How Did Georgia Tech Do During First Transfer Portal Window?
The first transfer portal window of the offseason is now closed.
With the exception of graduate transfers, no players can enter their name into the transfer portal until the next transfer window, which is May 1st-May 15th. Any player that entered their name in the portal before the window closed can still transfer.
So with the first transfer portal window now closed, let's evaluate how Georgia Tech did.
Haynes King is one of 11 transfers for Georgia Tech this offseason
Tech had more than a few needs coming into the offseason, as players either were out of eligibility or got in the portal to transfer out from Georgia Tech.
Quarterback was a need after Jeff Sims entered the portal and transferred to Nebraska and then Taisun Phommachanh entered the portal, leaving Georgia Tech with two scholarship quarterbacks (Zach Pyron and Zach Gibson). The Yellow Jackets did not have to wait long to get their quarterback and Texas A&M transfer Haynes King committed to the Yellow Jackets shortly after the portal opened.
King is going to compete with Pyron and Gibson for the quarterback job this spring and into the fall and I think he is going to have a great shot to win it. King is a former four-star recruit for the Aggies and won the starting job twice. His 2021 season was cut short after being injured early in the season. He started this season off as the starter but was benched after Texas A&M was upset by App State. He did return as the starter and had his best game on the road against Alabama, a game in which he threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns
King has started in the SEC and has the experience and there is a chance that Fisher's complicated offense was holding King back from showing how talented he is. If he can pick up Buster Faulkner's offense quickly, I think King will have the edge.
At running back, Georgia Tech was losing Hassan Hall to graduation and Dylan McDuffie re-entering the transfer portal, Georgia Tech looked to find depth and they found it with Trevion Cooley, who last played at Louisville. Running back depth was not the biggest need, especially with Dontae Smith coming back for another season, but Cooley is talented and will provide a boost.
A 5'10 210 LBS running back from Knightdale (NC), Cooley had 709 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons at Louisville and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. He also had 21 catches for 239 yards and three touchdowns.
Christian Leary should make an immediate impact for Georgia Tech
There was perhaps no other position on offense that needed additions in the transfer portal than wide receiver. Nate McCollum, Ryan King, and Kalani Norris hit the transfer portal, while Malachi Carter and EJ Jenkins are out of eligibility.
I think Tech has done a solid job of adding to this group and improving the talent and speed.
Chase Lane (Texas A&M), Abdul Janneh (Duquesne), and Christian Leary (Alabama) should all see early playing time and bring a different skill set to the offense.
Lane played for three seasons in College Station and for his career, the 6'0 195 LBS wide receiver totaled 48 catches for 617 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 12.9 yards per catch. Lane is a former three-star commit in the class of 2019.
Janneh is projected to be an outside receiver with his size and ball skills and I think that is the thing that stands out the most when watching him play. Last season, he caught 43 passes for 579 yards and was very good at catching the ball in traffic and winning his matchups.
Leary is a former top 100 recruit from the class of 2021 and signed with Alabama. During his two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Leary only tallied three catches for 10 yards, but he still has potential.
Georgia Tech struggled to create big plays through the passing game and I think that Leary will help in that regard, He has blazing speed and can be used in a variety of different ways on offense. It sounds simple, but getting the ball in your best playmakers' hands is going to be crucial and something that the offense did not do last year.
Heading into the 2022 season, the tight end position was supposed to take a step forward under offensive coordinator Chip Long, but that turned out to not be the case. No tight end on Georgia Tech's roster topped 100 yards or caught a touchdown and that was a problem. Most offenses are going to function better when they have a threat at the tight end position and that will be something that new offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is going to be working on.
Can Brett Seither be the receiving threat at tight end for Georgia Tech?
Georgia Tech is welcoming in two new additions to the tight end room. Brett Seither (Georgia) and Hunter Long (USF) are going to be vying for playing time and the guy I think can make an instant impact is Seither. Take a look at what SI's John Garcia Jr wrote about Seither when he was coming out of high school:
"Tall and muscular tight end who looks like a jumbo wide receiver at the prep level. Legit 6-5 frame and has added bulk over last year. Massive production bump from junior year to senior year with added size. New-age talent built to play in space with improved ability to play in-line at times. Long strider, runs well. Better route-runner than most his size with plus ball skills. Strong red-zone threat. Competitive. Plays with an edge and attitude and can physically overwhelm defensive backs. Too quick for bigger defenders. Wide catch radius. Runs with good lean relative to size and can do damage after the catch more than most. Will need to fill out to become Alpha tight end option at high-end Power Five program but could earn spot duty early on with size and receiving prowess. Willing blocker with great effort. Wants to finish through whistle but needs improved technique and bulk to keep defense honest. Best football still well ahead of him but should be productive in passing game when called upon, something the NFL covets in the modern era. May develop into multi-dimensional balanced tight end or H-back before college career wraps up."
Long is talented, but has not played any snaps in college yet. That could change this year, but his biggest impact could be in the future.
The offensive line was the biggest issue on the team last year, but there was a lot of youth up front. There was only one transfer brought in with Jordan Brown transferring from Charlotte and I would expect him to add depth at a minimum.
Brown was a redshirt freshman for the Charlotte 49ers in 2022 after redshirting his first year on campus in 2021. He has three years of eligibility left. This past season, Brown played 62 offensive snaps over the course of the season including 24 snaps against Maryland in week two for Charlotte. All of his snaps on offense were at the left tackle spot.
Now to the defense.
Georgia Tech saw improvement on defense compared to the disastrous 2021 season, but they are losing three key pieces from the defense. Edge rusher Keion White and linebackers Ace Eley and Charlie Thomas are NFL-bound, but Tech has addressed those positions in the last 45 days.
Linebackers Andre White Jr (Texas A&M) and Braelen Oliver (Minnesota) are the likeliest candidates for instant impact transfers on this side of the ball.
For his career, Oliver has amassed 79 tackles, three pass deflections, 3.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. I fully expect Oliver to challenge for one of the starting spots that have been vacated by Eley and Thomas.
During his career in College Station, White tallied up 61 tackles, six pass deflections, one forced fumble, and an interception. He was a four-star recruit in the 2019 class.
On the defensive line, Georgia Tech has made on addition and Clemson transfer Etinosa Reuben is going to be a versatile piece for the new look Tech defense.
Reuben is a former three-star recruit and top 500 player from Park Hill South High School in Missouri and during his time with the Clemson Tigers, Reuben tallied 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Overall
While these players still have something to prove, Georgia Tech filled crucial needs heading into the spring and every transfer is going to have a chance to make an impact. The offense was among the worst in the country in several areas and the additions that were made can address those issues, such as a lack of big play ability and a threat at the tight end position.
Oliver and White are experienced linebackers at this level, but they do have big shoes to fill. I won't say they will replace Eley and Thomas, but they should be starters.
Brent Key and this new staff have done a good job of adding pieces through the portal in this first window. Now, the work begins to see the results.