Georgia Tech is banking on a defensive reset, and a big part of that plan starts with the newcomers and the young players who were already in the building.
That side of the ball was a real issue late last season, when the Yellow Jackets dropped four of their final five games. Brent Key responded by changing coordinators again and loading up the transfer portal, especially along the defensive line. The question now is simple: does all that movement actually turn into better play?
Up front, Georgia Tech needs a pass rush that can show up with more consistency than it has in years. If the Yellow Jackets are going to get to the ACC Championship and become a real threat to win the conference, that area has to improve in a major way.
One of the biggest names to watch is former Alabama defensive end Noah Carter. Georgia Tech brought in six transfer defensive linemen, including three edge players, and Carter fits the profile of a potential impact piece.
He played only 88 snaps for the Crimson Tide last season, but the former four-star prospect has the athletic tools to be a force off the edge.
Another young lineman to keep an eye on is Garrett, who was also a blue-chip recruit. He saw a limited workload for Georgia Tech but made the most of his chances. With the defensive line needing more production, the Jackets are going to need players like Garrett to take a step forward and turn promise into real disruption.
Linebacker is a different story, at least in terms of roster churn. Georgia Tech didn’t add any transfers there and brought in just two freshmen to compete with four returners from last season.
One of the names that stood out in the spring was Braylon Outlaw, who drew praise from the coaching staff for how quickly he picked things up and how much of an impact he made. He may not open the season as a starter, but he looks like someone who can earn more and more snaps as the year goes on.
Georgia Tech has shown it won’t hesitate to play younger guys, and Outlaw seems to fit that mold.
In the secondary, the most intriguing addition might be Alabama transfer Edo Mbakwe. He is one of three former Tide players joining Georgia Tech, and his ceiling may be the highest of the group.
A former five-star recruit, Mbakwe is making the move from wide receiver to cornerback, and that’s where his upside appears to be. The Yellow Jackets lost three starters at corner in Ahmari Harvey, Rodney Shelley, and Jy Gilmore, so there’s real work to do there.
Between the returners and players like Mbakwe, Georgia Tech needs someone to step into those vacancies and lift the position.
At safety, Tae Harris is another former blue-chip prospect who could be ready to break through. He showed flashes last season whenever he got on the field, and Georgia Tech is counting on him to help lead the secondary.
Harris brings playmaking ability and the kind of physicality that can make ball carriers feel him when he arrives. If his game keeps climbing, he has the look of an All-ACC level safety.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Fans Just Got A New Way To Wear Team Pride
Georgia Tech fans looking for a new way to show their colors now have another option on the shelf. Nike has rolled out a limited-edition version of its Vomero 18 running shoe as part of a college football-inspired collection, blending the shoes performance build with school-specific designs and logos.
The release, which went on sale Aug. 1 for $165, spans a wide range of programs and is built to appeal to fans who want something usable rather than just decorative. For Yellow Jackets supporters, it adds a fresh piece of gear to the game-day rotation, with the school branding woven into a model that still carries the Vomero 18s running-shoe features. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Faces Three Huge Camp Questions Before Colorado
Fall camp is underway at Georgia Tech, and it arrives with a roster that looks very different from the one the Yellow Jackets carried through last season. There are new starters to sort out all over the field, plus two new coordinators helping steer the process, which makes these first weeks in camp especially important as the team starts building toward the opener against Colorado.
The biggest questions are concentrated in places where departures hit hardest, especially at quarterback, receiver and safety. With key veterans gone, Georgia Tech has to identify who can settle those jobs quickly and give the offense and defense some stability before the season starts to tighten up. Camp has only just begun, but for a team with this much change, every practice rep matters a little more than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Has Several Offensive Spots Fans Will Be Watching Closely
Fall camp is underway in Atlanta, and Georgia Tech is already sorting through the offensive questions that will shape the buildup to the 2026 season opener against Colorado. The most obvious spotlight falls on Mendoza, who enters the offseason with the quarterback job carrying the biggest weight, but he is far from the only name drawing attention. J.P. Powell has flashed enough at running back to make him one of the more intriguing pieces in the backfield, while receiver Penson and tight end Roche Jr. both look like players whose roles could grow quickly if camp goes the way the staff hopes.
Up front, Ionata is another player worth tracking as Georgia Tech works through roster turnover on the offensive line, where transfers in and departures out have created a new look. Those changes tend to reveal themselves slowly in August, and for the Yellow Jackets the coming weeks should offer a clearer read on which newcomers settle in and which returning pieces can handle bigger jobs. The good news for Georgia Tech is that there are multiple spots on offense where the depth chart still feels open enough for someone to seize it. [Read more 🡒]