Sorry if this has been discussed recently, didn't see anything when I browsed through though. Any word on how his combine feedback is going? Think he's got a week to make up his mind.

Georgia Tech will be playing UNC and UVA. Not a great draw, but that may not be a bad thing in the long-term for the program.

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Alabama canceled his OV. I belief GT is now the front runner to land the talented center.

Mailbag will go up tomorrow afternoon. I’m flying back from New Jersey now.

I didn’t really sleep much up here thanks to discomfort from my fall so I’ll also have some nuggets from the camp and some other stuff coming up this week.

My column will return next Sunday, Q’s Take and we have a new sponsor for that. I’m very excited about adding another key partnership to the site.

I’ll be going on vacation starting Wednesday but we have plenty of content in the pipeline loaded up.

So given my injuries today, I decided to break this up into two parts. Tomorrow I'll post the football side of things since I didn't have time to finish that before I left Atlanta, but the first part I did. As always keep the WAR ROOM stuff on this board and off twitter, private messages, texts, Facebook, etc because you are basically stealing from our kids when you do that...

ON LEAGUE MOVEMENT AND THE ACC

As I’ve said a million times before everyone is tied to the GOR and there isn’t a legal way out of it anyone can figure out. Clemson and FSU have definitely had people study it like biblical scholars study the bible and the entire writing of it was designed to prevent this from happening.

The ACC is currently in fourth place behind the Big 12, SEC and Big Ten in payout dollars The Big 12 deal is expected to be around $50 million per year starting in 2025 and the ACC should outpace that by then, I think people don’t realize how high the ACC current payouts are at nearly $40 million now. The Big 12 was at 42.6 this year, but it will actually drop for 2023 because of the new schools coming in for a year. The goal of the Big 12 is to be at $50 million in 2025 and the ACC should be there as well once the RSN network deal ends and those rights are gobbled up by ESPN.

Will Clemson and FSU stay by 2030 the first possible time to move? Who knows. What will UNC do has the largest national brand that draws interest from the Big Ten and SEC? Again who knows. They’ve been the Texas of the ACC, with a lot of input, but Texas will try to swallow their pride in the SEC now, I think that might also be an interesting litmus test for the Heels.

There are two scenarios that I envision for how this plays out. One is you see a status quo largely driven by drying up TV revenue dollars in the future as traditional broadcast media continues to bleed AD dollars and subscribers and the squeeze hits the Mouse and the Murdochs and others. That is already happening if you follow the business side of this which I do. Several ACC people I trust are of this mindset as well. The math just doesn’t work long-term.

So the math not working could also help drive scenario two which is the idea of having basically a mega league with the top 40 or whatever teams only and then leagues like the ACC, Big 12 and Pac 12 become level 2 and then the G5 are level 3. In that scenario teams like Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Maryland, and any non-major brand is screwed and will be moved down. It is the European soccer model and you could still have access to a playoff spot or move up or something but there will be a lot of teams left out and it will kill what makes the sport great, regionalism.

No one really knows what will happen though and the idea of basically minor league football is not going to excite the masses even if it is tangentially school related. I just see that killing off interest for those schools.

GT won’t be invited to that party if they go super league and it take a lot to get positioned to be invited in the near future, but I also think GT would be out even if they had gone to the Big Ten when Maryland did. TV markets don’t matter like they used to so that has sapped a lot of the drive of interest in GT.

Anyway, it is status quo for now.

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech student-athletes put together an impressive semester in the classroom this spring, with a combined grade point average of 3.08 for the recently completed spring semester.



The Yellow Jackets’ 3.08 grade point average marks the ninth time in the last 10 semesters that Tech student-athletes have compiled a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and was a 7% improvement over the fall semester.



“Congratulations to our student-athletes for their great results in the classroom this past semester,” Georgia Tech director of athletics J Batt said. “We couldn’t be more proud of their hard work and commitment to academic achievement. I’d also like to thank our coaches and our outstanding academic support team for all that they do to help our student-athletes be successful in the classroom.”



Ten of Georgia Tech’s 13 programs* - baseball, men’s cross country/track and field, women’s cross country/track and field, golf, softball, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball – had team GPAs of 3.0 or higher in the spring semester, led by women’s tennis (3.66 – top overall team GPA) and golf (3.34 – top men’s team GPA).



Additionally, 10 teams – baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country/track and field, women’s cross country/track and field, football, men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis and volleyball – improved their team GPAs from the fall semester, led by football (up 24% from fall), men’s basketball (up 10%) and women’s basketball (up 8%).



