JOL's Countdown to Kickoff: No. 45

The countdown is on until “Toe Meets Leather” on Sept. 3 when Georgia Tech hosts Colorado in the 2026 season opener on The Flats.

Over the next several days JOL will look at at least one current Jacket and a historical Jacket of the corresponding number to the days until kickoff, continuing today with No. 45.

Historical Jacket: Jeremiah Attaochu

Jeremiah Attaochu was born in Nigeria before moving to the U.S. with his family as a child and eventually finding his way onto a football field where he became a Division-I recruit thanks to his efforts for Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C. He chose to sign with Georgia Tech over double-digit other offers in the 2010 recruiting class.

Attaochu found a spot in the defensive rotation as a true freshman in 2010 mostly as a pass rusher and put up 23 tackles (18 solo), four tackles-for-loss and three sacks that season. He continued that momentum during the 2011 season as he was named All-ACC Honorable Mention as a sophomore thanks to playing in 11 games (10 starts) and racking up 59 tackles (35 solo), six sacks, 12 tackles-for-loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two passes defended.

Attaochu’s junior campaign in 2012 once again made him an All-ACC Honorable Mention selection thanks to starting in 13 games and finishing with 69 tackles (44 solo), 10 sacks, 12 tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and one pass defended.

The final season of his college career proved to be his best in 2013, especially in the pass rush department, as he finished with a career-high 12.5 sacks on his way to being an All-ACC First-Team pick by the coaches, Second-Team All-ACC pick by the media, Third-Team All-American pick by the AP and CBS and Fourth Team All-American pick by Phil Steele. Along with that career-high sack total, Attaochu had 45 tackles (37 solo), 16 tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and two passes defended.

When it was all said and done on The Flats, Attaochu put his name atop the all-time list for Georgia Tech in career sacks with 31.5 and was sixth all-time for the Jackets in tackles-for-loss with 43.5. He also was fifth all-time in the ACC in career sacks.

Attaochu went on to be selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers with the 50th overall pick. He ended up playing nine seasons in the NFL with the Chargers, 49ers, Jets, Chiefs, Broncos, Bears and Ravens. He played his final games with the Chargers organization again in 2022 after the franchise had moved to Los Angeles.

In all professionally, Attaochu played in 82 games with 23 starts over nine seasons as a defensive end and outside linebacker and had 148 total tackles (116 solo) with 20.5 sacks, 32 tackles-for-loss, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two passes defended.

Honorable Mention Historical Jacket: PJ Daniels

Daniels came to GT as a walk-on and ended up becoming one of the most productive running backs in the program’s history with 3,346 career rushing yards, 23 rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdwons in 44 games from 2002-2005.

He was named First-Team All-ACC in 2003 and Second-Team All-ACC in 2005 and is still listed among the best in the Tech recordbooks at fifth in career rushing yards (3,346), third in single-season rushing yards (1,447 in 2003), second in single-game rushing yards (307 in the 2004 Humanitarian Bowl, also the NCAA Bowl Game rushing record), eighth in career rushing TDs (23) and tied for second in single-game rushing TDs (4 in 2004 Humanitarian Bowl).

Daniels was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Ravens before injuries cut his career short as he was with the franchise for three seasons.

Current Jacket: Melvin Jordan IV

Melvin Jordan IV returns to Tech for his redshirt-senior season on The Flats after coming to Tech prior to the 2025 season via the transfer portal following three years at Oregon State. Jordan initially re-entered the transfer portal this past offseason but eventually decided to withdraw and remain with the Jackets.

Jordan had a productive three years with the Beavers from 2022-2024, playing in 26 games and compiling 67 tackles and 6.5 tackles-for-loss. His best year came in 2024 as he had 45 tackles (2.5 tackles-for-loss) in 10 games as a sophomore.

Last season with Tech, Jordan was used as a reserve linebacker and saw playing time in 11 games as he finished with 18 tackles (five solo), half a sack, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup.

Jordan played his high school ball at Clearwater Central Catholic (Fla.) and was a 4-star linebacker in the 2022 recruiting class according to Rivals. He chose Oregon State over several other offers, including Miami, Florida, Florida State and Kentucky. He is a business administration major at GT.