Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 2024 College Football Preview & Prediciton

Intro all right guys what's going welcome back to everything College podcast today me here our 2024 preview and prediction for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets looking at this coaching staff Brent key 11- 10 record through two season doing a pretty good job as the lead man Buster fauler second year as the offensive coordinator and Tyler santui after being with Mike Elco last season of the DC at Duke will now arrive here in Atlanta significantly over achieved last season for this team I bet on their under win total that ended up being a losing bet and that because this team ended up making a bowl game the starts of an offense that was Offense fairly impressive we seen it early on against Louisville in week one they were up pretty significantly in that game that they ended up losing but you could see very early this offense was going to be one that was going to be tough to contain it mainly starts with Haynes King at quarterback you knew this guy was an interesting Prospect over at Texas Sanam had some bright spots but more often than not wasn't very good you know this is a guy who showcases adequate arm strength struggled of accuracy decision- making and ball security those were all things that were very transparent last year he showed more good though for the jackets than he did with the Aggies you know he was already noted to be an impressive Runner you know highly impressive athletic ability shined in that regard has good touch and can push it down field wonder how much his mechanics will improve this upcoming season very good starter here he's going to be productive again King I'd say overachieved Nick he certainly still has those things he needs to work on though but in terms of having a guy that can you know certainly make plays for you 37 touchdowns last year over 3,800 yards this is a very good play this is a very strong quarterback that they bring in here Hayes King didn't really work out from an A&M he showed a lot of bright spots you know he had a really strong game throughout those Seasons at A&M had some great per impressive performance against some of the SEC big teams including against Alabama a game that people will never forget and he had a decent season last year I really didn't think it was that bad right 61% comate 28 100 yards passing and 27 touchdowns through the air the 16 Picks is the biggest issue definitely worries me with some of the control and accuracy at times throws into tough spots tries to create a play that's not there and that leads to turnovers he's a very effective runner at 737 yards on the ground 6.1 yards for carry and 10 scores last year so really successful on the ground for him he you know pitched in with 37 total touchdowns for him of total offensive production solid numbers overall I think with another year in the system of year in Key System and the way that he's continuing to develop him this really works well this is a pretty solid offense a sneaky good offense that was more you know a middle of the road and better at times unit that was a decent unit to watch they put up some points you know 31 .1 points per game is not a bad number when you have King returning bringing back that experience that's really solid for your team yeah and King you know interceptions really were a problem from September 30th to the 21st of October in three straight games he had two plus interceptions a couple weeks later in November he had four picks against Clemson in a loss you he completed 56% in those respective losses they had all year long so this is a guy that certainly had plenty of downs but I think if he can showcase those respective improvements and be better in terms of ball security and accuracy this guy could really put up some better numbers looking at who he has next to him at running back Jamal Haynes a guy strong powerful Runner used a lot of outside zones has shown good ability to stop on a dime and change directions quickly showcases great burs great burst that is had a couple of pretty unreal highlights neck when I was watching some tape on this guy this is a very impressive Runner one that's going to be probably not really talked about much at all leading into the season thousand yard rusher though averaged over six yards per pop this is a pretty impressive player in my opinion I was very impressed of what I saw I think him and going be a very effective Duo much like they were a season ago this is a solid running back room with Jamal Haynes that I think is a really good back that they returned almost a th yard or over 1,000 yards rushing last year 6.1 yards for carry and seven scores for him really good numbers there he's a good solid back elusive also solid of the back field with 20 grabs for 151 yards receiving 7.6 yards per grab and one score for him Trevon kouy is also back there as well who's not a bad back with two 74 yards rushing and three scores for him last year I like what they have here this is a really solid group with a really nice two-headed monster up top with the quarterback and the top running back plus some nice depth behind them with kolie I like what they can do on the ground this year this should be a very effective unit again that was a top 15 unit on the ground last year yeah Trey coie had a good start to the year not much after it's proven to be a solid rotational piece though in his career true freshman Anthony KY a dynamic player of balance and great vision he and seconde player Evan Dickens will contend for third string reps pretty solid group here at running back you a wide receiver they're led by Eric Singleton who was the highest ranked player in last year's class for the jackets he instantly delivered leading them in all categories as a pass catcher with his explosiveness you know has Superstar written all over him at 511 173 outside