Individually, 64% of Tech’s student-athletes compiled a 3.0 GPA or higher in the spring semester and 50% earned Dean’s List or Faculty Honors designation. The Yellow Jackets’ first-year student-athletes combined to earn a 3.11 GPA during the spring semester.



Georgia Tech student-athletes continue to achieve great academic success while pursuing valuable, yet challenging, majors, with 86% of its 399 student-athletes majoring in engineering, business, sciences or computing during the spring semester.



Georgia Tech athletics also boasts a 91% graduation success rate in the latest data provided by the NCAA. The 91% NCAA GSR is an all-time high for Tech, which had never achieved a GSR above 85% prior to 2016. Nine of the Yellow Jackets’ 13 teams – men’s cross country/track & field, women’s cross country/track & field, football, golf, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis and volleyball – have individual team GSRs equal to or higher than the national average in their respective sports.



* for academic reporting purposes, Tech’s cross country/indoor track and field/outdoor track and field teams are compiled as one men’s and one women’s program

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior outfielder Stephen Reid was named first-team all-ACC, leading Georgia Tech baseball’s five overall all-ACC selections, the conference announced on Monday.

In addition to Reid, Jake DeLeo, Angelo Dispigna and Jackson Finley were named to the second team, while Kristian Campbell was named to the all-ACC third team as well as the all-freshman list. Georgia Tech’s five selections rank fourth in the ACC behind Wake Forest (9), Miami and Virginia (7).

The all-conference teams and annual awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Turning in the best year of his career, Reid has been on fire at the plate and in the field, making all 55 starts in right field. Reid has hit .353 this season for 77 hits, 13 doubles, two triples and 15 home runs, while slugging .638 with an on-base percentage of .436. In the ACC, he ranks 15th in average and 10th in hits and home runs. The Garwood, N.J. native ratcheted up the power hitting even more so in ACC play, hitting .375 against conference foes, including nine home runs to slug .714 with a .467 on-base percentage.

Also having a career year now that he’s been fully healthy, DeLeohas been one of the ACC’s best centerfielders. Starting in all 55 games, DeLeo has hit .365 for 88 hits, 22 doubles, two triples and 14 home runs, slugging .647 and reaching base at a .427 clip. The Norwalk, Conn. native has also stolen eight bases on the field and recorded four outfield assists. Nationally, DeLeo ranks 12th and 17th in hits and total bases (156), respectively, but in the ACC, he also ranks top 15 in doubles (third), average (10th), runs (10th) and slugging (12th).

In just his first season on The Flats, transfer outfielder Dispigna has been a veteran presence at the plate and in left field for Tech this season. Starting all 55 games this season, Dispigna leads the team with a .390 average, recording 83 hits, 12 doubles and 15 home runs for 57 RBI. He’s slugged .657 and with a whopping 46 walks drawn, he’s reaching base at a .508 rate. He also has seven stolen bases on the year. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native ranks top 10 in a myriad of ACC categories – third in on-base percentage, fifth in hits, sixth in total bases, eighth in walks, eighth in RBI, 10th in home runs, and 10th in slugging percentage.

Finley was named all-ACC as a utility/designated hitter, being named earlier this season a semifinalist to the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. At the plate, Finley has been a menace, hitting .330 overall for 63 hits, 17 doubles and a team-best 17 home runs for 61 RBI. Tech’s Sunday starter for the season, the Richmond Hill, Ga. native has worked to a 5.96 ERA, with two wins and 42 strikeouts. In the ACC, Finley ranks third in RBI, sixth in home runs, seventh in slugging percentage (.686), and eighth in doubles.

In his first season of action, redshirt freshman Campbell has shown his incredible bat-to-ball talent as Tech’s leadoff hitter, hitting .382 for 63 hits, 15 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 24 RBI. Drawing 29 walks and 11 hit-by-pitches with just 16 strikeouts in 165 at-bats, he’s reaching base at a .493 clip. In conference play alone, Campbell is hitting a gaudy .388 with 45 hits, 10 doubles and two home runs, drawing 19 walks, five HBP and striking out just 13 times in 116 at-bats for a .493 on-base percentage. In the ACC, the Marietta, Ga. native ranks as the second-toughest to strike out at 10.3 at-bats per strikeout, as well as fourth in on-base percentage, sixth in average, eighth in runs per game and hits per game, and ninth in doubles per game.

