I believe this one would qualify as a significant development.
In a very brief press release, Georgia Tech announced Friday afternoon that Dedrick Mills has been dismissed by Paul Johnson from the football team. The only reason given was an unspecified violation of Tech athletics department rules.
The head coach is expected to meet with the media following practice later on this afternoon.
Regardless of the specific reason for the dismissal, Mills’ departure serves as yet another blow for the run-heavy Yellow Jackets.
Last season, Mills’ 771 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns led all Tech ball carriers. 169 of those yards came in the bowl win over Kentucky. Mills put up all of those numbers as a true freshman despite being suspended on two different occasions for a total of three games.
Mills’ dismissal is the second huge blow to their 2017 running game as Marcus Marshall, who was second on the team last season with 624 yards, announced in late November that he would be transferring from Tech. Less than a month later, he moved on to James Madison.
With those twin departures, Clinton Lynch‘s 415 yards last season makes him the team’s leading returning rusher.