THE FLATS – Georgia Tech senior center Weston Franklin (Jesup, Ga./Wayne County H.S.) is one of 75 student-athletes on the official preseason watch list for the 2024 Outland Trophy, the Football Writers Association of America announced on Tuesday. The Outland Trophy honors college football’s top interior lineman.

Franklin has started 25-straight games at center for the Yellow Jackets over the last two seasons and played 884 offensive snaps in 2023. He was the anchor of an offensive front that helped pave the way for Tech to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference and rank among the top 15 teams nationally in both rushing offense (203.8 ypg – 12^th nationally) and fewest sacks allowed (1.15 pg – 15^th) in 2023.

Franklin is one of four starting offensive lineman and eight overall offensive starters that return for Georgia Tech in 2024. Last season, Tech ranked third in the ACC and among the top 35 nationally in total offense (424.6 ypg).

He is one of only 14 centers on the 75-player Outland Trophy watch list.

The winner of the 79^th-annual Outland Trophy will be announced during The Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which airs live on ESPN on Dec. 12, and the award will officially be presented during the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner in Omaha, Neb. on Jan. 22, 2025.

Franklin is the third Yellow Jacket to be named to one of college football’s official award watch lists so far this preseason, joining QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes, who were named to the Maxwell Award (national player of the year) watch list on Monday.

Georgia Tech opens the 2024 season on August 24 versus Florida State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Kickoff is set for noon ET and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

2024 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKETS

Season Tickets

2024 Georgia Tech football season tickets are on sale now and include the best seats for the Yellow Jackets’ six-game home slate, which features Atlantic Coast Conference showdowns against Duke, NC State and Miami (Fla.) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field and Tech’s highly anticipated matchup with Notre Dame at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Season ticket packages begin at just $225. Click HERE to become a season ticket member today.

Three-Game Mini-Plans

Three-game mini-ticket plans to catch the exciting action of Georgia Tech football in 2024 are on sale now. Mini-plans include a ticket to the Yellow Jackets’ highly anticipated showdown versus Notre Dame on Oct. 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Sept. 14 Military Appreciation Day home game versus VMI and the choice of either the Oct. 5 ACC matchup versus Duke or the Nov. 21 primetime ACC battle against NC State. Click HERE to purchase a three-game mini-plan.

Single-Game Tickets

Single-game tickets for Georgia Tech’s five home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field in 2024 – Aug. 31 vs. Georgia State, Sept. 14 vs. VMI, Oct. 5 vs. Duke, Nov. 9 vs. Miami (Fla.) and Nov. 21 vs. NC State – and a limited number of single-game tickets for the Notre Dame game on Oct. 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking HERE.

Georgia Tech finished 7-6 overall and 5-3 in ACC play in 2023 (good for a tie for fourth place in the 14-team ACC), and claimed its first bowl win in seven seasons with a 30-17 victory over UCF in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The Yellow Jackets return 17 starters, including all-ACC honorees DL Zeek Biggers, OL Joe Fusile, RB Jamal Haynes, QB Haynes King, WR Eric Singleton, Jr. and OL Jordan Williams.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.

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ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Senator Jon Ossoff has announced millions in funding for preventing substance abuse for young people in communities throughout Georgia.

The funding is being provided through a $2.8 million federal grant through the Drug-Free Communities Support Programs (DFC). 20 community programs will be helped by the program.

“Today I’m delivering Federal funding that will empower Georgia communities to keep kids safe from addiction and overdose,” Sen. Ossoff said.

DFC was created in 1997 and provides up to $125,000 per year for five years to community coalitions in order to strengthen infrastructure and cut down on youth substance abuse, according to Ossoff’s office.

Two Georgia communities, Quitman and Hazelhurst, are set to receive funding.

Brooks County Family Connection is set to receive $125,000.

The Jeff Davis Substance Abuse Coalition (JDSAC) is set to receive $114,620.

Other programs in the Atlanta, Savannah and Augusta regions also received funding.

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Copyright 2024 WALB. All rights reserved.

2024 Georgia Long Course Senior State Championships 

• July 26-28, 2024
• Gabrielsen Natatorium, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Results on Meet Mobile: “Georgia LC Senior State Championships 2024”

At a time trial on Friday afternoon, Spartans Aquatic Club broke the 15-18 NAG record in the mixed freestyle relay. The group of Zachary Sutter (23.53), Leyton Roe (22.73), Sophie Hamilton (26.93), and Abigail Heizer (24.73) combined to swim 1:37.92 in the event.

On the women’s side of the meet, University of South Carolina commit Emma Reiser won the 200 freestyle (2:02.88), 400 freestyle (4:14.17), and 800 freestyle (8:49.81), posting best times in all three distances.

Reiser is a two-time 7A Georgia High School state champion in the 500-yard freestyle and finished 6th at Winter Juniors East in the event. Her best time of 4:46.60 would’ve already been third on the Gamecocks roster this year and would have scored in the C final at the SEC Championships.

Dynamo Swim Club’s Catie Choate clinched the victory in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:00.54, just shy of her preliminary best time of 1:00.37.

Choate is a rising sophomore at the University of Florida and recently competed at the US Olympic Trials, making a semifinal in the 200m backstroke and finishing 14th overall with a time of 2:11.57. She made the A final this past season at the NCAA Championships in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:53.54 after posting a 1:51.99 to make the final.

Rising junior at the University of Georgia, Elizabeth Isakson, swept the breaststroke events, winning the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke with times of 33.74, 1:11.91, and 2:36.19, respectively.

15-year-old Sarah Paisley Owen from Metro Atlantic Aquatic Club won the 50 butterfly and 100 freestyle, while also finishing as the runner-up in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. She swam just a few tenths off her best time in the 50 freestyle, clocking in at 26.10. Her best time of 25.59 ranks second in the country this year among all 15-year-olds, trailing only Olympic Trials finalist Rylee Erisman.

On the men’s side, University of Georgia swimmer Aaron Seymour won the 50 (23.28) and 200 freestyle (1:52.32). Notably, he dropped over seven seconds from his seed time of 1:59.99 in the 200 freestyle.

Seymour, more known for his backstroke ability, competed at the US Olympic Trials in the 100 backstroke and scored in the C final at the SEC Championships in the 100-yard backstroke.

Alex Pollack, a Paris native heading into his senior season at Emory University, swept the backstroke events, winning the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke with times of 26.73, 57.04, and 2:04.52, respectively.

Pollack placed 9th at the NCAA Division III Championships in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:47.41.

McKee Thorsen won the 200 butterfly and 200 IM and was runner-up in the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. He posted a 2:03.24 in the 200 butterfly and 52.49 in the 100 freestyle for a new lifetime best.

Thorsen is a rising sophomore at Emory University and recently placed 6th at the NCAA Division III Championships in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:46.87.

Final Team Scores: 

Women’s Team Scores (Top 5):

1. Athens Bulldog Swim Club – 762
2. Spartans Aquatic Club – 685
3. Dynamo Swim Club – 479
4. SwimAtlanta – 458
5. Stingrays Swimming 425.5

Men’s Team Scores (Top 5):

1. Athens Bulldog Swim Club – 556
2. Spartans Aquatic Club – 522
3. Stingrays Swimming – 499.5
4. Dynamo Swim Club – 450
5. SwimAtlanta – 398