Overview
Tashard Choice proved to be the unquestioned leader of the Georgia Tech offense and one of the toughest players in college football.

Well on his way to another banner campaign in 2007, he suffered a right knee injury on Oct. 20 vs. Army and underwent surgery three days later. After sitting out the Virginia Tech game, Choice was back on the field, recording a trio of 100-yard performances over his final four contests.

Choice led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing in 2006 and '07 seasons, becoming the first player to accomplish that feat since Thomas Jones of Virginia (1998-99). He also became the first Tech player to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, totaling 1,473 yards as a junior and 1,379 yards in his final season.

The talented running back finished his career as the school's record-holder with 18 100-yard rushing performances. He ranks third in Tech annals with 28 touchdowns on the ground and fourth with 3,465 yards rushing. His 3,646 all-purpose yards rank seventh in Yellow Jacket annals.

Choice's stellar career at Lovejoy High School led to the school retiring his jersey. He was a first-team All-State pick and rated the 14th-best player in the state of Georgia by Super Prep. He also ranked as the 22nd-best running back in the nation by Rivals.com. He rushed for 1,200 yards on 129 carries as a senior and also had 600 yards receiving while scoring 17 touchdowns.

The tailback enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in 2003, spending the season performing on the scout team. He played in eight games behind All-American Adrian Peterson in 2004, gaining 100 yards on 22 carries (wore jersey #2 for the Sooners), as he earned Academic All-Big Twelve Conference honors.

Sensing the continuation of a limited role behind Peterson, Choice was granted his scholarship release, transferring from Oklahoma to Georgia Tech in 2005, where his cousin, Joe Burns (ex-Buffalo Bills) was a standout tailback for the Yellow Jackets (1998-2001). He played behind P.J. Daniels that season, garnering Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference accolades. He totaled 513 yards with six touchdowns on 117 attempts (4.4-yard average), as he also made 14 catches for 76 yards (5.4 avg).

Despite leading the conference and ranking 13th in the nation in rushing, Choice was only a second-team All-ACC pick in 2006, as he took over tailback chores. He was again named Academic All-ACC, powering his way for a career-high 1,473 yards on 297 rushes (5.0-yard average) with 12 touchdowns. His 1,473 yards rank second on the school's season rushing list. He also gained 98 yards on 12 catches, totaling 1,571 all-purpose yards as a junior.

The league coaches acknowledged Choice with a first-team All-ACC berth in 2007. Despite missing one game and a half of another, he still led the league in rushing, picking up 1,379 yards with 10 scores on 261 attempts (5.3-yard average). He snared 14 passes for 107 yards and also completed a 17-yard pass for a touchdown. His 1,486 all-purpose yards placed him sixth on the ACC leader boards.

In 38 games at Georgia Tech, Choice started 27 contests. He rushed 675 times for 3,365 yards (5.0-yard average) and 28 touchdowns, adding 281 yards on 40 receptions (7.0 avg). He hit on his only pass attempt for a 17-yard touchdown, recorded two solo tackles and scored 168 points while amassing 3,646 all-purpose yards.

Including eight games at Oklahoma, Choice's college career encompassed 46 contests. He registered 3,465 yards on 697 carries (5.0-yard average), scoring 28 times. He had 41 receptions for 288 yards (7.0 avg) and registered 3,753 all-purpose yards.

Career Notes
Rushed for 3,365 yards during his Georgia Tech career, becoming the fifth player in school history to gain over 3,000 yards on the ground, joining Robert Lavette (4,066 yards, 1981-84), Jerry Mays (3,699, 1985-89), Eddie Lee Ivery (3,517, 1975-78) and P.J. Daniels (3,346, 2002-05)...His 675 rushing attempts at Tech are topped only by Robert Lavette (914), P.J. Daniels (707) and Jerry Mays (695) in the Tech record books...His 28 touchdowns rushing rank behind Robert Lavette (45) and Joe Burns (31) in Yellow Jackets annals...His 18 100-yard rushing games tied the school record that was first set by Robert Lavette...His 1,473 yards on the ground in 2006 rank second on the school list behind Eddie Lee Ivery (1,562 in 1978) and his 1,379 yards in 2007 rank fourth (P.J. Daniels' 1,447 yards in 2003 rank third)...Choice's 297 carries in 2006 set the school season record, topping the old mark of 283 attempts by P.J. Daniels in 2003...His 12 touchdowns rushing in 2006 are tied for fifth on the Tech single-season chart...Set another school record with nine consecutive 100-yard rushing performances in 2006...His 204 rushing yards vs. Miami in 2007 rank ninth on the school single-game list.

High School
Attended Lovejoy (Ga.) High School, playing football for head coach Al Hughes...Saw his jersey worn at the school be recently retired...First-team All-State pick and rated the 14th-best player in the state of Georgia by Super Prep...Ranked as the 22nd-best running back in the nation by Rivals.com...Rushed for 1,200 yards on 129 carries as a senior and also had 600 yards receiving while scoring 17 touchdowns.