<p>There's no C.J. in camp, but Georgia Tech has a big Bay-Bay, a young but flashy D.J. and a veteran J.J., and all are determined to prove the Yellow Jackets' group of receivers will keep the offense balanced in the post-Calvin Johnson era.</p><p>Johnson, the No. 2 pick by Detroit in this spring's NFL draft, set school records in his three years for most receiving yards and touchdown catches in a season and career. He was big (6-5, 235) and fast with great jumping ability and a knack for making acrobatic catches.</p><p>Such a talent leaves a void that cannot be filled, Tech coach Chan Gailey said Wednesday.</p><p>"No. Never," Gailey said. "You can't take one of the best players, obviously in the nation but maybe in the decade, and say 'OK, sure, that will be easy to fill.' It's not.</p><p>"We've got some good players. But you can't just say somebody is going to just step right in. It won't happen. That doesn't mean we still can't be very productive."</p><p>There may not be one star receiver, but there are many contenders for playing time.</p><p>In the first of two practices on Wednesday, new starting quarterback Taylor Bennett was completing pass after pass to an impressively deep group of receivers.</p><p>The veteran of the unit is James Johnson, a junior who in 2006 caught 39 passes for 608 yards and seven touchdowns _ strong numbers for anyone not playing beside the other Johnson.</p><p>Greg Smith, a sophomore, had seven catches last year and is competing with Demaryius 'Bay-Bay' Thomas (6-3, 220) for a starting job. Freshman D.J. Donley of Charlton County is a player to watch, due to his size (6-4, 218) and athleticism.</p><p>Thomas, from Dublin, was the breakout player in spring practice who could be a surprise impact player in the Atlantic Coast Conference.</p><p>Thomas created a buzz with his knack for big catches in the spring, and on Wednesday he caused a stir _ prompting tailback Tashard Choice to jump up and down and shriek in delight _ when he jumped and reached back to pull a catch over the reach of cornerback Jahi Word-Daniels.</p><p>The 2007 receivers say they can't wait to prove there is life after Calvin Johnson.</p><p>"It does motivate us," said James Johnson. "Now that Calvin is gone, we have so many weapons known and unknown. That's what we're going to have the advantage on. They're not going to know who to cover."</p><p>Thomas, called 'Bay-Bay' by his teammates and coaches, seems certain to be part of the mix.</p><p>"My aunt gave me that name when I was a little kid," Thomas said. "There was a TV show that came on called 'Bay-Bay Kid' about bad kids. She thought I was going to be bad when I was a little baby."</p><p>Gailey said he is working Thomas and all the receivers except James Johnson inside and outside in preseason practices as he looks to find the best fit. James Johnson is the only established starter of the group.</p><p>A newcomer such as Donley could move into the rotation.</p><p>When it was noted that Donley is difficult to overlook in practice, Gailey replied "No kidding. He sure does."</p><p>"He's looking better," said Gailey of Donley. "He is getting better. He's still a freshman and he's still learning. He has one or two busts everyday. We've got to eliminate that eventually."</p><p>Donley helped Charlton County win three straight Class AA state championships, and he was rated the No. 7 prospect in the state by Scout.com.</p><p>"Everybody knows me because I played last year, but we've got six or seven guys who can do what I can do any day," said James Johnson. "We hope to get that going. We're going to mix it up and try to confuse the defense. Any one of us can score at any time."</p><p>Johnson said the receivers should have an opportunity to make big plays early in the season as defenses can be expected to focus on stopping Choice _ the ACC's leading rusher last season. Tech also returns an experienced offensive line, while the passing game is unproven with a new quarterback and mostly new receivers.</p><p>"Of course they're going to look for Choice, because he ran for 1,400 yards last year and was All-ACC," Johnson said. "They're going to look to stop the run first, and that's going to give us a chance to go deep early and get some one-on-one coverage and catch the defense on their heels before they realize they actually have to try to cover everything."</p><p>Notes: A.J. Smith, competing for the starting job at right tackle, is expected back before the Sept. 1 opener at Notre Dame after suffering an arm injury on Tuesday. ... Gailey said backup quarterback Byron Ingram, a redshirt freshman from Stone Mountain and Redan High, "is contemplating his future" and was not at practice on Wednesday. ... Senior cornerback Pat Clark's status also may be in question. "We're kind of holding him right now, just letting him sit at this point," Gailey said. "We're still going to work him in some drills and stuff like that. We're just holding him at this point." When asked why Clark was not practicing, Gailey said, "That's between him and I."</p>
