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Gerry Hamilton, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

100 days, 100 players: No. 75 Jonathan Dwyer

In the 100 days leading up to signing day 2015, RecruitingNation will be looking back at our ESPN recruiting rankings from 2006 to the present and counting down the best player of the past 10 years at each ranking position, No. 100 to No. 1.

Jonathan Dwyer, No. 75 in 2007 class

Dwyer was a highly coveted running back out of Kell High in Marietta, Georgia, with offers from the likes of Florida State, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan, Georgia and many others, but he decided to stay home in late August of 2006 announcing for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets were the choice beause of academics, a close family friend that played at Georgia Tech, closeness to home, and the fact that then head coach Chan Gailey had an NFL background. Dwyer helped headline a Georgia Tech 2007 class that included NFL first-round draft choice Derrick Morgan and third-round draft choice Morgan Burnett.

Dwyer hit the field running in 2007 for the Yellow Jackets, rushing for 436 yards and nine touchdowns, and adding more than 300 yards in kick off returns in earning ACC All-Freshman Team honors.

As a sophomore, Dwyer took his game to another level for the Yellow Jackets, taking home ACC Player of the Year honors after leading the conference in rushing with 1,328 yards and adding 12 touchdowns. He added 209 receiving yards to top 1,600 all-purpose yards.

In Dwyer’s junior season, which would be his last in Atlanta, he finished with 1,395 yards in 14 games and 14 scores, again earning All-ACC honors.

Dwyer announced he would leave Georgia Tech early and enter the NFL draft following the season. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Honorable mention: Steve Williams, No. 75 in the 2009 class and Vadal Alexander, No. 75 in the 2012 class. Williams wasn’t as heavily recruited as teammates Mike Davis (Texas), Corey Nelson (Oklahoma) and others out of Dallas Skyline in the 2009 and 2010 classes, but was a three-year starter at California. He finished his career Berkeley with 150 tackles and six interceptions. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. Alexander is in his third season at LSU, and has been a starter since his freshman season, playing both right tackle and guard for the Tigers. He is candidate to enter the 2015 NFL draft following the season.

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