Georgia Tech dismisses leading rusher Dedrick Mills, violation of team rules

— -- Georgia Tech has dismissed its leading rusher, sophomore Dedrick Mills, for a violation of athletics department rules, the school announced Friday.

Mills was named to the preseason All-ACC team after leading the Yellow Jackets with 771 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2016.

Mills missed three games last season following two separate suspensions, also for unspecified violations of team rules. Head coach Paul Johnson had expressed confidence his young back would avoid further off-field issues earlier this summer, and Mills suggested he'd moved on from his indiscretions.

"I'm not going to reminisce on the past," Mills told the Atlanta Journal Constitution just two weeks ago. "Of course, that's always a goal to not get kicked off the field. You always want to be on the field. You never want to get taken off. ... I'm going to keep myself on the field this year."

Mills' 12 touchdowns were second among freshman running backs last season, and his 784 total yards were second only to Miami's Ahmmon Richards among ACC freshmen.

The Yellow Jackets won all three games Mills missed last season, with minimal drop-off in production. However, the remaining B-backs on Georgia Tech's current roster have combined for just 14 career carries, 13 of which came from senior Brady Swilling, who was just awarded a scholarship this week after four years as a walk-on.