Potential Transfer from Ga Tech

[SMU_DAD_00]

WR Donley, a top '07 recruit, leaving Tech
"Personal stuff," not possible position change reason for transfer

By MATT WINKELJOHN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/26/08

Georgia Tech has lost one of the top players from its highly touted 2007 recruiting class. D.J. Donley has left school and said he will transfer.

The 6-foot-4, 203-pound wide receiver from Folkston started classes in the current semester before leaving.

Soon after coach Paul Johnson was hired, he and/or members of his staff approached Donley about switching to safety next season. He said that was not the reason he left.

"It was just personal stuff," he said Friday night from his home in Folkston. "It had nothing to do with [the suggested position change]."

Donley played in all 13 games last season, chiefly on special teams, where he blocked two punts, recovered a fumble and registered a combined nine tackles and assists. As a receiver, he caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown that came in Tech's loss to Fresno State in the Humanitarian Bowl.

Donley said he was academically eligible when he left.

Tech's top three receivers from last season â€" Greg Smith, James Johnson and Demaryius Thomas â€" are scheduled to return. Correy Earls, who caught 14 passes despite missing several games, is to return as well.

The Jackets, however, have lost No. 4 receiver Colin Peek, a tight end who caught 25 passes. He transferred to Alabama

[gostangs]

This is relevant to us why??????

[RednBlue11]

obviously the point of this post is not highlight that he left, its to highlight that he might come here...although i don't see any evidence of that based on the information presented here.

[Stallion]

He would be great but I've been followed the mass exodus from Georgia Tech and I'm pretty sure I saw he was heading elsewhere. Thank God we didn't choose Paul Johnson. Geogia Tech has lost about 4 commitments and about 3 transfers since Paul Johnson took the job.

[Big Hoss]

I kind of wondered if Johnson's offensive schemes would actually fit here or not. Personally, I think Nebraska would have been a great fit for Johnson, given their past style of offenses.

[KnuckleStang]

Doesn't matter how many wide recievers leave. Johnson will win at GT.

[OC Mustang]

Doesn't matter how many wide recievers leave. Johnson will win at GT.

<<Yawn.>>

[KnuckleStang]

Johnson isn't going to change his system to appease recruits or fans.

"Our system isn't much different from what everybody else is running," Johnson said. "Pretty much everybody is running what we're running, but they're doing it out of the shotgun. We're just doing it from under center.

"The thing I find funny, for lack of anything else, is people saying, 'I don't know if this system will work at this level.' It's worked on every level we've been. If we can run it against Boston College at Navy, why can't we run it against Boston College at Georgia Tech? If we can beat Pitt with this system at Navy, why can't we beat Pitt at Georgia Tech? Are we going to get worse players at Georgia Tech?"

If Johnson doesn't succeed at Georgia Tech, he insists his offense won't be to blame.

"When something is different, people don't want to see it succeed," Johnson said. "Would Hawaii have beaten Georgia in the Sugar Bowl running a conventional offense? Hawaii probably wouldn't have been there if they ran a conventional offense. It's not about the system. If you swapped the players at Georgia and put them in Hawaii's uniforms, you don't think that offense would work? Does that guarantee we're going to be really good at Georgia Tech? I don't know, that's why they play the games. But I know this system will work."

[Junior]

And JJ will win at SMU.

[Alaric]

Thank God we didn't choose Paul Johnson.

Think WVU or Appalachian State offense. Those aren't places for WRs but they're highly successful plus you're not fighting too many people for the kind of athlete you want at qb. Just hold on a little while.