2026 Boston College Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 7: Georgia Tech

The second half of Boston College football’s 2026 campaign starts with a road trip down south to Atlanta, Ga., home of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Coming off one of its best seasons in recent history thanks to the Heisman-level play of quarterback Haynes King, who was named the 2025 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, it will be intriguing to see if the program can reach a similar level of success without him.

The Eagles almost pulled off a remarkable upset when they hosted the Yellow Jackets last year, but BC surrendered 19 points in the fourth quarter alone to fall by a 36-34 final.

Here is an early look at the Eagles’ Week-Eight opponent.

Offense

Without King, the Yellow Jackets’ offense is expected to operate far less efficiently in the initial stages, but it could certainly find its groove as time goes on. It all really depends on one player.

This offseason, head coach Brent Key recruited former Indiana quarterback Alberto Mendoza, the brother of 2025 first-overall pick and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, to the program as its next QB1, which he earned from the jump.

The redshirt sophomore has no starting experience, but his limited performance sample size is promising. Last season for the Hoosiers, Mendoza threw for 296 yards with five touchdowns and one interception on 18-of-24 passing. He additionally ran for 190 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, so it seems like he could be the real deal — especially because of who his brother is.

The strength of Georgia Tech’s offense, however, stems from its run game, led by one of the top running backs in the country in former Michigan standout Justice Haynes, who generated 857 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in just seven games for the Wolverines last year. He averaged an astonishing 7.1 yards per carry as well.

Haynes is complimented in the backfield by returner Malachi Hosley, who was an Honorable Mention All-ACC selection in 2025, in which he rushed for 697 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 14 receptions for 119 yards, also averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

The only notable difference this year for the backfield is its protection, as there will be three new starters on the offensive line.

The Yellow Jackets tight end room is also quite deep, consisting of redshirt senior Gavin Harris, redshirt junior Spencer Mermans, Dartmouth transfer and two-time FCS All-American Chris Corbo, and youngster Kevin Roche Jr., a 6-foot-9 behemoth who was one of Mendoza’s favorite targets during spring camp.

For the Eagles’ sake, the wideout corps is less of a concern, as sophomore Jordan Allen is the top returner in the unit statistically after posting just 304 yards on 22 receptions with no touchdowns. Isaiah Fuhrmann is another name to watch out for, as he is one of the highest-graded returning wide receivers in the ACC, per PFF.

Defense

Arguably the biggest get for Georgia Tech on the defensive side this offseason was the addition of former Alabama defensive end Noah Carter (6’4”, 243 lbs.), a former blue-chip recruit who only totaled 10 tackles throughout his tenure with the Crimson Tide but boasts scary potential as a pass rusher.

Coming along with Carter from Tuscaloosa was cornerback Jaylen Mbakwe, who actually played wide receiver but is looking to make a transition to defense full-time. Mbakwe’s athleticism could make him a lock-down corner, and he will surely be an impact player for the team no matter how long that development plays out.

Rutgers transfer Jordan Walker joins Carter in the pass-rushing arena after totaling 47 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks over his last two seasons for the Scarlet Knights, including one as a team captain in 2025.

Linebackers Kyle Effort and E.J. Lightsey are back for another year, which helps retain some familiarity, but the deep secondary is relatively inexperienced, and a handful of transfers were brought in to fill out the empty slots at defensive tackle.

Georgia Tech ranked No. 92 in total defense last year, giving up 399.2 yards per game and allowing 41 touchdowns, which wasn’t so far off from how the Eagles fared in 2025, so both units will be looking to bounce back this season.

Schedule

The Yellow Jackets have the 32nd hardest-ranked schedule in FBS this year and an initial FPI (Football Power Index) of 48, per ESPN.

They kick off the season at home against Colorado on a Thursday (Sept. 3) and will play a rather treacherous out-of-conference schedule, which includes matchups against Tennessee and Georgia, their in-state rival (or bully, to be more realistic).

Outlook

There isn’t much to say about the outlook for this matchup until Mendoza has actually played, and the same goes for BC’s quarterback, Mason McKenzie, as well.

The history of this matchup is relatively even, and the Eagles have actually gotten the best of the Jackets in three of the last four contests dating back to 2020. They also seem to do better on the road (4-3) than at home (1-4) against Tech.

But since Key took over in 2022, and thanks to what King did for the program, the Yellow Jackets have made quite a resurgence, which is part of the reason they were able to sign a talent like Mendoza in the first place.

I’d say Georgia Tech opens as the clear favorites.

The Game

Date: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026

Time: TBD

TV: TBD

Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, Atlanta, Ga.

Series history: The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 5-8.

Last meeting: These two teams last met on Nov. 15, 2025. Georgia Tech beat BC 36-34.

The Team

Head coach: Brent Key

Offensive coordinator: George Godsey

Defensive coordinator: Jason Semore

2025 record: 9-4

Returning starters: 8 (3 on offense, 5 on defense)

Players to watch: QB Alberto Mendoza, RB Justice Haynes, RB Malachi Hosley, DE Noah Carter, CB Jaylen Mbakwe, K Aidan Birr

The School

Location: Atlanta, Ga.

Founded: 1885

Enrollment: 56,700

Nickname: The Yellow Jackets

Colors: White, tech gold, navy blue

Mascot: Buzz the yellow jacket

The Program

Last time beat BC: 2025

Last time won ACC: 2009 (vacated by NCAA in 2011 due to rules violations)

National championships: 4 (1917, 1928, 1952, 1990)

Conference championships: 16 (1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921 in SIAA; 1922, 1927, 1928 in SoConn; 1939, 1943, 1944, 1951, 1952 in SEC; 1990, 1998, 2009 in ACC)

Heisman winners: None

2026 NFL Draft

OG Keylan Rutledge, Houston Texans – Round 1, No. 26

DT Jordan van den Berg, Chicago Bears – Round 6, No. 213

Last Four Recruiting Rankings

No. 37 (2026), No. 19 (2025), No. 33 (2024), No. 59 (2023)

The Schedule

Sept. 3: vs. Colorado

Sept. 12: vs. Tennessee

Sept. 19: vs. Mercer

Sept. 26: at Stanford

Oct. 10: vs. Duke

Oct. 17: at Virginia Tech

Oct. 24: vs. Boston College

Oct. 31: at Pittsburgh

Nov. 7: vs. Louisville

Nov. 14: at Clemson

Nov. 21: vs. Wake Forest

Nov. 28: at Georgia

Early Opponent Preview Series:

This is the seventh story in Boston College Eagles On SI's summer preview series of all 12 regular-season opponents for Boston College football in 2026. Ensuing stories will be published throughout July and August.

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