Georgia Tech’s roster looks a lot different heading into the 2026 season, and that kind of turnover usually creates a new wave of players fans latch onto fast.
Brent Key has spent the offseason reshaping the program in a big way. He brought in two new coordinators, moved on from Haynes King, and plugged holes at several key spots across the roster. With so many familiar faces gone, there’s room for new names to grab the spotlight on The Flats.
One of the most intriguing is Alberto Mendoza, who steps into a role once held by one of the most popular players Georgia Tech has ever had. Mendoza isn’t trying to be a copy of anyone, but he is drawing on what he learned from his brother Fernando, who led Indiana to a national championship and became a fan favorite nationwide last year. Mendoza talked about that influence this way:
“Yeah, obviously it comes from last year, just learning under my brother, showing me how to do it because coming as a freshman, no freshman knows how to operate their process should be. Just seeing that last year all last year spring, summer, fall from my brother is where that came from.
I'm just kind of copying the blueprint and kind of putting my own little touches on it on how he got there and how he succeeded because we're pretty similar, although we're very different, we're pretty similar. I think they were brothers, so just following that is really gonna help me take that next step.
Hopefully so, I’m excited.”
There’s a real chance Mendoza becomes one of the most popular players on the team if he settles in and helps push Georgia Tech forward.
In the backfield, there’s another player built to win people over quickly. Haynes arrives after starting his career at Alabama and Michigan, and he’s looking to build on what he showed in Ann Arbor.
Last season, he was one of the best running backs in the country before an injury cut his year short. If he stays healthy, he and Malachi Hosley could form one of the top running back tandems in the country.
Haynes also fits the identity Key has tried to establish. He brings the kind of running style and physical edge that lines up perfectly with a program built around “running theball and physicality.”
Georgia Tech’s wide receiver room has been hit hard by departures, with Eric Rivers, Malik Rutherford, and Dean Patterson exhausting their eligibility and Isiah Canion, Bailey Stockton, Zion Taylor, and others heading out through the transfer portal. That leaves Allen in a huge position.
He is the only wide receiver or tight end who caught a pass last season and is back on the roster, which puts him in line to be one of Mendoza’s top targets. He can also be moved around in different ways, giving him a chance to become a prominent piece of the offense.
On the other side of the ball, Carter could become a quick favorite if he helps solve one of Georgia Tech’s biggest issues. The Yellow Jackets have struggled defensively under Key, but the program has invested heavily in the defensive line this offseason.
Carter, a transfer from Alabama, brings the kind of pass-rush upside that can change how a defense looks. If he delivers, fans won’t take long to embrace him.
Carter made his goals clear in spring:
“Well, as first as a team, to make the national championship and ACC championship, one of the ACC. And for myself, I want to make the first team all-ACC and be the best defensive player in the ACC.”
Then there’s Harris, who may have had Georgia Tech fans paying attention the moment he flipped from rival Clemson in the recruiting process. With veteran safeties gone, the Jackets are counting on younger players in the secondary, and Harris is one of the most highly regarded recruits the program has ever signed. His physical style should only help him stand out more as the season unfolds, both with fans and on the national stage.
In Other News...
Five-Star EDGE Battle Is Starting To Feel Uncomfortably Familiar
The recruitment of David D.J. Jacobs, Jr. is drifting into familiar territory for anyone tracking the top edge rushers in the country. The highly regarded defensive end has already given Ohio State a verbal commitment, but programs with real pull are still working the trail, and Miami has stayed aggressive as it tries to keep reshaping the conversation around some of the nations best defensive talent.
Georgia is right in the mix as well, and its case is the kind that can linger late. Jacobs has deep personal and family connections to Athens, from his fathers time on the football team to his mothers basketball background at UGA and Mark Richt serving as his godfather, which gives the Bulldogs a built-in storyline every time this recruitment comes up. For now, the Buckeyes have the pledge, but this one still has enough moving parts to stay unsettled. [Read more 🡒]