Georgia Tech is about to kick off its season Thursday night against Colorado, and there’s plenty of reason to think the Yellow Jackets could be headed for a big year.
A year ago, Georgia Tech was on the doorstep of the ACC title game and had a home chance to clinch against Pittsburgh. That didn’t happen, but the expectation here is that the Yellow Jackets will put themselves back in that kind of position.
If they take care of business against Clemson, Louisville, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh, they could be right there in the race for Charlotte and a playoff berth. They may not be getting the loudest preseason buzz - Miami and SMU are drawing plenty of it - but Georgia Tech should be more than ready by the time league play arrives.
One of the clearest reasons for optimism is the belief that this is the season Georgia Tech finally gets to 10 wins after coming close in 2025. The schedule is difficult, but that’s not exactly new under Brent Key.
The Yellow Jackets have been willing to line up against top competition, and the idea is that the group coming back from last year will play with a little extra edge after seeing how close they were to crossing that threshold. Add in a roster that looks stronger in several important spots, and the path to more big wins starts to feel real.
The running back room is where the upside really jumps off the page. Georgia Tech could have four players top 500 rushing yards in 2026, and the ground game is expected to sit at the heart of the offense.
Malachi Hosley and Justice Haynes are described as the ideal pairing - physical backs who complement each other well and are comfortable sharing the load. That should keep them fresh, help reduce wear and tear, and set both up for productive seasons.
The expectation is that Hosley and Haynes each could reach 1,200 yards.
Defensively, the most ambitious prediction is tied to Jason Semore, who takes over as defensive coordinator. He’s known for forcing turnovers, and that matters for a Georgia Tech defense that has struggled to create takeaways and pressure the quarterback.
The belief is that portal additions and a more aggressive scheme will change that. With those pieces in place, the Yellow Jackets are expected to take a real step forward and come much closer to hitting that defensive benchmark.
And then there’s the finale. Georgia Tech closes the regular season on the road against Georgia, and the source of the optimism is hard to miss: the last meeting in Athens went to eight overtimes and turned into one of the wildest games in the series.
No one is predicting a repeat of that exact chaos, but the expectation is for another dramatic ending - one that could decide whether Georgia Tech reaches the College Football Playoff. Last year, the Yellow Jackets went into Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 9-2 with a chance to secure their 10th win, and this season could put them in a similar spot.
A win over a top SEC team would be enough to punch the ticket, and that kind of finish could come in any number of ways, from a walk-off field goal to a game-winning touchdown or a clinching interception.
In Other News...
Brent Key's Portal Approach Says A Lot About Georgia Tech's Future
Recruiting Albert Mendoza offered a pretty clear look at how Brent Key wants Georgia Tech to build through the transfer portal. The process is never just about talent, since Key has stressed competitiveness, character and eligibility as part of the evaluation, especially at quarterback. For a program trying to keep moving forward, that kind of filtering matters as much as the names that end up on the board.
Keys comments also pointed to something else Georgia Tech has been trying to protect: the progress along both lines. He said he was pleased with the development and maturity of the offensive and defensive fronts, which is a good sign for a team that wants its portal additions to complement, not replace, what is already in place. The broader message is pretty simple. Georgia Tech is looking for difference-makers, but only if they fit the culture and the timeline. [Read more 🡒]
Deion Sanders Now Has An Off-Field Issue Hanging Over Colorado
A Colorado bankruptcy court judge has added another layer of uncertainty around Deion Sanders, ruling that the Buffaloes coach must be available to potentially testify virtually on Sept. 4 in the bankruptcy trial involving his son, Shilo Sanders. The hearing stems from Shilos effort to discharge more than $11 million tied to a 2022 default judgment connected to a 2015 altercation with John Darjean, turning a family legal matter into something that now reaches into the coachs professional calendar.
For now, the testimony would only come into play on a rebuttal basis, and only if Shilos defense team opens the door to prior testimony, which it does not currently intend to do. Even so, the courts ruling leaves Deion Sanders with an off-field issue hanging over him at a time when Colorado would rather keep the focus on football, and the situation could still shift depending on how the bankruptcy case unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Is Battling Heavyweights For A Defensive Back Fans Need To Watch
A rising recruiting battle is taking shape around Jaelyn Easterling-Flores, the four-star safety from Goodyear, Arizona, who is already drawing attention as one of the top 2028 prospects in the country. The list of finalists is a deep one, with LSU, Texas, Auburn, Oklahoma, Miami and Georgia Tech all still in the mix, which tells you plenty about how early this race has become and how seriously major programs are treating him.
For Georgia Tech, being mentioned alongside that group is notable on its own, especially with the Yellow Jackets continuing to push for the kind of defensive back talent that can change the ceiling of a class. Easterling-Flores has plenty of time before a decision, and with several blue-blood programs still involved, the next phase of this recruitment will be about which staff can keep building momentum while the others keep making their own case. [Read more 🡒]