When Tennessee heads to Georgia Tech in Week 2 of the 2026 season, the Yellow Jackets will have a familiar name on the sideline in a very different role. DeAndre Hopkins is set to join Georgia Tech’s offensive staff, according to a report from Matt Zenitz.
Hopkins had reportedly been in Atlanta this week visiting with the program before the news surfaced. His connection to Georgia Tech offensive coordinator George Godsey runs deep, dating back to their time together with the Houston Texans.
The move comes after Hopkins spent last season in the NFL and then took on a coaching role with the New England Patriots during training camp. Now he’s set to work with Georgia Tech’s receivers as the Yellow Jackets prepare for Jim Knowles’ Tennessee defense.
That matchup is scheduled for September 12, 2026, at Bobby Dodd Stadium, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Hopkins’ football background has been elite from the start. He played college ball at Clemson, the same city where he was born, and finished his final season in 2012 as a First-Team All-ACC selection and Second-Team All-American.
The Texans made him a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, taking him 27th overall. He spent the first stretch of his pro career in Houston through 2019 and established himself as one of the league’s top receivers.
After that, Hopkins moved through a string of NFL stops: Arizona from 2020-22, Tennessee from 2023-24, Kansas City in 2024 and Baltimore in 2025.
His resume is loaded with hardware, too. Over the course of his career, Hopkins earned three First-Team All-Pro nods, two Second-Team All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowl invitations and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2017 with 13.
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