Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - 2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: Although the Yellowjackets have struggled to improve to the point of winning the ACC crown under Chan Gailey, the team had remained consistent, posting its 11th-straight season with at least seven wins. However, a 7-6 overall mark and 4-4 record in-conference in 2007 wasn't good enough to keep Gailey in Atlanta and he was relieved of his duties prior to the postseason.

The team opened up 2007 impressively enough, destroying Notre Dame in South Bend (33-3). A rout of Samford followed (69-14), but two straight conference losses to Boston College (24-10) and Virginia (28-23) put Tech in a hole in league play early on. Inconsistency plagued the team the rest of the way, including a 40-28 loss to Fresno State in the Humanitarian Bowl, setting the stage for a new regime at Tech for 2008.

2008 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Former Navy head coach Paul Johnson has taken over the reins in Atlanta and the hope among the university brass is that he can bring his exciting brand of offense with him. The Yellowjackets weren't bad last year offensively, ranking third in the conference in total offense (384.9 ypg), while pacing the conference in rushing (199.3 ypg). However, that kind of production will come from a variety of sources this year, instead of talented tailback Tashard Choice (First-Team All-ACC), who rushed for 1,379 yards last year. Freshman Jonathan Dwyer showed glimpses of promise as a rookie last year (5.3 ypc, nine TDs) and he will be asked to shoulder a major portion of the workload as a sophomore from the B-back position.

The offense returns just four starters overall, so youth will be served in a number of places, including under center. The likely starter at QB is sophomore Josh Nesbitt, who completed just five passes in limited duty as a freshman. Still, passing the ball is not a high priority for Coach Johnson, who loves the option and will undoubtedly utilize Nesbitt's athleticism in that vein in 2008. Behind Nesbitt is true freshman Jaybo Shaw, who certainly has the talent to thrive in this offense down the line.

A new wrinkle for Johnson will be the availability of a pair of talented receivers in junior Greg Smith (37 receptions, for 588 yards and two TDs in 2007) and sophomore Demaryius Thomas (35 receptions, for 558 yards, four TDs). However, Smith has been moved to the A-back position, leaving Thomas as the top option downfield.

Four offensive linemen with starting experience return to the fold, led by All-ACC First-Team tackle Andrew Gardner (6-6, 300). The new offense is something that Gardner is embracing with enthusiasm.

"I think the good thing about this offense as opposed to other types you see is that it is predicated on just playing as fast as you possibly can. A lot of things are set up by offensive linemen. It gives you a chance to open yourself up and go all out, full speed every play and that could lead to good stuff."

DEFENSE: The defense also returns four starters from a year ago and will rely heavily on the play up front. Third-Team All-American Vance Walker (45 tackles, 8.5 sacks) will team up with fellow tackle Daryl Richard (30 tackles, 4.5 sacks) inside. The inside dominance of these two big guys should allow senior end Michael Johnson (6-7, 250) to thrive off the edge.

The secondary will be highlighted by the play of senior cover corner Jahi Word-Daniels (56 tackles, two INTs) and sophomore safety Morgan Burnett (57 tackles, seven PBUs, three INTs), who picked up Third-Team Freshman All- American honors last season.

The linebacking corps will certainly miss the steady play of its two top tacklers from 2007 in Phillip Wheeler (89 tackles, six sacks) and Gary Guyton (78 tackles, five sacks). Junior Shane Bowen (34 tackles, three sacks) is now the leader in the middle of the field.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The kicking game is an area of great concern, as the team will need to find a way to replace a pair of All-ACC performers in punter Durant Brooks and placekicker Travis Bell. Sophomore Scott Blair will get the opportunity to prove himself as the new placekicker. The 6-0, 175-pounder handled kickoffs last year, hitting eight touchbacks in 73 kickoffs as a true freshman. Junior Mahamed Yahiaoui redshirted last year, but will be given a chance to help fill the void left by Brooks, who won the Ray Guy Award. Although Dwyer was involved in the return game last year, his increased role in the backfield will allow a pair of Evans to get more work (Jamaal and Tyler).

2008 OUTLOOK: There is plenty of work ahead for the Yellowjackets. The team returns the least amount of starters in the ACC and will be unveiling new schemes on both sides of the ball. The schedule does little to help. The team does get a pair of FCS foes in Jacksonville State and Gardner-Webb, but those games are countered by difficult bouts against an improving Mississippi State program and a BCS contender in Georgia. The league slate is murderous, especially on the road, with trips to Boston College, Virginia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina on the docket. Home games in-conference include Duke, Virginia, Florida State and Miami. The streak of winning seasons may just come to an end this year, due in large part to a youthful team. However, there is no doubt that Johnson's style of football will produce results, albeit a year or two down the road. Although it is a bit of a consolation, that idea doesn't sit all that well with Johnson.

"The good thing about being young is they will be here for a while and get better the more they play. Right now I'm concerned about this year. This is the year I care about and the first game. I'm not worried about next year or the future. Anyone who knows me, I'm competitive and I want to win right now, so I don't think it's fair to the seniors on the team or anyone else. We are approaching this season to be the best we can be right now."