Updated Starting Five and Rotation Projection For Georgia Tech After Recent Transfer Portal Activity

The first wave of transfer portal activity has come and gone and there are not a lot of top prospects left out there for teams to pick up. For Georgia Tech, this has been a complete roster overhaul for newly hired head coach Scott Cross and he has done a good job of mixing transfer portal experience and young talent.

While the roster is not quite complete (only eight players on the roster), let's take a way too early look at what the starting five and rotation could look like for Georgia Tech next season.

G

Starters- Colby Garland and Nasir Whitlock

Backups: Kaiden Bailey

I would not be surprised if Cross added another guard or two for depth, but I do think that he has secured his starting backcourt through the portal this offseason. Garland was ranked as the No. 79 player in the transfer portal this offseason and was a fantastic scorer when he was at San Jose State.

Garland closed his junior season in 2025-26 at San Jose State with 12-straight 20-plus point outings, the longest in program history since 1996-97, to earn all-Mountain West third team honors. He finished the season averaging a team-high 20.3 points, shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 84.8 percent from the free throw line in 35.0 minutes per game (playing all 40 minutes in eight of his final 11 games).

Garland appeared in 29 games last season, starting 27, while dishing out a team-high 134 assists (4.6 apg). His 20.3 points per tilt average ranked second in the Mountain West and 26th in the nation.

Whitlock finished last season scoring double-figures in 33 of Lehigh’s 35 games, including 18 games with 20 or more points and eight with 30-plus. He was tabbed Patriot League Player of the Week a league-best four times, earned All-Patriot League first team honors and was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which recognizes the top mid-major player in college basketball.

Bailey was a highly touted four star recruit that Cross was able to retain.

Again, look for more portal additions here but this looks like a strong backcourt.

F

Starters: Victor Valdes and Kam Craft

Bench: Tylis Jordan

Valdes is coming over from Troy with Cross and he was the leading scorer for the Trojans last season. Craft spent last season with the Yellow Jackets and is one of two players returning to the team next season.

The knock on Valdes is his lack of three point shooting, but he is familiar with Cross's scheme and I think putting Craft in the lineup with help alleviate some of those concerns.

The wildcard here is Tylis Jordan. Jordan was a former four-star recruit that did not play much last season, but brings a lot of athleticism. He could be a starter next season and is a player to watch.

Expect more additions in the frontcourt in the coming days/weeks to fill out depth.

C

Starter: Moustapha Diop

Backup: Cole Kirouac

Diop re-opened his recruitment after Damon Stoudamire was fired, but it was a huge win for Cross to be able to retain him and get him back on the roster. He has a lot of potential and can be the anchor for what Georgia Tech does defensively next season. Kirouac is one of two returning players from last year's roster and made some strides when he got on the court last season.

Expect another potential addition here, but this could still be the top two. There is a lack of quality centers in the portal and it might make more sense to invest in the backcourt and forward depth.

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