Countdown to Kickoff: No. 49
Gerris Wilkinson
The countdown to kickoff is officially on as Georgia Tech‘s season-opening matchup at Colorado on Aug. 29 is less than 100 days away.
Until then JOL will be counting it down with one Jackets’ player daily that wore the corresponding number of days remaining until toe meets leather in Boulder.
With it now 49 days until kickoff in Boulder, today’s focus is on No. 49 Gerris Wilkinson, who came to The Flats in the early 2000s from the West Coast and played both defensive end and linebacker for the Jackets, producing strong numbers at both positions, before going on to a multi-year NFL career.
Wilkinson grew up in California and gained notoriety as a football recruit his last few seasons of prep ball at Skyline High in Oakland before choosing Georgia Tech and signing as part of the recruiting class of 2001. He began his career as a linebacker for the Jackets before moving to defensive end in 2003 where he started and collected 47 tackles, four sacks, 12 tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended.
Wilkinson switched back to middle linebacker prior to his junior season in 2004 and flourished at the spot with 119 tackles to lead the team. He also led the team in tackles as a senior in 2005 with 85 total (44 solo) to go with nine tackles-for-loss, four sacks and two interceptions. He was a team captain and Second-Team All-ACC selection each of his final two seasons for Georgia Tech.
In total for his college career with the Jackets, Wilkinson played in 50 games with 37 starts and amassed 253 tackles (121 solo), 12.5 sacks, 38 tackles-for-loss, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions and six passes defended.
Following his time at Tech, Wilkinson was selected in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 96th overall pick by the New York Giants. He went on to play five seasons there, including winning a Super Bowl title.
He finished his NFL career with a brief stint in 2011 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In his five-plus years in The League, Wilkinson played in 58 games with seven starts and had 73 total tackles (54 solo) with five tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles and two passes defended.
