Georgia Tech signed 17 prospects to national letters of intent, the school announced on Wednesday.

With the exception of one player from Australia and one from Maryland, every signee was from the state of Georgia or an adjacent state. Georgia Tech addressed needs at every position, including four defensive linemen. The Jackets must replace two starters up front in 2012.

“I’m excited about this class,” coach Paul Johnson said in a prepared statement.. “I think we not only signed some very good football players, but good students who are excited about coming to Georgia Tech. Our assistant coaches did a good job and worked very hard to sign this class. I think this group will help us win a lot of football games.”

From the release:

Quarterback Dennis Andrews (Tallahassee, Fla.), who graduated from high school in December, enrolled at Georgia Tech in January and will participate in spring practice. The remainder of the class is expected to enroll this summer.

Tech dipped into Florida for a total of four signees, including Marcus Allen (Hilliard, Fla.), who is expected to begin his career as a running back, safety Lynn Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) and punter Ryan Rodwell (DeLand, Fla.).

Alabama continued to be a fertile state for Tech’s recruiting efforts. Justin Thomas (Prattville, Ala.) a highly-touted quarterback, signed with the Yellow Jackets today along with LB Tyler Stargel (Orange Beach, Ala.) and LB Beau Hankins (Birmingham, Ala.).

The Yellow Jackets signed a pair of teammates from Statesboro (Ga.) High School – WR Micheal Summers and OL Freddie Burden. Both players’ father played football on the professional level.

In an effort to fill the void created by the departure of two starters on the defensive line, Tech signed four defensive linemen Wednesday – Francis Kallon (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Pat Gamble (Carrollton, Ga.), Roderick Chungong (Silver Spring, Md.) and Adam Gotsis (Victoria, Australia).

Cornerback D.J. White (McDonough, Ga.) comes to the Flats from Union Grove High School, the same school that produced recent Yellow Jacket linebacker Steven Sylvester. Anthony Autry (Norcross, Ga.) comes to Tech after a standout prep career on both sides of the ball. Another signee from metro Atlanta is OL Chase Roberts (Duluth, Ga.) of Greater Atlanta Christian.

Travin Henry (Sparks, Ga.) comes to Tech listed as an “athlete” and will get a strong look at wide receiver, a position where the Yellow Jackets lost both starters.