With five catches against Florida State, Georgia Tech wide receiver Nate McCollum reached 39 catches for the season. In only eight games, the sophomore from Dutchtown High has more catches in a season than any Yellow Jackets player since the late Demaryius Thomas, who caught 46 passes in the 2009 season.
Thomas, who starred in former coach Paul Johnson’s run-heavy option scheme, averaged a staggering 25.1 yards per catch for the ACC champion Jackets in 2009, when he earned All-American status. McCollum’s season average thus far is 4.9 catches per game. That rate is the highest for a Tech player since Calvin Johnson, who averaged 5.4 catches per game in 2006, when he won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.
While those players’ overall seasons inarguably were superior to McCollum’s 2022 performance, it’s pretty good company regardless. It is noteworthy that, along with defensive tackle Makius Scott, McCollum was given the honor of wearing Thomas’ No. 8 jersey. The Tech great died unexpectedly in December.
Tech’s reliance on McCollum is evident in the fact that he has more than twice as many receptions as Tech’s second-leading receiver, running back Hassan Hall with 19. The receivers with the most catches after McCollum are Malachi Carter and E.J. Jenkins with 14.
Of McCollum’s 39 catches, 25 have generated first downs. He had three such receptions against Florida State, including a 13-yard grab from quarterback Zach Pyron early in the second quarter for the Jackets’ initial first down of the game.
The shortcomings of the Tech offense, though, are evident in that McCollum is averaging 9.9 yards per catch, which is the second-lowest rate among receivers in the ACC with at least 21 catches.
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