Football signs 20

Signing Day came and went on Wednesday with everything going according to plan for the Tech football coaching staff.

Head Coach Chan Gailey brings in a class that is rated higher than any other school in the ACC and instate rival Georgia. The class is rated above every program in the nation, except for 13.

While the recruiting services and so-called experts around the nation are calling this class one of the best ever for Tech, Gailey is not buying into the hype.

"You don't buy into it when you have a low rated one, and you don't buy into it if you have a high rated one," Gailey said. "You get the guys that are going to...help you win a championship. Hopefully, they will get their degree and work to be successful in life."

"I don't buy into those [rankings], it's like a preseason poll, who knows what is going to happen in the end."

Scout.com previously rated Gailey's recruiting classes as high as No. 34 and as low as No. 51 in the nation. The 2007 recruiting class is rated No. 14 despite the scholarship restrictions that were caused by the NCAA probation.

The probation limited the class to just 20 players. Gailey was permitted to sign 19 players and have 79 players on the roster for the fall, six below the normal number of 85.

Four-star quarterback Steven Threet and four-star defensive end Derrick Morgan enrolled at Tech for Spring Semester classes.

This would allow them to count against either this year's class or the 2006 class.

Two-star Texas wide receiver Tyler Melton will be enrolling full-time in Jan. 2008. With Melton enrolling in January, he can count against either the 2007 or 2008 class. More importantly for Melton, his eligibility clock will not begin to start until the 2008 season. He suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury last year and will need the additional time to heal.

16 out of the 20 members of the 2007 recruiting class gave their commitments to Gailey by the end of October.

With so many players signed, the coaching staff was able to focus more of their attention on next year's class.

"It gave us a tremendous jump on next year's class. [The coaching staff was] able to do quite a bit of research during the last few weeks of January, and even in December, we were able to begin our research into next year's class," Gailey said. "We feel like we are ahead of the game."

Despite having so many recruits signed so early, Tech picked up the final two recruits during the last week.

Michael Peterson chose to not follow former Boston College Head Coach Tom O'Brien to North Carolina State.

"Academics played a big part in his decision making," Gailey said. "I just think [going to] an academic school played a big part in his decision-making process. He thought a lot [about] Boston College and a lot about us."

Despite reports last week that Jason Peters had signed with his hometown Louisiana State Tigers, the staff lured the four-star defensive end to campus.

"[Tech] was never encouraged to stop recruiting and visiting with him," Gailey said.

"He was pigeonholed for LSU because he is from Baton Rouge and he is a great player. That is not fair to that young man. It says [a lot] about him that...he is not swayed by popular opinion. It says a lot [more] about him than it does about Georgia Tech."

Due to NCAA rules, Threet and Morgan were not permitted to attend the signing day festivities at the ESPNZone in Atlanta.