It will be a somewhat hard-to-believe sight for Georgia fans Sept. 1, an equally welcome sight for supporters of Georgia Tech: Dominick Blaylock in a white and gold jersey.
Blaylock, a former Walton star and beloved Bulldog, should be part of Tech’s wide receiver rotation at Mercedes-Benz Stadium when the Yellow Jackets face Louisville in the season opener for both teams. Blaylock transferred in June to Tech from Georgia.
“He’s been solid. He really has,” Tech coach Brent Key said Thursday. “(Blaylock) is a solid, all-around football player as we have at the receiver group. Really excited for him to be here.”
As fate would have it, Blaylock’s debut for the Jackets could come inside the same venue where one of the more significant moments in his college career occurred.
In the SEC Championship game against LSU on Dec. 7, 2019, Blaylock tore an ACL. His freshman season ended with 18 catches for 310 yards and five touchdowns and on an extremely bitter note in what was an otherwise exceptional start with the Bulldogs.
The timing of the injury, however, allowed Blaylock to be on track to return to play in 2020. But Blaylock reinjured the same knee during preseason training and missed the entire season.
Blaylock made only 17 receptions the next two seasons, although that doesn’t tell the whole story. He made a pivotal catch in a come-from-behind win at Missouri in 2022. He got a bit of redemption against LSU in the SEC title game in December with two grabs for 23 yards in a 50-30 win. He had a 20-yard reception against Ohio State on Dec. 31 in the College Football Playoff.
Turns out those plays against the Buckeyes would be his last ones in a UGA uniform. Blaylock entered the transfer portal in January before graduating from Georgia later this spring.
Fast forward to this month where Blaylock has been part of a new wave of Tech wideouts trying to claw their way to the top of the depth chart ahead of the season opener. Jackets wide receivers coach Josh Crawford said Blaylock, “(is) a very good route runner, catches everything.”
The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Blaylock has two seasons of eligibility remaining. His stepfather, John Woods, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May that Blaylock was, “excited about this new chapter.” Blaylock and Tech begin writing that chapter this weekend.
“His experience in big games, his calm demeanor that he has in the receiver (meeting) room is a major positive,” Key said. “In everything he does there’s just a calm demeanor about it. Just a knack for being able understand coverage, to get open, to secure the catch. I think he has a chance to really help us this year. Excited.”
