Taking a Deeper Look at Players To Watch and Storylines For Georgia Tech Ahead of Spring Practice

Spring practice is on the horizon for the Yellow Jackets, with the first practice just five days away. The players have been training hard this offseason and will get a chance to showcase all their hard work and move up the depth chart prior to fall camp. ESPN did a spring preview with all of the teams and talked about the biggest storyline for college football teams across the nation. Here is what they had to say about Georgia Tech via Andrew Adelson and David Hale.

Spring storyline: “What's the offense going to look like after losing OC Buster Faulkner and QB Haynes King? Georgia Tech's offensive attack was among the most effective in the ACC over the past two years, playing a unique style of run-first, physical football, led by King. He's out of eligibility, though, and Faulkner is off to Florida to join Jon Sumrall's new staff (taking Georgia Tech backup QB Aaron Philo with him). The Yellow Jackets brought in Alberto Mendoza -- an athletic runner in his own right -- to fill the void, and their stable of tailbacks might be as good as any in the country. That makes it pretty clear what new OC George Gideon's blueprint will be: Run, run, and run some more.”

Now they are 100% right about what the offense will look like, especially with Georgia Tech losing the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and the ACC Player Of The Year. The Yellow Jackets lost their offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, heir apparent Aaron Philo, TE Luke Hapring, and much more. With a new offensive coordinator, George Godsey, coming over from Baltimore, it could be a new-looking offensive system that was previously predicated on the RPO and using a variation of formations. It is likely there will be a completely new scheme in 2026. Will that lead to the same or better success? That will remain to be seen.

Position of intrigue: “The middle of the O-line. Brent Key is a former offensive guard, and his entire worldview on football comes through that lens. For the past two years, he's relied on two of the ACC's best at guard -- Joe Fusile and Keylan Rutledge -- but both are gone for 2026. That leaves some glaring holes up the middle, including at center, where Tech is replacing co-starters Tana Alo-Tupuola and Harrison Moore. Tech added Joseph Ionata from Alabama, but there's still a lot of work to do identifying big bodies who can play with the physicality Key has come to expect.”

Quite as it is kept, the interior of the offensive line is probably one of the weakest parts of the team, especially with the Yellow Jackets losing consensus All-American Keylan Rutledge and Joe Fusile graduating. They have a lot of young guys who have waited their turn like a Jameson Riggs, Jimmy Bryson, Jacob Benjamin, and Andrew Rosinski. They also brought in a top player in Joseph Ionata. The interior of the offensive line will be vital to the success of the Yellow Jackets, especially with how much they want to run the football and attack defenses on the ground. They have to stud running backs who are chomping at the bit, but will the Yellow Jackets have the personnel to match up front and allow them to break loose?

Player to watch: “Justice Haynes. The former Michigan running back was the crown jewel of Key's portal class this year, and he'll team with Malachi Hosley to form arguably the best tandem of runners in the ACC. Haynes ran for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns last year at Michigan, and his role figures to expand in Tech's offense this year. His explosiveness will be the foundation of what the Yellow Jackets want to do offensively.”

Justice Haynes is going to garner a lot of attention and rightfully so. He is a dynamic running back and has home run ability. However, some of the most exciting players to watch are Jaylen Mbakwe and Noah Carter. Mbakwe is listed as a cornerback, but could play some wide receiver position as well for the Yellow Jackets.

This is a camp storyline that will get overlooked, but certainly has some intrigue for Georgia Tech. Noah Carter can finally be the difference maker the Yellow Jackets have needed at the edge rusher position. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and has an elite first step and a bend that you can’t match at the edge rusher position. Not getting pressure on the QB has long ailed the Yellow Jackets, and Carter may be able to fix some of those ailments.