Earlier this week on Score Atlanta’s The Official Visit, co-hosts Fletcher Proctor and Scott Janovitz welcomed one of the newest members of Georgia Tech’s recruiting class, Mays defensive end Darrius Caldwell. Yellow Jacket head coach Paul Johnson received the commitment of Caldwell over the weekend following a visit that left Caldwell glowing days after. “I’m very excited right now. I’ve always been a fan of Tech.”
Caldwell said multiple times during the interview that he was impressed with the enthusiasm found all over campus, starting with the head coach and trickling down to the assistants as well as the players and others associated with the program. “I committed after meeting with Coach Johnson and I saw his enthusiasm. That’s my biggest thing.”
Caldwell wasn’t kidding when he said that enthusiasm was his biggest thing. The Yellow Jackets’ zeal and tradition led him to pledge to Georgia Tech over South Carolina, Virginia, Ole Miss, UCF and West Virginia he admitted. And if those schools are still harboring hopes that the defensive end might change his mind, he says stop. “I have no reason to visit any other school. I’ve given my word and I’m going to recruit for my new school.”
The Mays (GA) defensive end says he is working on his speed and strength because he anticipates a position switch at the next level. Caldwell said he spoke with the Tech coaches and he will be an outside linebacker in Al Groh’s 3-4 defense, opposed to a hand-down end in a 4-3. The position switch doesn’t bother him though as he trusts his future coaches. “I’m going to do what the coaches want,” Caldwell said. “They’ll put me in a position to succeed.” He also said that he’ll heed their advice on what to do his first season on campus. While he said he’d love to have an impact right out of the gate, if he struggles to pick up the new position, he will gladly wait in the wings. “If they want me to redshirt, I’ll do it.”
Overall, Caldwell seems more than thrilled to be the newest member of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket recruiting class, which has recently been picking up steam, especially in North Carolina. Looking back Caldwell had zero dislikes about the recruiting process. “The whole thing was a joy for me. Hard work pays off and it was an honor.”
Caldwell does want a state title before he departs for Tech however. The senior said that while he has improved his consistency, the team overall has got a lot better and is going to be a major player this season. “We’ve got the best defense in the state. We’re very disciplined and we’ve got young players ready to step up and make plays.” The Blue and Gold Raiders of Mays face Dunwoody this Saturday to begin the season.
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