THE FLATS – Caitlyn Wilson, a 5-10 guard from Cordova, Tenn., has signed a grant-in-aid to join Georgia Tech women’s basketball, head coach Nell Fortner announced on Monday.

Wilson joins the Yellow Jackets after playing three seasons at Cincinnati where she took the floor in 77 games, earning the start in 42. During her time as a Bearcat, Wilson averaged 7.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 32.6 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from three-point distance. Hitting at least 50 threes each season, Wilson finished sixth in Cincinnati program history with 163 made three-pointers in her career.

As a senior last season, Wilson finished fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 6.6 points per game, while leading Cincinnati with 54 made three-pointers behind a team-best and career-high 36 percent shooting effort from beyond the arc. She averaged 20.2 minutes per game, appearing in 29 games and starting 10.

Wilson finished second in the American Athletic Conference with 2.1 three-point field goals per game as a junior (2021-22) and third in three-point field goals made with 58. She ranked first in the AAC with 2.55 three-point field goals per game and 51 three-pointers made as a sophomore. Wilson logged a personal-best 23 points against Temple on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, 5-of-10 from three-point distance, in her first season with Cincinnati.

The guard played her freshman season (2019-20) at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla., starting 18-of-27 games played. She averaged 13.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 0.9 assists to earn All-Panhandle Conference First Team honors. Wilson shot 37.5 percent from the field, including a 35 percent efficiency from three-point range, averaging 3.4 made three-pointers per contest. As a freshman, she scored in double-figures in 15 games, including scoring a career-high 36 points against Denmark Tech when she shot 10-of-19 from the floor and hit nine three-pointers.

The Yellow Jackets announced Wilson’s addition after the signing of transfer Sydney Johnson (Powder Springs, Ga./Boston University/The Lovett School) last month. Johnson and Wilson join Tech’s signing class which includes Rusne Augustinaite (Šiauliai, Lithuania/Montverde Academy (Fla.), Jada Bediako (Brampton, Ontario/Southwest Academy), Ariadna Termis Casas (Zaragoza, Spain/IES Joaquim Blume Barcelona) and D’Asia Thomas (Katy, Texas/Houston Christian).

To mix it up I decided to give everyone exactly what they've been asking for. Enjoy!


So here is my post-spring depth chart with only people currently enrolled meaning no Blaylock, no Chase, etc…


QB- Pyron, King, Gibson, Rhodes+
RB- Smith, Cooley or Felix, Dickens, Gordon+, Williams+
WR- DJ Moore, Lewis or BlackStrain
WR- Janneh, Boyd or BlackStrain
SLT- Rutherford, Leary, Haynes
TE- Leonard, Ward, Long or Wilhelm+, Bonner+
HB- Seither, Benson, Long
LT- Robinson, Brown or Gibson
LG- Fusile, Brown, Scissum+
C- Franklin, Best, Purves+
RG- Williams, Tchio, Scissum+
RT- Leftwich or Williams, Green, Cloy

Defense
FE- Yondjouen, Reuben, Robinson
DT- Douse, Moore+ or Lockett, Rochell+
DT- Scott, Biggers, Jones
RE- Kennard, Collins, Harris
MLB- White, Tatum, Efford, Dean+
WLB- Oliver, Meiguez, Heflin
NB- Wallace, Shelley, Rowe+
CB- Sims, Johnson, Reed
FS- King, Powell-Lee, Gee*
SS- Brooks, Bryant
CB- Watson, Harvey

+walk-on
*Gee has a medical situation, and I am unsure if he will be able to play this fall.

So that is how I saw it at the close of camp, this is what I expect when the new players are added into the mix.

QB- Pyron, King, Gibson, Rhodes+
RB- Smith, Cooley or Felix, Dickens, Gordon+, Williams+
WR- Blaylock or DJ Moore, Lewis or Dopson
WR- Janneh, Lane or Boyd or BlackStrain or Taylor
SLT- Rutherford, Leary, Singleton or Haynes
TE- Leonard, Ward, Long or Wilhelm+, Bonner+
HB- Seither, Benson, Long
LT- Robinson or Leftwich, Brown or Gibson, Mackenny
LG- Fusile, Brown or Tchio, Scissum+
C- Franklin, Best, Fortson, Purves+
RG- Scgalione or Williams, Tchio, Galloway, Scissum+
RT- Leftwich or Williams, Green, Cloy, Screws

So, a couple of thoughts to add to this, I do expect all the new guys to have to earn their spots and guys like Blaylock and Chase Lane are not going to be given anything. I think the offensive tackle position is fluid and will be more based on the best five and that could even have Williams playing on the left side or many other scenarios, but this is the jumping off point and where I think they will start at least summer workouts at. Every spot is wide open across the board.

