Fall camp is winding down at Georgia Tech, and the Yellow Jackets are 13 days from opening the season against Colorado. With the roster battles mostly sorted out, a few pairings have started to stand out, and those duos could end up steering the year for Brent Key’s team.
The clearest headliner is the backfield combination of Justice Haynes and Malachi Hosley. Georgia Tech has leaned on the run under Key, and this pair gives the Yellow Jackets a chance to double down on that identity.
Haynes was on a huge pace at Michigan last season before getting hurt, finishing with 857 rushing yards, 7.1 yards per carry and 122 yards per game. Hosley did not reach 100 carries, but he still topped seven yards per rush and finished second on the team in rushing behind quarterback Haynes King.
That kind of production is why the running game could end up being the engine for Georgia Tech this season. The source of the offense is obvious, and the ceiling of the team may well rise or fall with what Haynes and Hosley do together.
The receiver room tells a different story. It is one of the most inexperienced groups at the power-four level, and only Jordan Allen has caught a pass at that level.
Allen is expected to be a major target for quarterback Alberto Mendoza, and he brings more than just receiving value. He can be used in a variety of ways, including in the run game and on special teams.
Fuhrmann has also put together a strong fall camp and is a name to watch as a possible breakout player in the ACC. The talent is there, but he still has to prove he can perform at conference level. Even so, Georgia Tech needs that duo to hit quickly because of how young and untested the room is.
On the other side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets are retooling at cornerback after losing their top three players there from last season. They do return a good chunk of depth in Daiquan White, Zachary Tobe, Jon Mitchell, Kelvin Hill and Elgin Sessions, and they added two transfer corners who could matter right away: Jonas Duclona and Jaylen Mbakwe.
Mbakwe brings the kind of upside that can change a secondary. A former five-star recruit and a gifted athlete, he is making the move from receiver to cornerback, the position many scouts and recruiting analysts believed suited him best. His ceiling is high, and he could make a real impact on the back end.
Duclona has been moved around during camp, lining up both at nickel and outside corner. That versatility makes him a useful piece for defensive coordinator Jason Semore, who can deploy him in a few different spots.
Between the run game, the young receivers and the new-look cornerback group, Georgia Tech’s season may be shaped by how well these duos come together.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Fall Camp Buzz Is Building Around 4 Potential Breakouts
With fall camp nearing its finish, Georgia Tech has plenty to sort through, and a small group of players has begun to separate itself in the conversation about who might matter most once the season starts. Roche Jr., Mendoza, Daiquan White, and Fuhrmann have all drawn attention for the way theyve handled their work in camp, giving the Yellow Jackets a handful of names to watch as the staff tries to identify who is ready for a larger role.
Each of those players has spoken about what the coming season could ask of him, and that kind of confidence is part of what has made this stretch interesting. The buzz is real enough to suggest Georgia Tech may have found some emerging contributors, but camp talk only goes so far, and the unanswered question is which of these performances will translate when the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
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 🡒]
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 🡒]