2025 Georgia Tech Football Position Breakdown: Offensive Line

Oct 28, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets offensive lineman Joe Fusile (67) reacts after a touchdown against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With ACC media days almost here, the season is starting to come into focus, and this season has the makings to be a special one on The Flats. The Yellow Jackets return a good mixture of veteran talent while also adding in freshmen from one of the best recruiting classes in program history. They supplemented that talent in the transfer portal with veteran additions in the winter and spring transfer windows as well, and that has fans and analysts alike feeling optimistic that Georgia Tech will be a top-half team in the ACC this season. Can they be something more?

The offensive line has been a strong point for the Yellow Jackets since Brent Key was made head coach and Geep Wade was brought in as the offensive line coach. Georgia Tech has been one of the top rushing teams in the nation and has been one of the best at protecting the quarterback. Last season, they went into the year with one of the most experienced lines in the country. This year, they have some question marks and positions to figure out. Left tackle Corey Robinson transferred to Arkansas, and both center Weston Franklin and right tackle Jordan Williams ran out of eligibility.

Let's dive into what this position will look like this fall.

Who is Back?

On the front five, Georgia Tech is returing both left guard Joe Fusile and right guard Keylan Rutledge. Those two should form one of the top guard tandems in the ACC this season.

Rutledge is also coming off an all-America campaign, having received first-team honors from Sports Info Solutions as a junior in 2024. He earned the recognition on the strength of ranking in the top 10 nationally among offensive linemen in SIS’s Total Points metric, including a top-five national ranking in run-blocking Total Points. In pass protection, the junior had only two “blown blocks” in nearly 400 regular-season attempts, according to SIS. He also helped anchor a Georgia Tech offensive front that ranked third nationally in fewest sacks allowed (nine in 13 games) and paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to rank second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing offense (187.0 ypg).

Ethan Mackenny battled injuries last season, but has started plenty of games before, especially during his true freshman season in 2023. Is he ready to be the full-time starter this season? Georgia Tech needs him to be.

At center, I expect Harrison Moore to be the guy. Both guards were complementary of Moore in the spring, with Fusile offering this:

"It's different, but Harrison's a great center and just the whole line -room gels really well together. We're really doing very well for what we lost last year, and yeah, I couldn't be couldn't be happier to play next to Harrison."

Are any of the young guys who are returning ready to compete for starting jobs? Tana Alo-Tupuola is likely to be the backup center. Jameson Riggs and Jordan Floyd were in the right tackle battle in the spring (more on that later). Benjamin Galloway is entering his third year in the system.

The four of Mackenny, Fusile, Moore, and Rutledge seem to be set in stone, but the right tackle battle is going to be a position to watch during fall camp.

Oct 21, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) celebrates with offensive lineman Joe Fusile (67) after a touchdown run against the Boston College Eagles in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Who are the Newcomers?

Transfers Malachi Carney and William Reed are the two notable newcomers who were not at Georgia Tech in the spring and both are set to join the right tackle competition. Both Wade and Key spoke about addressing that position in the spring and they did so with two experienced transfers.

According to 247Sports, Carney is the 6th best offensive tackle in the portal. The 6'4 310 LBS tackle played two years for the Jaguars and last season, he played 855 snaps according to PFF (Pro Football Focus) and finished with a 59.0 overall grade, including a 64.7 in pass blocking and a 66.6 in run blocking. In 2023, he played 317 snaps and finished with a 50.5 overall grade, including a 38.4 grade in pass blocking and 64.8 grade in run blocking.

Now, the PFF numbers are not going to blow you away, but one way to look at them is a young player who got better with more playing time last season. Carney saw a big increase in his number of snaps played and saw his pass blocking grade jump up significantly.

I expect it to be either Carney or Reed at right tackle, but perhaps Riggs makes a big push for the job.

Georgia Tech brought in a talented offensive line class, headlined by five-star freshman Josh Petty, but I don't expect any of them to be significant contributors this season. Petty, Peyton Joseph, Kevin Peay, Xavier Canales, Jimmy Bryson, and North Carolina transfers Andrew Rosinski will all be fighting for spots as backups this season and trying to develop.

Summary

There are more question marks up front than there was last year, but Wade and Key both deserve some benefit of the doubt due to the job they have done so far in Atlanta. Mackenny is going to need to improve at left tackle and build off some impressive showings from his freshman season. Moore played well in limited snaps last season, but being the starting center is a whole new deal. The right tackle position is going to be something to follow all the way up to the matchup vs Colorado. Can Wade and Key get the right combination on the field and get the most out of the group?