Back Home and Locked In: Georgia Tech’s Zachary Tobe Embraces His Orlando Return Ahead of Pop-Tarts Bowl
For Georgia Tech cornerback Zachary Tobe, this week isn’t just about preparing for a bowl game - it’s a full-circle moment.
The Yellow Jackets are in Orlando for Saturday’s Pop-Tarts Bowl matchup against BYU, and for Tobe, it’s a homecoming in every sense. The junior defensive back grew up just minutes away, starred at Ocoee High School, and now returns as a key piece of a 9-3 Georgia Tech team that’s turned heads in the ACC.
“It feels good to come back home,” Tobe said while enjoying a team outing at Fun Spot Orlando. “I don’t think I’ve played in Orlando since my senior night in high school. It’s kinda nostalgic to get back here where I grew up… it’s amazing.”
At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Tobe brings size, experience, and a steady presence to the Yellow Jackets’ secondary. His journey to Georgia Tech wasn’t a straight line - it started at Illinois, where he played in 10 games as a true freshman and made three starts. But after a season in the Big Ten, he hit the transfer portal in search of a better fit.
That search led him to Atlanta, and to head coach Brent Key.
“I didn’t know Coach Key before I entered the portal,” Tobe said. “But once I started learning about him, I knew he was the kind of coach who was gonna push me, hold me to a standard. That’s what I needed.”
Key, who spent a decade as an assistant at UCF from 2005 to 2015, never crossed paths with Tobe during his high school days. In fact, Georgia Tech didn’t recruit Tobe out of Ocoee at all. But when the opportunity came around again, both sides saw the potential.
Now, Tobe is coming off a strong sophomore campaign in which he played all 12 regular-season games - starting 11 - and recorded 29 tackles and a fumble recovery. His breakout moment came in last year’s Birmingham Bowl, when he racked up seven tackles and two tackles for loss against Vanderbilt.
In total, he’s played in 34 college games with 71 tackles and a pair of pass breakups, but it’s not just the stats that define his impact. Tobe brings a quiet confidence and a team-first mentality that’s helped him carve out a role in a competitive ACC defense.
“I feel good. I’m blessed to be in this position,” he said.
“It comes with ups and downs, but I’m just thankful. God brought me this far.”
Tobe’s football roots run deep in Central Florida. He was a standout at Ocoee High, helping lead the Knights to a 9-5 record and a trip to the Class 4M state semifinals as a senior. That playoff run ended in a shootout loss to Miami Columbus, a team led by quarterback Alberto Mendoza - the brother of Indiana’s Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza.
Back then, Tobe thought UCF might be his college destination, but as his recruitment picked up late in his senior year, he started exploring other options. He landed at Illinois, where he got his first taste of big-time college football.
“My freshman year, I got thrown into the game,” he recalled. “When a new corner comes in, they’re gonna test you.
I think I got seven or eight targets that game. I did good, but it was a wake-up call - like, ‘This is real.
I’m here now.’”
That early trial by fire gave him the experience he needed. And when the time came to transfer, he didn’t chase money or flash - he went with his gut.
“Nowadays, money goes into everything,” Tobe said. “But for me, I always look for the best fit.
It wasn’t really too hard. It was pretty simple to just go with my heart.”
That heart has helped him become part of a Georgia Tech team that’s quietly built something special. Since Tobe arrived, the Jackets are 16-9 and have delivered some unforgettable moments - including a pair of field-storming upsets at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Last season, it was a last-second touchdown against Miami that sent fans pouring onto the field. This year, it was a win over Clemson that sparked another celebration.
“Those are my top two memories,” Tobe said. “Last year, beating Miami - that was my first time experiencing fans rushing the field.
This year, beating Clemson - same thing. The second time, I was looking for my family, but the first time, I was with the fans, just soaking it all in.
Not many people get to experience that.”
Now, with one more game to play this season - and in front of a hometown crowd, no less - Tobe is keeping things simple.
“I think I got like 20-plus family members coming,” he said with a grin. “I think I have 20 tickets, so I was able to get everybody in.”
His goal for Saturday?
“To help my team win, man,” he said. “That’s all I can do. That’s all I want to do, honestly.”
For Tobe, the Pop-Tarts Bowl isn’t just another game. It’s a chance to cap off a strong season, in the city where his football journey began - surrounded by family, friends, and a whole lot of memories.