Five Positions Georgia Tech Should Target in The Portal

1. Defensive Line

latest — Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive lineman Akelo Stone (7) tackles Colorado Buffaloes running back Micah Welch (29) in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

A position that Georgia Tech must hit on this offseason if they want a chance to be elite in 2025. They are graduating Jordan Van Den Berg, Matthew Alexander, and Akelo Stone as some of their best players on the defensive line. Georgia Tech will have to replace a good chunk of its defensive line, especially in the interior. Key young players to watch are Amontrae Bradford, Andre Fuller Jr, Christian Garrett, Landen Marshall, Blake Belin, and Derry Norris. All should be on track to compete for starting roles. Georgia Tech also brought in four defensive line recruits in this class to help fill out the roster. With the defensive line being pretty young, expect Georgia Tech to add some players to help fill it out and be a part of the rotation. Last season it was Brayden Manley, Ronald Triplette, and Stone. I expect Georgia Tech to target more veterans in the portal.

2. Offensive Line

With Keylan Rutledge and Joe Fusile graduating this year and moving on, the Yellow Jackets will have several spots to fill on the offensive line. Harrison Moore, Tana Alo-Tupoula, Malachi Carney, and Ethan MacKenny should be back in key roles next year. Key young players to watch will be Josh Petty, Jameson Riggs, Andrew Rosinski, and Jordan Floyd. They all should be competing for jobs and be key players in earning sports on the offensive line. The 2025 class saw the Yellow Jackets only bring in three offensive linemen in Krew Moledor (Louisville flip), Courtney and Courtlin Heard. The Yellow Jackets have a good blend of veterans and young players on the offensive line, but expect them to add a few pieces in the transfer portal to fill out the line.

3. Secondary

Georgia Tech is going to need some depth on the backend. Clayton Powell-Lee, Omar Daniels, Ahmari Harvey, Rodney Shelley, and Jy Gilmore are all leaving. The Yellow Jackets did a good job again with the 2025 class and brought in two blue-chip prospects in Traeviss Stevenson and Jaedyn Terry at the cornerback spots. Defensive backs coach Cory Peoples flipped Kealan Jones and Chris Hewitt Jr to help close out the secondary class. Both Fenix Felton and Tae Harris got play time as true freshmen and will be playing significant time for the Yellow Jackets in 2026. Depth will be important for Georgia Tech as they have a nice mix of veterans and young players on the roster. AJ Cheeks, Will Kiker, Troy Stevenson IV, D.J. Moore, and Ben Hollerbach have primarily played reserve roles. Young players like Jaydon Dunbar, Elgin Sessions, Dalen Penson, and Jon Mitchell saw the field sparingly. Georgia Tech will also have to replace two starting caliber corners, certainly, there will be some additions there. Adding a couple of veteran players to the secondary should help them out a lot and build depth. Georgia Tech will definitely be making some additions here.

4. Running Back

Running back is a positon that the Yellow Jackets will need some depth at. They didn’t take a recruit in the 2025 class after Xavier Rucker decommitted from the Yellow Jackets. Jamal Haynes played his final season with Georgia Tech and will be moving on. Daylon Gordon was a redshirt senior and is likely done as a Yellow Jacket. Georgia Tech will return Chad Alexander and Trelain Maddox as veterans in the running back room. Malachi Hosley will be the biggest name returning after he earned the starting role for the Yellow Jackets at running back. The rest of the roster is very young for Georgia Tech. Shane Marshall was primarily used on special teams for the Yellow Jackets this season. JP Powell appeared in two games this season for Georgia Tech against Temple and Gardner-Webb. To fill out this room, Georgia Tech needs at least a veteran player and maybe two to fill some of the void. They have players, but at one of the most physically demanding positions, you can never have too much depth.

5. Tight End

Tight end will surely be a positon the Yellow Jackets target to get key veteran players to come play for them. Speaking of veterans, the Yellow Jackets will lose Brett Seither, J.T. Byrne, and Josh Beetham, who all graduate. Luke Harpring will be back and will be entering his redshirt sophomore campaign with the team. Blake Ragsdale, Connor Roush, and Kevin Roche Jr are all young players who will return but are inexperienced. Georgia Tech added Nathan Agyemang and Jack Richerson as recruits in the 2025 cycle, which should bode well for the future. Tight end has been an important position for the Yellow Jackets over the past few years, which has played a role in how they run the ball effectively, and also has been a valuable pass catcher to get the attention away from the wide receivers. The Yellow Jackets will need to add a few veteran players to fill out the roster and a couple of plug-and-play guys in 2026.

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