Countdown to Kickoff: No. 54
Quayshawn Nealy
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 54 days until kickoff in Boulder, today’s focus is on No. 54 Quayshawn Nealy, who played in 53 games over his career on The Flats at linebacker, eventually working his way into being a full-time starter as a sophomore, junior and senior and earning Second-Team All-ACC honors during his final year at Tech in 2014.
Nealy came to Georgia Tech out of Lakeland High in Lakeland, Florida in the recruiting class of 2010 and after redshirting as a true freshman that season, quickly worked his way into the rotation at linebacker as a redshirt-freshman in 2011, playing in all 13 games and starting seven of them. He racked up 52 total tackles, three tackles-for-loss, three pass breakups, two interceptions (including a 74-yard return for a TD) and one fumble recovery.
The following year in 2012 as a redshirt-sophomore the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Nealy started 13 games and improved on his stat totals with 79 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, two interceptions and one pass breakup. He continued that momentum over into his redshirt-junior year in 2013 when he started 12 out of the Jackets’ 13 games and racked up 66 total tackles (44 solo), two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, including an 18-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Syracuse.
All that led up to Nealy’s senior season in 2014 when he had his most productive campaign yet that resulted in being named Second-Team All-ACC by the ACSMA and Phil Steele and Third-Team All-ACC by the league’s coaches. He started all 14 games during Tech’s run to an 11-3 season, including a win over rival Georgia, an appearance in the ACC Championship Game and an Orange Bowl victory over Mississippi State. In total, he had 92 tackles with 57 solo stops, six tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, five passes defended and two defensive touchdowns.
Despite his college production at Tech, Nealy wasn’t drafted in the 2015 NFL Draft before signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. Over the 2015 and 2016 seasons, he spent time with the Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Arizona Cardinals. He wrapped up his playing career with a short stint in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2017 with the Toronto Argonauts.
Honorable Mention
–Sedric Griffin (linebacker from 2006-2009, finished his career with 141 tackles (83 solo), 12 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks and four passes defended.
–Keyaron Fox (linebacker from 2000-2003, finished his career with 376 tackles, 40 tackles-for-loss, nine sacks, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception and 14 passes defended, All-ACC selection in 2003, drafted in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Chiefs, Steelers, Redskins and Texans, won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers)