wide receiver has speed in playmaking the leak R third also has some speed and can stretch the field but wasn't used much in that capacity only 11 yard per game figure be the primary slot with great Hands Christian lry has plenty of Versatility and you know we'll see improved usage I think this season Chase Lane at 6' 19 193 also started at Texas A&M has proven capable of being productive and making tough plays has just been aable to stay on the field his entire career which is unfortunate but if he can stay healthy this is a guy you can certainly lean off for some pretty impressive plays throughout the season Abdul Jan from Dain barely played last year but is a veteran that should be leaned on more this season i' say this is a good wide receiver here room here Nick you should see some more explosive plays that's certainly what they're capable of accomplishing I love Singleton and rther third one of the better Duos in this conference this an extremely underrated wide receiving course Singleton a really strong physical wide receiver led the team in all categories 714 yards for him 14.9 yards for grab six scores his true freshman last year he burst onto the scene had a really strong season Le Rutherford 502 yards receiving 10.9 yards for grab and four scores for him solid numbers Christian lry the former Bama product who transferred over and had a solid season last year at times 309 receiving 12.4 yards for grab and two scores for him Abdul Janine as well 122 yards receiving for him 20.3 yards for grab and two scores in Chase Lane only appeared in seven games he had 105 yards receiving on seven grabs 15 yards to grab and a touchdown so there's a lot of depth here a lot of different pieces I really like what they return I think this is a really solid underrated wide receiving core you at the offensive line Ethan mckenny struggled a little bit at left tackle only a true freshman though so he's destined to be better Jill foosley was much better left guard has accumulated a lot of snaps over two seasons only sits at about 66 302 pounds though Weston Franklin is his third year as a starter improved big time last fall be more than a good starter this year uh for them you know right guard will be occupied by went R Legend 6 4310 was a quite good player at Middle Tennessee is a pass blocker has gained some good experience the last two seasons Jordan Williams are right tackle I thought he was an admirable performer when he was healthy pretty good upside for this old line with some experience and quality pay from last year no real standout or highend player I know a lot of people in the past have been raving about Jordan Williams what he can maybe accomplish so maybe he evolves into one of those higher end players that can contend for All Conference overall this is line I think will be better Nick and I think overall it's going to help boost this offense not a bad unit at all nothing that jumps off the screen I think Jordan Williams is in line for a really strong season I he's going to take that step forward this year at right tackle with his new partner Keen rutage from Eastern ten I think it was a really decent add of the portal guy that had solid pass block for his previous program the left side is a little bit weaker I think Ethan McKenna will step up a little bit more this year obviously a true freshman he was thrust into that spot didn't look bad though last year did have decent season overall Joe fasu as well at left guard is a big physical player who's decent at that left guard position in Weston Franklin has got a nice amount of snaps under his belt a good veteran leader at that Center as a senior for this team this is not a bad offensive line unit if Williams can step up and reach you know those new heights that he's been expeced for a couple years now that'll really go a long way for this unit look at the verdict for this offense this was a greatly balanced unit a season to go and figures be much better than last years they struggled bad with turnovers and consistency they'll be a fun unit to watch you w be capable of beating anyone on their schedule I think if King takes those correct steps forward I think this will be a very fun offense to watch all year long look at the defensive side of the Defense ball if they want to contend for more they got to be able to provide on this side of the ball 29 and half points per game allowed awful against the Run dead last right there you can see 130 first nationally had 11 guys in the portal lost 17 return only four starters and it starts with a d line that returns Kevin Harris he was a solid player especially versus The Run needs to significantly boost his production but the potential is there Joshua Robinson played nearly 200 snaps was no good Sylvan yosen has been a very respectable Force to near 260 Pounder from Belgium should be a good assap versus the run if healthy add Romo height from USC wasn't awful at times should be a quality asset as a pass rusher I think on the interior they're much better here Zeke Biggers is 66 333 who has underperformed versus the Ron but I think he's capable he's going to be joined by proven nose guard Tomas Gore who has been an elite run defender in his career just didn't see the field much at Miami last year but previously at Georgia state was an impressive player Mia Scott and Horus Lockett both played plenty of snaps last season but failed to really materialize much of an impact locket being a 66 341 lb of land a native enters his second season of onfield action the loss of Kyle Canard is massive though for the steel lons the rest of them really struggle to spawn negative plays should see reasonable improvements here though but Nick you know again losing Canard who transfers to South Carolina that's going to be major for this team as he really was great at just forcing negative plays and the rest of the unit just wasn't this is certainly a big loss from