The TE positions and the WR positions will likely make or break how good the offense is. Leonard has to be consistent catching the ball, Seither has to stretch the field when he is in the game up the middle to open up things for others and the slots will be the strength of this group as long as Leary’s hands hold up. I’m excited to see what the WRs actually look like when everyone is healthy and ready to go. We did not see BlackStrain or Juju Lewis in the spring game due to injuries and I’m curious how they look and there are big shoes to fill with Leo Blackburn out for the year.

I think the RB position is probably the deepest spot offensively right now.


Defense
FE- Yondjouen, Reuben, Kelly or Robinson, Pugh
DT- Douse, Moore+ or Lockett, Rochell+
DT- Scott, Biggers, Jones, Dixon
RE- Kennard, Collins, Harris, Odinjor
MLB- White, Tatum, Efford, Cruz or Dean+
WLB- Oliver, Meiguez or Moala, Heflin, Ashley
NB- Wallace, Shelley, Daniels, Rowe+
CB- Sims, Johnson, Reed or Jones
FS- King, Powell-Lee, Gee*, Dowdell
SS- Brooks, Bryant, Seymore
CB- Watson, Harvey, Daniels

Defensively there are some tweener guys like Shymeik Jones or Eddie Kelly who could flip spots for example or both end up inside or both outside. I think the LB position will be interesting as they need White/Tatum and the trio of Oliver/Meiguez/Moala to step up and fill big shoes in the defense. The LB depth is much better than it has been since 2018, but there are a ton of questions before only Tatum has significant experience playing here. The cornerbacks could slide around some and guys like Daniels and Shelley can play both nickel and corner. I think Powell-Lee and King could also see the field together at safety with Brooks at nickel in some packages as well. Those are not steadfast position splits with the FS/SS/NB positions. Sirad Bryant I do like as the headhunter, he has a little edge to him that has been missing and you saw it on special teams last year.

Not much to report on special teams, Aidan Birr is still getting his leg strength back so it will be interesting to see the kicker and kickoff competition in the fall once he is stronger with Gavin Stewart who was very steady last season in both roles. David Shanahan appears to be getting better as well and I thought was punting the ball better this spring and getting it off faster. I’m curious to see what coach Brumfield does with his return guys and you have a lot of speed coming in with guys like Singleton and if they throw him into the mix as a return guy as an example.

Areas of concern:

I think the skill positions on offense and the corner positions on defense are the biggest areas of concern. Linebackers would fall behind that just because what Ayinde Eley and Charlie Thomas did last year is a high bar for some transfers and some inexperienced guys.

Areas of strength:

I think they actually have a real functional two-deep on the OL for the first time since I’ve covered Georgia Tech. They are not the Hogs of Washington Redskins fame, but they are not the patchy quilt of recent OLs either and this will be the most experienced OL since probably 2015 in terms of career snaps GT has fielded.

I like the defensive line and the options there, they just really need production at the rush spot. I think Sylvain and ET will be a nice duo on one side and I think the DT spot should remain a strength.

Fred Haskins Award

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht, currently ranked among the top 10 players in men’s college golf, has been named to the final watch list for the Fred Haskins Award presented by Stifel, given to the nation’s top player. The 2023 award winner will be announced and presented with the award Tuesday, May 30, on Golf Channel.

The 10 contenders, listed in alphabetical order, are Ludvig Aberg of Texas Tech, Adrien Dumont de Chassart of Illinois, David Ford of North Carolina, Benjamin James of Virginia, Tommy Kuhl of Illinois, Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech, Maxwell Moldovan of Ohio State, Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt, Preston Summerhays of Arizona State and Michael Thorbjornsen of Stanford.

Ranked No. 6 nationally by Golfstat and No 5 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Index, Lamprecht has a victory and three runner-up finishes in 2022-23. The junior from George, South Africa won the Inverness Intercollegiate in the fall, and this spring has finished second at the Watersound Invitational, the Linger Longer Invitational and The Goodwin. Selected to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference team for the second straight year, Lamprecht led the Yellow Jackets to the program’s 19th ACC Championship and the title at the NCAA Salem Regional. He has been the team’s highest finisher in six of 10 stroke play events. His 69.17 stroke average would stand as a Georgia Tech record if maintained for the remainder of the spring, and he has averaged 68.72 over 18 rounds this spring.

