Georgia Tech’s linebacker room enters fall camp looking familiar, but that doesn’t mean it’s settled.
The Yellow Jackets brought back almost the entire group from last season and added two true freshmen, yet this is still a unit that has plenty to prove. Tackling issues and shaky run defense were major problems a year ago, and now new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jason Semore is asking for something different: a more aggressive defense built around pressure and turnovers.
That shift could matter a lot for a group that has shown flashes but not enough consistency. Georgia Tech’s linebackers had their moments in 2025, but the overall picture was uneven. Semore’s system gives them a chance to clean that up, and there’s enough experience here to think the group can take a step forward.
Melvin Jordan IV, a redshirt senior, is back after entering the transfer portal and then deciding to return. He finished last season as the highest-graded player on Georgia Tech’s defense at Pro Football Focus with a 76.6 overall grade, but his 56.2 tackling grade shows why the staff still needs more from him. At the very least, he should provide depth, though a bigger role is possible.
Cayman Spaulding, a senior, logged more than 300 snaps last season and finished strong when Georgia Tech used him as a blitzer and sent him after the quarterback. That usage seems like a natural fit in Semore’s defense, and he should be in line for plenty of work as a rotation piece.
E.J. Lightsey, a redshirt senior, is heading into his third season with the program after an up-and-down 2025.
He played more than 670 snaps, posted a 68.6 overall grade and a strong 76.5 run defense grade, and closed the year with an excellent game against Georgia. He figures to be one of the team’s leaders on defense this season.
Kyle Efford, also a redshirt senior, is one of the most experienced linebackers in the country and one of the key voices on the team entering 2026. He led Georgia Tech in tackles last season and finished with a 64.3 overall grade from PFF, along with a 59.2 tackling grade. The scheme change could help him, and he’ll be trying to finish his Georgia Tech career as one of the ACC’s top linebackers.
The freshmen add intrigue, especially Braylon Outlaw. He got off to a strong start in spring practice and drew praise from the coaching staff for how quickly he adjusted to the college game. If a true freshman is going to make an impact, Outlaw looks like the best bet.
CJ Gamble, a three-star prospect in the 2026 class, also has a promising future. But with so many veteran linebackers ahead of him and Outlaw already making noise, it may be tough for Gamble to find many snaps this season.
That’s what makes this group such a question mark. Georgia Tech has talent and experience here, but it also has four veterans who were inconsistent last season. Outlaw may play, but the Yellow Jackets can’t count on two true freshmen to carry the load.
The good news for Georgia Tech is that Semore has a track record of developing linebackers, and this group should be a better fit for what the defense wants to do. Add in what should be an improved defensive line, and there’s reason to believe Efford, Lightsey, Spaulding and Jordan can be more consistent. This probably won’t become an elite unit, but a bounce-back season feels like the expectation.
In Other News...
Two Georgia Tech Departures Still Sting For The 2026 Roster
Georgia Techs 2026 roster is already taking shape with a lot of new faces, and not all of them are arriving through the front door. The Yellow Jackets have had to absorb significant turnover across the lineup, with new starters needed at multiple spots and several players already gone through the transfer portal. Under new defensive coordinator Jason Semore, the staff is leaning on incoming freshmen and returning players to steady things while the depth chart gets rebuilt.
Two departures still loom especially large because of what they would have meant to the teams ceiling. One would have been the top wide receiver on the 2026 roster, which leaves that room looking especially young and untested. The other was viewed as perhaps the most talented linebacker on the team and a player who seemed poised for a major season, making his exit another reminder that Georgia Techs next step forward may depend as much on replacing lost talent as developing the talent that remains. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech's New-Look Offense Faces Pressure Fans Can't Ignore
The new-look Georgia Tech offense is heading into the season with more than just curiosity attached to it. Alberto Mendoza is taking over at quarterback after Carson Kings departure, and he has yet to start a game for the Yellow Jackets, which puts a spotlight on every snap he takes. Around him, the staff is also asking a lot of two newcomers in Haynes and Fuhrmann, both of whom arrive with expectations that go well beyond a simple depth-chart upgrade.
Haynes brings the kind of rsum that makes people assume he can carry a major load right away after piling up 857 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games last season, while Fuhrmann is being counted on to become a key receiver after moving up from Elon and the FCS level. For Georgia Tech, the challenge is obvious: all three are being asked to help reshape the offense quickly, and the margin for growing pains may be thinner than fans would like. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Linebackers Face A Defining Camp After Late-Season Collapse
Georgia Techs linebacker room is entering camp with a different kind of pressure on it this year, and Jason Semores arrival as defensive coordinator only sharpens the spotlight. Semore comes in with a reputation for coaching the position and bringing an aggressive style, while the Jackets also have a relatively stable group to work with after a season in which Efford and Lightsey handled a heavy load and helped anchor the middle of the defense.
The challenge now is turning that continuity into a cleaner finish than the one Georgia Tech got last fall. The room is short on turnover, with two freshmen added and only one linebacker leaving through the portal, so the Jackets should have enough familiar pieces to build around. What happens next in camp will go a long way toward showing whether this group can become a strength again, or whether the late-season issues that lingered from 2025 are still waiting to surface. [Read more 🡒]