Georgia Tech’s secondary has a built-in opening, and that’s why two freshmen are worth watching when fall camp gets rolling.
The Yellow Jackets are taking some real hits at safety. Clayton Powell-Lee and Omar Daniels, the two guys who handled most of the work there last season, are gone.
Tae Harris is back and expected to slide into a starting role, Fenix Felton should be in the mix after logging more than 80 snaps in each of the final two games against Georgia and BYU, and Savion Riley returns as the veteran after missing most of last season. But after that, the room gets thin in a hurry.
Cornerback has a little more meat on the bone. Ahmari Harvey, Jy Gilmore, and Rodney Shelly are all out of the picture, but Georgia Tech brings back Zachary Tobe, Kelvin Hill, Daiquan White, Jon Mitchell, and Elgins Sessions. That still leaves a window for a true freshman to carve out a role, especially when one of them is the highest-rated signee in the Yellow Jackets’ 2026 class.
That puts Jaedyn Terry and Chris Hewitt Jr. in the spotlight as they enter their first fall camp with a real chance to earn snaps on a defense that wants to take a clear step forward. Getting on the field as a freshman is never simple, but defensive coordinator Jason Semore isn’t closing the door on either one.
"It's a difficult task. Football at this level is hard.
There's a ton of preparation that goes into it.The higher level of football that you play, the less talent matters because everybody's talented. So it all comes down to... kind of habits do you have to prepare?
What kind of identity do you have, right? I feel good about both those guys and the way they're investing and things like that, right?
Obviously, we know that we have a lot of good young secondary players, right?
But nobody's going to care if we're busting assignments and dropping the football and all those kind of things, right? We expect Georgia Tech to have a championship -caliber defense in three weeks, not 10 years from now, right?
So those dudes, they have to develop in a lot of different ways. All that requires is investment.
If you want to develop faster, more investment is required. Those guys know that.
I'm pleased with what they're doing and the effort that they're putting in, right? And I think they're going to be able to contribute sooner rather than later."
Semore also made a point of crediting the coaches working directly with that young group, cornerbacks coach Kobie Jones and safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri.
"You know, talking about that young secondary, you also have... young coaches back there teaching them. How has that gone, and how are they communicating with each other and developing their players?
Those dudes are elite. They're really good coaches.
They know lots of schematic ball. They're really good teachers, really good developers.
I'm really excited about what this staff can do with this group this year in terms of youth and age and all those kind of things.
I mean, there's certain things that you learn throughout coaching football a long time. Right.
But really, there's this talent involved in this profession, too. You know what I mean?
In terms of how you teach and who you naturally are, identity wise as a person. And those guys are big time in that regard, in my opinion."
Between the two freshmen, Hewitt Jr. looks like he has the cleaner path to playing time right now. Terry, though, has the look of a future ACC starter if things develop the way Georgia Tech hopes. Even if the first contribution comes on special teams, that can be the first step before they start pushing the veterans ahead of them.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Offense Is Giving Fans A Reason To Believe Early
The first week of Georgia Tech fall camp has done more than get the Yellow Jackets back on the field. It has started to offer a clearer picture of an offense that needed signs of stability, with head coach Brent Key pointing to noticeable progress up front and at quarterback. The offensive line has produced seven players who have stood out, while Alberto Mendoza has settled into the role of starting quarterback as the staff begins to sort out what this unit can be.
There is also reason to like what has shown up in the backfield, where Justice Haynes and Malachi Hosley have helped give the running back group a deeper look and a strong work ethic through camp. For a team trying to build confidence early, that combination matters because it suggests the offense is not leaning on one area alone. The next questions are more about how quickly those pieces turn into something dependable once the pads stay on and the schedule pressure starts to rise. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Camp Is Already Spotlighting One Big Team Strength
Georgia Tech has made it through the first week of fall camp with a noticeably fresh look on both sides of the ball, thanks to new coordinators George Godsey on offense and Jason Semore on defense. Brent Key and several players have already highlighted the way the staff is teaching and the way the team is responding, and theres a steady tone to camp that suggests the Jackets are trying to build on more than just scheme this August.
One group in particular is standing out early: the running backs. Its a deep, talented room, and the competition inside it is already pushing everyone involved to raise their level. For a Tech team looking to establish depth and keep the offense moving under a new coordinator, having multiple backs fighting for carries could become one of the more useful strengths of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech's Backfield Battle Is Bringing Out Something Chad Alexander Loves
Georgia Techs running back room has turned fall camp into a true proving ground, and Chad Alexander sounds like a player who is enjoying every bit of it. After practice, the Yellow Jackets back described a group that is deep, competitive and pushing each other every day, the kind of environment that can sharpen everybody involved if the room stays locked in. He also said he is open to doing whatever the staff asks of him, a useful trait for a backfield where versatility can quickly become a separator.
Alexanders perspective also reflects how much trust the Jackets are putting in the process after his recovery from injury. He spoke highly of running backs coach Jimmy Smith, pointing to the way Smith coaches and supports his players on and off the field, and said the teams focus remains on getting a little better each day while preparing for whoever is next on the schedule. For a position group that is still sorting out roles, that kind of attitude can matter just as much as the reps themselves. [Read more 🡒]