losing Canard who is really strong and physical on that defensive line you know they have a couple different pieces that are hoping to try and fill those holes Kevin Harris 27 total tackles from last year two tackles for w and a sack horse Lockett looked pretty solid in his rotational snaps 25 total tackles two and a half tackles for loss for him he needs to find a way if he can get more time on the field overall Zeke Biggers had 40 total tackles four tackles for loss one sack and three pass breakups for him he's a big guy on the line that gets his hand up and blocks the ball Joshua Robinson had some decent snaps last year nine total tackles for him plus a pass breakup as well they bring in a decent player in Thomas Gore who I think could be really strong at nose tackle and stuffing the run want to see what he looks like this year MAA Scott as well 34 total tackles for him and two pass bre one and a half tackles for loss this unit has some nice rur production they lose their top tackle getter and top uh top tackle for lost player so that's a huge thing that they're going to have to try and find a way to replace that production now you look at the middle of this defense had a few transfers coming and be big but those guys are now gone looking to a few players within the program needing to step up Kyle efford was pretty good in his near 4er snaps though consistent tackler should be very helpful against the running his red shirt sophomore tranas Tatum disappointed immensely on the other hand but was once assumed to be a critical starter and like will be much better this year Jackson Hamilton Barry played in three years at Louisville he and EJ Lil uh will who saw a few Reps for Georgia in 2022 will compete for a backup role depth quite Limited at linebacker though effort I think it's going to be a great star form here Nick I think he'll certainly evolve into a leader the rest of the group though certainly very questionable this is a group that has some decent pieces you know Kyle efford was the top topet return tackler for this team top tackler last year 81 total tackles for him plus a pick and a tackle for loss he returns in that middle of that defense looking to be a leader just as a red shirt sophomore a young player trainless Tatum as well Tatum did not really live up to the expectations last year 38 total tackles four tackles for loss and a pass break up for him he needs to find a way to step up they added some different transfers further down the depth chart Jackson Hamilton is a guy that they hope could be involved for this EJ light lightley as well want to see what he can look like at coming over from ug you know flipping over from him a good SEC that guy that didn't really play a whole lot but still a former player at at UJ is a decent ad for this team this middle of his defense has some nice pieces but I'm not entirely sure if they can step up to the level they need to be at now you look at the secondary unit last year I thought it was going to be pretty good I consider it a strength and it indeed was and still return some good players Rodney Shelly probably was the weakest of the corners last season will no step into a starting role though armari Harvey on the other end quite good had three picks and 31 stops not bad thr a third option Zachary to was pretty good for Illinois will need to establish more consistency and coverage was already a standout run Defender Warren barell spent five years at Tennessee and was uneventful but be a solid backup option safety group led by Stand Out L miles Brooks who is fresh off an awful season where drastically disappointed he was considered to be an allconference player on a first or second team basis and he just was not very good shown versatility physicality and just the ability being coverage in the past though on the other hand Clayton pow Lee continued his surge following an impressive 2022 debut season uh he's been a great run Defender he's been stable in coverage get backups Jaden Davis and ta Seymour have no experience at all slot figures to be occupied by Omar Daniels who saw nearly 100 snaps last year although Brooks played lots of nickel as well good secondary here once again I would say the safety group is a very impressive Nick if they can play up to their potential Po and Brooks at the same time we want to see them be able to play cohesive football and Brooks last year just disappointed but they can play at an equally impressive rate Nick they're going to have a very tough time being cracked true good two good players here in po Le and Brooks that just haven't quite been able to figure out how to play together to get the best out of each other po Le seven total 70 total tackles for him last year one interception two pass breakups Brook 67 total tackles a pick and six pass break ups for him Amari Harvey returns with 31 toll tackles three picks and three pass breakups nice returning production there then Rodney shell had 17 total tackles and a pass break up for him as well Omar Daniels didn't have a whole lot of tackles during his snaps only had four through 10 games through a bunch of snaps further down at the Nickelback position I think this is a good secondary unit I agree with your assessment they were not bad against the pass last year right 53rd in the nation 25.8 pass yards per game given up I think there'll be a similar click again this year this is a unit that does have some nice depth some nice talent and some good headlining pieces to the verdict for the side of the ball the El jackets have that aformentioned secondary to lean on but if they continue to get demolished on the ground it'll be hard to Showcase much improvement I think they take some steps forward as the D line will make some progress but the middle of the defense is more BLS think they'll take strides but overall Improvement seems kind of capped this year as long as they can improve on third downs