Micheal Summers leaves Georgia Tech football program
ATLANTA -- The depth at wide receiver just got a little thinner for Georgia Tech.
Head coach Paul Johnson announced Monday that junior Micheal Summers, the team's most experienced receiver, has left the team and will not return. Johnson said the decision surprised him.
"Quit," Johnson said. "Said he didn't want to play anymore."
Summers started 26 games, including seven this season. He had battled through some injuries, missing two games with a shoulder problem. But he's the team's second-leading receiver, with 12 catches for a 14.8-yard average and two touchdowns. He caught a career-high four passes in the Yellow Jackets' loss to Virginia before their bye week.
That leaves junior Ricky Jeune and true freshman Brad Stewart as the two starters, with Antonio Messick and Brandon Oliver as the backups. The coaching staff does not want to burn a redshirt for freshman Harland Howell unless there are simply no other options.
"It's a little late in the year to play Harland unless somebody gets hurt," Johnson said. "We'll put somebody out there."
Jeune has established himself as the go-to receiver for quarterback Justin Thomas with 20 catches for a 21.3-yard average and three touchdowns. Stewart has caught five passes for 81 yards. Neither Messick, a sophomore from Fayetteville, nor Oliver, a senior from Lithia Springs, has a catch, with both used primarily on special teams. Messick has one career catch for a touchdown in 2014 against N.C. State.
Summers, who played at Statesboro, is expected to graduate this spring, which would make him eligible to transfer and play as a graduate student next season.
Johnson also discusses his backup quarterback situation Monday, saying Matthew Jordan might play Thursday night against Virginia Tech. While there are no firm plans when to use him, Johnson said Jordan likely would get a chance to take some snaps during the nationally televised game.
"I've never been one to say, 'This guy is going to play the third quarter,' or 'That guy is going to play the fourth quarter,' " Johnson said. "I try to play it by feel. We need to get him in the game if the situation warrants."
It has been an unusual season for Jordan, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior from Jackson, Alabama. He was moved to A-back in the preseason, since he was behind Justin Thomas and Tim Byerly, but had to switch back to quarterback after Byerly hurt his knee against Alcorn State.
"I'm not afraid to put him in," Johnson said. "He's practiced well and done some things."
Jordan has played in three games. He has rushed eight times for 104 yards and one touchdown and completed his only pass attempt for a 35-yard touchdown to Jeune.
Kickoff in Miami: The ACC announced that the kickoff for the Miami-Georgia Tech game Nov. 21 would be at 12:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast the ACC Network.
This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Micheal Summers leaves Georgia Tech football program ."