Fall camp is winding down for Georgia Tech, and with the second scrimmage coming up, a few names are starting to separate themselves from the pack. The Yellow Jackets still have plenty to sort out, but four players have put themselves in position to be the kinds of difference-makers that can change how this season looks.
One of the most intriguing is Roche Jr., whose size alone makes him hard to ignore. At 6-foot-9, he brings a rare frame to the position, and that has been a constant talking point through both spring and fall.
The appeal is simple: he can catch the ball, create mismatches, and give Georgia Tech a real threat in the red zone. That kind of target changes the picture for an offense, especially when the ball gets close to the goal line.
“I was big on the red zone, like ran a lot of goes in high school, and um it was something that I wish I could have done last season and um at least contributed in some way. But um this year now, it's a big focus, and I mean I love getting the ball in the red zone.
I think like if I was a coach, I would do the same thing. I'm just excited for those opportunities that I'm going to get.
Coach Godsey, like I said, coming in um and giving me the chance and allowing me to do those things, like I love it. It's really big for me,” said Roche Jr
That kind of role could make him one of the most talked-about players on the roster once the season gets going.
Mendoza is another player who has made a real impression. Teammates and coaches have noticed the way he processes the game, prepares, and carries himself.
His work ethic and football IQ have stood out enough that he’s drawn comparisons to NFL quarterbacks in the way he handles the day-to-day grind. In Georgia Tech’s offense, that matters.
The staff wants the quarterback to do more than just take the snap and run the play.
“I mean, we're trying to create mismatches, right? Coach Godsey talks about we're striving for perfection every day, and we are.
And, well, how can we be perfect? Well, part of that onus is put on the quarterback because we're not just going to go up to the line and call a play.
I call it call it and haul it. We're not going to do that.
We're going to put the onus on the quarterback to get us into a good play. So, you know, we could go through the course of a game and have a check with 50% of our plays, right, to get us into the right play.
Well, that takes a lot of studying. You've got to know what you're looking at,” said Mendoza.
If he performs at the level Georgia Tech believes he can, the ceiling for the team rises with him. In fact, his play could push the Yellow Jackets into playoff contention.
On the defensive side, the battle for the corner spot opposite former Alabama cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe has become one of the more interesting storylines in camp. Nothing has been officially announced, but Daiquan White has clearly made noise.
The senior has been strong all spring and has carried that momentum into fall camp, where he appears to be taking another step. The game is slowing down for him, and that usually shows up when a player starts making quicker, cleaner decisions.
“I would say this spring, uh, this spring it kind of clicked for me. Just having a new defensive coordinator, um, just having to learn a lot of things, and you know me being an older guy I had to kind of lead the way for the younger guys that's behind me. So it kind of clicked in, and I just had to learn more, learn a lot more about football, learn a lot more about formations and offensive things so I could play faster,” said White.
White’s name has been buzzing, and he looks like a player who could end up with a major role this fall.
The last name to keep an eye on is Fuhrmann, who is finally healthy and beginning to make his presence felt at the right time. There was real concern after he missed most of the spring, but he has been productive in camp and looks like a much-needed piece for Georgia Tech’s passing game. That matters even more because the wide receiver room has a fresh look, with only Jordan Allen returning as a significant contributor from last season.
Fuhrmann arrived from Elon after a strong season there, and now that he’s practicing every day, he’s trending upward. Wide receivers coach Jafar Williams said the biggest goal was simply getting him to practice consistently, and once that happened, the rest could follow.
"I think the biggest thing with Zay was making sure that he could practice every day. You know, that was the goal that we set for him.
You know, he missed all of spring pretty much. And there's some growing pains with him, right, in terms of getting in shape and getting in football shape.
But from a mental standpoint, like Zay's sharp. He's going to be sharp,” said wide receivers coach Jafar Williams.
In Other News...
Daiquan White Is Suddenly A Bigger Georgia Tech Story Than Expected
Daiquan White entered Georgia Tech last season as a transfer from Eastern Michigan and settled into the secondary well enough to appear in 11 games, finishing with 16 tackles and two tackles for loss. As he heads into his second year in the program, the cornerback is no longer just a depth piece trying to find his footing. With key departures creating openings, White is now in position to become a much bigger part of the Yellow Jackets' defense than anyone might have projected a year ago.
White has already pointed to coaches Kobie Jones and Jason Semore as major reasons for his progress, crediting them with helping him sharpen his understanding of the scheme and improve overall. That kind of development matters now because Georgia Tech needs reliable answers in the secondary, and White's next step could be one of the more important internal storylines on the roster. The opportunity is there. The question is how quickly he turns last season's supporting role into something more substantial. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Techs ACC Push May Hinge On These Crucial Duos
As Georgia Tech wraps up fall camp and turns its attention to the season opener against Colorado, there is a growing sense that the Yellow Jackets next step in the ACC race will be shaped as much by chemistry as by talent. The staff has pointed to three player pairings it believes could help define the season, starting with running backs Justice Haynes and Malachi Hosley, whose presence gives the backfield a chance to stay fresh and versatile.
The same idea carries over to the perimeter and the secondary, where wide receivers Jordan Allen and Fuhrmann are expected to help stretch the offense, while cornerbacks Jonas Duclona and Jaylen Mbakwe give the defense a duo to build around. Georgia Tech does not need every one of those pairings to become a headline, but if even a couple of them click early, the Jackets could have a much clearer path through the kind of conference grind that usually rewards depth and balance. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Mbakwe Could Be The Answer Georgia Tech's Secondary Needed
Jaylen Mbakwe arrived at Georgia Tech with a rsum that already hinted at versatility, having spent two seasons at Alabama while contributing on defense, offense and special teams. Now back in a full-time defensive role, he has stepped into a spot where the Yellow Jackets needed both experience and steadiness, and his transition has been helped along by an existing connection with coach Kobie Jones.
For Georgia Tech, the appeal is not just what Mbakwe has done, but how quickly he has fit into a new locker room with starting and leadership responsibilities. His personality has helped smooth that adjustment, and the early sense around him is that he can bring the kind of presence a secondary often needs while settling into a larger role than he had before. [Read more 🡒]