Lamprecht, also one of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award, is currently No. 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and has been named to compete for the International team in the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup.

The Haskins Award has not gone to a Georgia Tech player sinceBryce Molder was honored in 2001. David Duval (1993), Stewart Cink (1995) and Matt Kuchar (1998) also have won the Haskins Award.

Not sure how many GT kids actually show up. Unfortunately the new DE commit was supposed to be here but he has a family emergency.

Not much in the OL/DL segment but KJ Miles little brother is here and playing OL now and looks better. He struggled as a DL.

stay tuned, I will cover a lot of the topics on everyone's mind and have some post-spring football stuff as well as some recruiting nuggets from RJ.

Kelly was asked about funny Pastner stories on the live show earlier this evening and it reminded me of one from his call-in show in 2017.

"If you think about it, if this was any other job, I'd be in jail. I text 16 year old boys at 10:30 on school nights on a regular basis to get them to come visit me." -- Josh Pastner

This actually started as a conversation off-air between us before the show that I was already booked on and we dove into it. Chuck like me thinks CFB is getting away from what makes it special through pure greed basically and that the endless flow of money isn't sustainable.


14-minute mark

I know it's early, but why not? We're in sports overload euphoria rn and our teams are winning.

Hawks defeated the Bucks 123-113 in exhibition last night. D. Murray with 25/9/8/2 in 31 minutes and Trae with 22.

Hawks shot 55% from the field.

Much higher than I expected at nearly 39.5 million per school. There are still more rights to add as the RSN deal ends that will increase that number more.

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Fire away

Hello. This notebook/column is well overdue.

As you read this, a couple thousand students at Georgia Tech will be celebrating one of their biggest life accomplishments - graduating college.

For head coach Brent Key and his coaching staff, this is a time to celebrate past members of the program, while others in the building continue to focus on the critical weeks coming.

The roster was updated recently, and as JOL reported, four more players are no longer on the roster, opening up more room for additions to the roster for the 2023 season and beyond.

Questions keep coming up about where the strongest efforts are being placed in the portal, and what positions they are prioritizing.

The answer I keep hearing from sources is wherever they feel they can upgrade, but that's not an acceptable answer by JOL standards.

So we dug deeper.

With Gibson remaining on the roster, it appears that the QB room is set.

Following the departure of Antonio Martin, the RB room appears set as well.

WR is where things open up, in terms of potential additions. Even before the Blackburn injury, Georgia Tech was still evaluating and pursuing targets at the position. There could be as many as two additions, but if they can land just one high-impact talent to go along with Janneh, they would jump at the chance to do so. It is unknown what type of role Chase Lane will play upon his arrival, but he will be given every chance to prove he can be an impact guy.

TE is still lacking a true playmaker, but given the recent history at the position, it is hard to land someone that has been able to prove it at a high level. Faulkner will look to fill that role in the 2024 class, if I had to guess.

OL is another position where if Key/Wade believe they can upgrade, they will do so with no hesitation. Can never have too much depth. The Corey Robinson success story helps them a lot here.

On the defensive side of the ball, things are even more open. They'd take a dude at edge rusher if they can get one, have their focus heavily on a DL who showed flashes during his freshman season in the AAC, and at linebacker the search continues for an impact guy that can bridge the gap until younger guys (Heflin, Efford) are ready. Andre White's inability to stay healthy has been an issue the last couple of seasons, and it appears that the fear of that happening in 2023 has GT being proactive.

At defensive back, two spots are open- one for a cornerback, and another for a nickel/safety that has the versatility to make an impact in multiple areas.
Login to view embedded media The end of the 2022-23 academic year at Georgia Tech also means that High School recruiting is set to hit another gear. Camp season is fast-approaching, and so is official visit season.

Locked in official visits thus far that JOL has confirmed-

June 2nd-4th
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June 9th-11th
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June 16th-18th
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June 23rd-25th
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Wow!

Tech Schedule and Results | NCAA Golf Website | Final Leaderboard via Golfstat

Salem, S.C. – Connor Howe and Hiroshi Tai set the tone with twin 6-under-par 66 scores Wednesday, and 11th-ranked Georgia Tech shattered a pair of school 54-hole scoring records after posting a 21-under-par round of 267 Wednesday to win the NCAA Salem Regional.

