THE FLATS – Georgia Tech linebackers Ayinde Eley (Olney, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel (Maryland)) and Charlie Thomas (Thomasville, Ga./Thomasville) continued to receive postseason praise for their performances in 2022, earning second-team all-ACC honors from The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Having already received all-conference recognition from the ACC, the AP’s selection comes from a panel of 14 sports writers who regularly cover the league.
Eley amassed a whopping 118 tackles to lead Georgia Tech and rank third in the league. In a historic season, Eley became the first Division I FBS player since 2016 to compile 118 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during the regular season.
Co-leading the nation, Eley is also one of just two Yellow Jackets since at least 2000 to force four fumbles in a regular season (Eric Henderson, 2015). He ranked fifth in the ACC in fumbles recovered and 20th in tackles for loss.
Thomas also turned in a monstrous 2022 campaign in which he ranked second in the conference in solo tackles (71), and fifth in total tackles (112) and fumbles recovered (2). He also finished top-20 in the league in tackles for loss (10.5).
For the regular season, Thomas was the only player in the nation and only the second in Division I FBS since 2000 with 112 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two fumbles forced during the regular season – joining Paul Dawson, TCU in 2014.
Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the AT Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
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