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown. A play indicative of the effort he gave was a touchdown-saving tackle on an interception return against Duke in 2021 that helped lead to a Jackets win.