After setting a program record for 18-hole scoring in an NCAA post-season round Tuesday (266, -22), the No. 2-seed Yellow Jackets nearly beat that record Wednesday. Tech came up one stroke short of duplicating the 18-hole mark, but instead established a team 54-hole scoring record for an NCAA regional at 53-under-par 811. The Jackets won the Salem Regional by eight shots over Arkansas after starting the day seven shots behind the Razorbacks.

Tech’s 54-hole total of 811 at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls was the fourth-lowest score in program history for any tournament, and the 53-under-par mark was its third-best ever. Those scores easily surpassed the previous marks for the Yellow Jackets in any NCAA regional. (Side note: It also beat by one the score Tech shot on the same golf course in the 2019 Clemson Invitational, the last time the Jackets competed in a tournament at The Cliffs).

All five Yellow Jackets finished among the top 18 individuals, with Howe and Christo Lamprecht tying for third place at 14-under-par 202, Ross Steelman tied for 11th at 10-under-par 206, Bartley Forrester tied for 14th at 9-under-par 207, and Tai tied for 18th at 8-under-par 208.

Tech won an NCAA regional for the second year in a row after tying for top honors last year in Columbus, Ohio, and captured its seventh all-time regional title. The Jackets advance to compete in the NCAA Championship finals, which are set for May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

TECH LINEUP – Tai and Forrester, the first two Georgia Tech players out Wednesday, set the tone for the Yellow Jackets by putting up three birdies each in their first five holes. They continued to play steady golf the remainder of the round, each making only one bogey, and shot 66 (-6) and 67 (-5), respectively.

Howe, the third Jacket off the tee Wednesday, was 1-over-par after nine holes, but birdied 10, 11 and 12 in succession, then after a par at 13, made eagle-birdie-birdie on the next three holes. He bogeyed 17 but birdied 18 and posted a 66.

Steelman recorded six birdies and an eagle to fashion a 4-under-par 68, while Lamprecht birdied four holes on the back side and shot 69 (-3), which didn’t count toward the team total.

Tech played the more difficult front nine in 9-under-par, then came home with a 12-under-par back nine. The Jackets finished the tournament with a commanding lead on the field in scoring on par-4 holes (-30) and led the tournament in birdies (83).

TEAM LEADERBOARD – Georgia Tech, the No. 2 seed, trailed Arkansas, the sixth seed, by 12 shots after round 1, and seven shots after round 2, and caught the Razorbacks within the first six holes Wednesday. Still neck-and-neck at the turn, the Yellow Jackets pulled away on the back nine with their 21-under-par 271, while the Hogs shot 6-under-par 282. Tech’s 53-under-par total of 811 was eight strokes clear as Arkansas finished at 819 (-45).

Top-seeded North Carolina (821, -43) and No. 8 seed New Mexico (822, -42) also locked up spots in the NCAA Championship, while host Clemson and No. 3 seed Texas A&M finished tied at 835 (-29), forcing a playoff to decide the fifth team to advance. The Aggies won the aggregate five-hole play off by two strokes over the Tigers and will be headed to Scottsdale next week.

Georgia Southern and San Diego State tied for seventh at 836 (-28), just one stroke out of the top five.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – North Carolina’s Ryan Burnett shot 68 Wednesday to complete a wire-to-wire victory with a 17-under-par score of 199. He was two shots better than Furman’s Sam Lape, who shot 64 Wednesday, posted a 15-under-par total of 201 and secured an individual spot in the NCAA Championship.

Georgia Tech teammates Connor Howe and Christo Lamprecht tied for third at 202 (-16), followed by Arkansas’ Segundo Pinto at 203 (-13). North Carolina’s Dylan Menante and New Mexico’s Albert Boneta tied for sixth at 204 (-12).

Defending U.S. Amateur champion Sam Bennett of Texas A&M, Clemson’s Kian Rose and Arkansas’ Wil Gibosn rounded out the top 10, each at 205 (-11).

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – Eighty-one teams and 45 individuals competed for spots in the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship finals in six regional qualifying tournaments. The top five teams and one individual from each regional advance to the finals (30 teams and six individuals total), which will be conducted May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The other regional winners were Auburn in Auburn, Ala., Georgia in Bath, Mich., Alabama in Norman, Okla., Mississippi State in Morgan Hill, Calif., and Arizona State in Las Vegas.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund