Georgia Tech is only three practices into fall camp, but a few themes are already starting to take shape on The Flats.
The biggest one is on the defensive side, where Brent Key’s program has spent plenty of time trying to fix what hasn’t been working. The Yellow Jackets went back to Jason Semore as coordinator in the offseason and added help on the defensive line and at cornerback, and early camp chatter suggests at least one area is starting to look the part. Semore said the edge group has real numbers and real upside.
"We're pretty deep right now at the defensive end position. I would say guys that have the talent and measurables and stuff to play in the game, we're probably four deep both sides.
So I've never been anywhere where we'd have as much length and depth in guys that can play from a talent standpoint. Now it's just a competition to see who can learn the most scheme and become the most dependable and all those kind of things."
That kind of depth is one thing. Turning it into stops is another. But Georgia Tech has reason to believe it can at least start trending toward being tougher against the run and more disruptive off the edge.
The other place where confidence is showing up early is up front on offense. Key made it clear the Yellow Jackets are still sorting through pieces, but he likes the overall shape of the group. Georgia Tech has been one of the ACC’s better offensive lines during Key’s three seasons, and even with some uncertainty about the exact starting five, the expectation is that this unit won’t fall off a cliff.
"Yeah, that's a discussion we've had a lot in the last few weeks, really coming out of spring and then through the last couple of weeks. Because we are.
I mean, you've got guys that might roll out there with a third group at some point, you know, one day. You know, it's A, B, C, and the next day it might be B, C, A, how we've got to roll these guys.
So not only are they getting reps, but also getting reps versus the best competition on the other side of the ball, okay? And you've got guys that roll out there with the, you know, the threes at times that are starting guys.
I mean, guys that might be as good as anybody had in the last, you know, five, six years or whatnot."
From there, the puzzle pieces start to get more specific. Ethan Mackenny enters camp as one of the offense’s leaders and is lined up at left tackle to protect Alberto Mendoza’s blindside.
Alabama transfer Joseph Ionata is at center, while Key said Malachi Carney and Markell Samuel are battling for the right guard job. Carney had been viewed as the starter, but if Samuel wins that spot, it could open up another question about whether Carney moves to right tackle or whether Jameson Riggs ends up there instead.
Left guard is still unsettled, too. Jordan Floyd has also been mentioned as someone standing out early.
Key said the goal is to get enough reliable pieces that the staff can build a cohesive group.
"And that way we feel like we have eight guys we can really develop to play cohesive football. So what do they need right now?
They need a lot of reps. We need to get pads on.
We need to get pads on so we can actually see who can sustain and finish and stay on their feet and play with pad level and use their hands. you know, the communication when they get tired at the end of practice, who's still going to be able to communicate and, you know, get the last-minute adjustments or checks or audibles made."
That ties directly into the final major theme of camp so far: Georgia Tech does not want Alberto Mendoza carrying everything. The Yellow Jackets are making sure their first-time starting quarterback isn’t forced into the kind of one-man job that Haynes King sometimes had to shoulder over the past couple of seasons.
The formula they want is pretty clear. Lean on a stronger defense.
Lean on the run game. Lean on the offensive line.
Let Mendoza use his athleticism and his intelligence to keep drives moving without having to chase the game every week. In other words, Georgia Tech wants to control the tempo and avoid living in shootout mode.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Linebackers Know What Must Change Before Colorado
With fall camp winding down, Georgia Techs veteran linebacker pair of Kyle Efford and E.J. Lightsey has been among the more important voices on the defensive side as the Yellow Jackets get ready for the season opener against Colorado. The two spoke with the media about how their partnership has grown, how much the coaching staff has shaped their preparation, and why the next step for this group is turning that work into sharper play once the games start.
Efford and Lightsey both pointed to teamwork, communication and taking coaching as the core of their development, but they also made clear there are areas on defense that still need tightening before kickoff. For a unit trying to establish an identity early, the focus is as much about cleaning up details and meeting personal goals as it is about simply getting through camp, and those answers can reveal plenty about what Georgia Tech expects from its linebackers when Colorado arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Defense Is Finally Taking On Jason Semores Identity
Jason Semore is back at Georgia Tech, and the defensive coordinator is wasting little time trying to imprint his style on the Yellow Jackets. His vision leans aggressive and turnover-driven, the kind of approach that asks a defense to attack rather than react, while he and his staff spend preseason sorting through the roster and figuring out where the pieces fit.
There are early signs the personnel could suit it. Semore has pointed to depth at defensive end, encouraging play from the linebackers and defensive backs, and some of the new transfer portal arrivals have already helped widen the competition. The bigger test now is less about raw talent than about how quickly the group absorbs the scheme and the situational details that make an aggressive defense work when the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Ethan Mackenny Could Set The Tone For Georgia Tech Up Front
Ethan Mackenny is heading into his fourth season at Georgia Tech with a chance to do more than just hold down a spot on the line. After injuries cut into his early playing time, the left tackle has worked his way back into the conversation as one of the most important pieces up front, and his past recognition as a freshman All-American and honorable mention all-ACC pick still hints at the upside the Yellow Jackets have seen before.
This spring, the focus has been as much about staying healthy as it has been about leadership. Mackenny has spent time mentoring younger offensive linemen, a role that matters on a unit where continuity and communication can shape everything else around the offense. If he can stay on the field, Georgia Tech has reason to believe he can help set a steadier tone at the point of attack. [Read more 🡒]