Commitment breakdown: Bryce Gowdy chooses Georgia Tech
THE COMMITMENT: Rivals250 wide receiver Bryce Gowdy chose Georgia Tech over Penn State and Syracuse on Tuesday evening. Gowdy’s decision represents a huge victory for a Yellow Jackets program that seems to be gaining momentum by the day. Below, Rivals.com has a look at how Tuesday’s news helps Tech and hurts the programs that missed out.
HOW IT HELPS GEORGIA TECH: Geoff Collins’ swift and effective rebranding of Georgia Tech football and his aggressive approach to recruiting continue to pay dividends. Gowdy’s commitment is just the latest example of how the first-year head coach’s program overhaul seems to be working. Gowdy is a long wideout with solid-enough speed. His major strength, however, might be his sure hands. The long target catches anything thrown near his massie catch radius and seems to be improving as a route runner with each passing day. Gowdy doesn’t boast elite speed but his size and athleticism will still allow him to stretch the field when he’s not going over the middle.
Gowdy’s commitment to the Yellow Jackets is worth more than the sum of his physical parts, The 6-foot-2 prospect attends powerhouse Deerfield Beach High School and plays 7-on-7 for the nationally relevant Florida Fire organization, which has produced wideouts such as Calvin Ridley and Jerry Juedy. That’s to say that a Georgia Tech pipeline to either Deerfield or the Florida Fire would be something of great value should such things develop.
HOW IT HURTS THOSE THAT MISSED OUT: Penn State tried its best to get Gowdy on campus before his announcement and failed to do so. The Nittany Lions certainly targeted Gowdy and pursued him for months but never really counted on the Rivals250 wideout’s commitment.
Two of the three wide receivers in Penn State’s class are ranked as four-star prospects so it’s not as though missing out on Gowdy leaves the cupboard bare. Would James Franklin had liked to have landed Gowdy? Sure, but it’s not as though missing out his a crushing blow. There’s still plenty of time for the program to add a fourth receiver to its 2020 haul.