Georgia Tech, Paul Johnson will miss Justin Thomas

Although this seems like an obvious statement, Georgia Tech had its best quarterback of the Paul Johnson era in Justin Thomas. Losing Thomas will be tough.

Paul Johnson’s triple option offense has a history of impressive runners, but that doesn’t mean the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets lack strong quarterback play. It takes a gritty, strong-armed signal caller to run Johnson’s offense. Justin Thomas is the epitome of a great triple option quarterback. He ran Johnson’s plays to a T and it showed on film, in his accomplishments and in the stat book.

He not only saved Paul Johnson’s job, but Thomas also took the Yellow Jackets to new heights. This offense became a lot better when the team transitioned to him in 2014. His predecessor Vad Lee was highly touted and a great passer, but no one could work defenses like Thomas. Georgia Tech needed someone who could fly full force into a defender’s tackle and deliver a perfect pitch.

Yellow Jackets’ point man

Thomas read defensive ends easily. His reading ability to give, keep or pitch is noted by the team’s offensive success. However, his impact is even further shown when he doesn’t have the ball. Georgia Tech as a team averaged 342.1, 256.7 and 255 yards per game in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively. Although the numbers lowered in his term, the team averaged at least 5.3 yards per carry every season.

A big part of his game-changing ability didn’t just come on the ground either. The triple option offense is heavily reliant on the deep ball. Thomas differentiated himself from past passers in this area. Johnson’s first two full-time starters, Tevin Washington and Joshua Nesbitt were brilliant runners. Regardless, they couldn’t throw like Thomas.

Nesbitt threw for 3,276 yards and 20 touchdowns against 16 interceptions while completing a below average 42.9 percent of his passes in his career. He led the Yellow Jackets to an Orange Bowl appearance in 2009.

He was a big, pound-it type of runner for Georgia Tech. In fact, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound, signal caller looked more comfortable as a running back with his bulldozing style. In fact, he switched to safety in his lone year in the NFL. He rushed for 2,805 yards and 35 touchdowns in his career.

Obviously, most of the quarterbacks in this offense are runners first, but to be at another level they have to pass efficiently as well. Washington wasn’t much better than Nesbitt. He threw for 3,312 yards, 21 touchdowns against 15 interceptions and an average completion percentage for Tech’s offense of 50.7. He had similar success on the ground to Nesbitt with 2,225 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Thomas was built shorter and more like a “pocket Hercules” at the quarterback spot. At 5-foot-11, 185-pounds, he was different from his two big-time predecessors. He showed it too, throwing for 4,683 yards, 40 touchdowns against 18 interceptions completing 48.9 percent of his passes. His shorter stature never prevented him from being the leader of Paul Johnson era in passing efficiency at 143.2.

He got the ball into his playmakers hands and let them work. The long ball is a mainstay in this offense, but his every down passing was improved upon by his senior season.

Biggest Winner

The most important measuring stick for quarterbacks whether fair or unfair is wins. Although Nesbitt put together three bowl eligible seasons, he failed to come away with a win in each. Washington lost the Sun Bowl in 2011 and came back in 2012 with a win. However, he recorded a meager 15-12 record.

Going into Thomas’ first year, Johnson’s Jackets were just 1-5 in bowl games. He resurrected a dismal postseason program instantly with a massive 49-34 win over Dak Prescott and Mississippi State. Georgia Tech finished the season at 11-3. The team took a major step back one year later recording Johnson’s first losing season at Georgia Tech (3-9). Although Thomas’ legacy seemed to take a hit, he would elevate it in 2016.

After an up-and-down 3-3 start to the season, Thomas righted the ship to a 5-1 finish (missed a game due to injury) and Taxslayer Bowl win. He shredded defenses to the tune of 1,011 passing yards, five touchdowns and just one interception with a 66 completion percentage. He added 401 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as well.

He owns two-thirds of Georgia Tech’s recent bowl wins and perfectly fit this traditional type of offense. Most importantly, he was 2-1 against arch rival Georgia. Thomas is amongst some of the greatest players in Georgia Tech’s underrated history and he’s likely the most important player in the Paul Johnson era.