and find more negative plays and key moments should be a somewhat stable unit looking at the Final Prediction final prediction for GT you know they possess an impressive offense they'll have great balance an improved playmaking but this team success will ultimately boil down to how much improvement they can Showcase in the front six GT will be hard to beat on most weekends and should show some good resilience fundi takes major strides look out for this team to be a sleepers I think they can really contend um you know obviously the schedule Nick is very difficult I mean 5- seven is not a good prediction uh you know obviously this team burned me last year with a disrespect I don't think I'm disrespecting them this year at all because again I just said they could probably contend you got Florida State Notre Dame Georgia Miami I mean a lot of people think all four of these teams will end up in the playoff Nick I've literally seen numerous predictions of all four of those teams in the cfp so that's a hard basis to start with and then your road draws aren't any better Louisville Syracuse North Carolina Virginia Tech this is a very difficult schle schedule any way you put it Nick and I definitely think it's going to be hard for GT to crack a bow game I'll be rooting for them to do so because I think this will be a fun offense to watch all year giving them that a minus grade but again this is a brutal schedule and it's probably not getting much love for how tough it is but man what you look at on paper this is difficult this is a very tough schedule on paper and I feel bad picking the yellow jackets go five and seven because I really do like what they're building down there in Atlanta I've always said if you can get the right coach in there and be able to win their recruiting battles there's a lot of talent in the state of Georgia and especially in metro Atlanta playing in Atlanta get this team back to National Providence could do wonders I know they flirted with hiring Deion Sanders in the past they ended up going with key which I think was was a good higher in the long run key had good experience as an offensive-minded coach you know as an o line coach at UCF for a while and then at Alabama under Nick sa a former player at this program who was associate head coach for a while and now he's here took him to a bowl game last year when not a lot of people expected the 7 to6 record with a win in the gaspirilla bowl was pretty solid for him in his first full season in Atlanta I like what he's doing he returned a lot of Talent on offense a really fun exciting offense to watch certainly worth watching in my opinion the defense has some question marks certainly on the front part of the defense like the secondary is a solid unit the linebacking core and defensive line do worry me a little bit but this schedule's just brutal right you got to play Florida State week zero out in Ireland that's a team that has a lot to play for they're very excited for the season they want to show that they got burned last year when they were left out of the playoff I expect Florida State to put on a big showing week one you got to play at Syracuse who has that new look offense with Kyle mccort and fr Brown coaching at Louisville another team that had a great season last year that seems to be trending in the right direction Notre Dame they're a team that could get in the playoff as an independent they are a really strong team you're playing them in the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome that's a tough spot as well with the noted aame they're going to travel well have a strong fan base even though it's in the Atlanta area at Virginia Tech that's team you and I are both very high on tough to play at that stadium in blackburg they have a great environment there than Miami a really strong team in the ACC potential favorites win this conference and at Georgia one of the best teams in the nation if not the best team in the nation very tough schedule all those losses are to very quality teams and if you're a Jordan Tech fan you can't be ashamed losing any of those games they're all really strong talented teams they picked off a couple teams they upset Miami last year a few different teams if they get to six and six they'll be in a bowl game I think you got to take them if they make a bowl game this team has good energy just a very tough schedule I think ultimately they end up knocking off one of those teams play Georgia very tough last year the game in Dublin will be against Florida State the open up the year so an opportunity there I think Make some noise I think they'll end up covering the spread in game and then it's kind of a home environment like you said in Mercedes-Benz even though no Dame will travel a bit still going to be you know fairly much more comfortable for you uh you know so I think this is a schedule where they can win six games I ultimately do think they'll probably pull one of those upsets I don't have the guts to pick it though so we're going to stick at five and seven for now as always Nick appreciate you joining me breaking down Georgia Tech very interesting football team one that we just are kind of disgusted that we have to pick them though we win five but I'd be very happy if they can accomplish more at the time of recording this we're just 20 days away from them taking on Florida State at the aneva stadium out there in Dublin and a very exciting fun start to the season in week zero this is a team I'm excited to watch in week zero all eyes will be on them I want to see what that offense looks like on that first game of the week like you know like I said all eyes going to be on them that's the big game kickoff the season a lot of people be watching want to see what this offense looks like as it take on Florida State I want to see what this offense can do all season long make sure you guys like comment subscribe see you next time