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Brookwood WR Bryce Dopson talks unique path to first Power Five offer

The state of Georgia has recruits of all body types, skill sets, and talent levels.

Georgia Tech has been recruiting many of them for several years, but earlier this week made waves in Gwinnett County when they sent out a new offer in the 2023 class.

Bryce Dopson, a speedy wide receiver from Brookwood who holds other offers from the likes of Army and Stetson, received the news on a FaceTime call of the offer.

Photo Credit: Chad Price
Photo Credit: Chad Price
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"Coach (Kenyatta) Watson is someone I have known for a long time," said Dopson as he looked back on the moment. "Going all the way back to his time at Grayson High School, just ten minutes down the road from me. He hit me up the Saturday after the Grayson game, and was complimentary of the way I played, my speed, and things like that. Then on Monday and Tuesday, a bunch of the recruiting staffers, the director of operations, and a few others followed me on Twitter. They were contacting my coach, and I was fired up when I heard that. Tech is obviously a school really close to home with a great education."

Dopson continued.

"I was at the awards ceremony for 'Player of the Month' at Central Gwinnett on Wednesday, and two guys from Georgia Tech texted me and asked if I was free. I told my head coach that I thought it might be a good idea I take this call. I walked outside, and Coach Watson was on FaceTime with the WR coach, and a bunch of other coaches watching my film right there with me. He told me I had an offer from Georgia Tech. With them being so close to home, it is definitely a school I have a lot of interest in. The wow factor was up there for this one. I grew up watching them on TV a lot, and the chance to play college football at a school like that means a lot to me. It was an honor, and honestly made it mean even more to me that it was Kenyatta that game the offer. We have known each other for so long, and through all of the places he has been I've kept up with him."

In recent years when talking to recruits considering Georgia Tech, it almost became a cliche when discussing which prospects are high on academics and have it as a potentially deciding factor. For Dopson, the importance of academics is much more than a cliche.

"Oh yeah, they are absolutely a big deal for me," said Dopson. "I actually just got accepted into Princeton this week. Education is obviously a big thing, but just having the opportunity to use my abilities athletically to get me somewhere I may not be without sports is big as well. To be able to provide for my family in the future, one day when sports are 20 years in the past, getting a good degree is key."

That priority placed on academics throughout his HS career has helped his recruitment, as college coaches almost always are beginning the conversation asking about transcripts.

"I didn't quite understand earlier in my HS career why my family was super hard on me," said Dopson. "Once the time came to be recruited and start applying for schools, it made sense. Once a school starts talking to me, one of the first things they ask is what my grades are, what my test scores are, things like that. I'm able to tell them that I've got a 3.97 GPA, that's one box that I know i'll always check for them."

Dopson was raised around a family of Bulldogs, as both parents are graduates of UGA. Even before the offer, there's been jokes throughout the family about the two schools, and what a degree from Georgia Tech would do for him.

"Both my parents, and my uncle always ask, what do UGA fans call Georgia Tech fans? Boss," said Dopson with a big laugh.

Dopson and his sister are both competitive swimmers. Despite not being overly familiar with the football facilities, Dopson and his family are very familiar with the campus itself.

"My sister is a year-round swimmer, and her team's home pool is there at Georgia Tech, so I am there at least once a month," said Dopson about his familiarity with the school. "I've been there three times for games so far, and then because they have the old Olympic pool, they are able to host a lot of the big swim meets and because of that we are down there all the time. I'm a big city guy, so that area, and probably the one around Columbia in downtown NYC stand out to me. "

On top of both swimming and football, Dopson is also considered one of the best in the state in terms of track & field as well. So much so, that several schools are recruiting him to run in college.

"I actually went to the Alabama vs.Texas A&M game earlier this year on a track visit. I will also be back there for the Iron Bowl later this season. I have track offers from Alabama, Princeton, Army, and Air Force. I was the state runner-up last year in the 300M hurdles. Track kind of blew up because of the times I was able to put down, and how new I am to running track. Football has always been No. 1 for me though, so playing at the next level has always been a dream of mine."

A late riser in the world of football recruiting, Dopson has a pretty good resource that has the ability to both throw him TD passes and also explain the process to him.

"Dylan (Lonergan) and I are best friends," said Dopson. "We spend the night at each other's houses regularly, and are together constantly. He was actually sitting next to me when I got the text from GT about the call. He was super hype about it. I've always been his biggest fan, and he's always been mine. He's definitely going to walk me through these next few months, and be there to support me, both as my best friend and as my quarterback."

Lonergan's ability to handle the recruiting process, especially as a dual-sport athlete, will be a huge benefit for Dopson as other options start to roll in.

"It is nice to know he will be there for me, to tell me what I need to know, and what I may not need to. He's been through it as both a football and baseball recruit. Back when he dropped his top eight, Georgia Tech was actually one of his main schools back then. He loves (Andrew) Thacker. That was his guy, and is still one of his favorite coaches. He has a good connection there at Tech, and will make sure that I am in good hands when I get over there."

Dopson plans to visit Georgia Tech on October 31st unofficially with his family, and will be on campus again for the Miami game later in the month.

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