Georgia Tech 2024 Report Card: The Secondary Was Up And Down In 2024, But Has A Chance To Be Special In 2025

Let’s take a look at some key areas the Yellow Jackets defense was good in. The Yellow Jackets ranked 22nd in third down defensive conversion percentage allowing opponents to convert just 33.5 percent of the time. The Yellow Jackets ranked 67th in scoring defense and 69th in passing yards allowed per game giving up 220.7 in 2024. Similar to the defensive line, a mixed bag overall but a defensive unit that improved compared to 2023.

Georgia Tech gave up less explosive plays on the backend and you have to credit cornerbacks coach Cory Peoples and the defensive staff for that.

Warren Burrell was the best cover corner for the Yellow Jackets this past season and posted the best defensive back grade on the team per Pro Football Focus finishing with a 76.0 grade on 564 snaps. He finished with 27 tackles, four passes defensed and an interception. Burrell finished with the second-most passes defended on the team with four. One of his memorable moments came against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish where he had a one-handed interception in the end zone plucking the ball out of the air with ease.

The Tennessee transfer had one of his most productive years since his 2021 season where he posted 41 tackles and seven passes defensed. Burrell dealt with injuries at the back end of the year and missed some time against Miami, NC State, and Georgia.

Make no mistake about it when Burrell was on the field the defense was a better unit. Oftentimes, Burrell got the better of the opposing offense and made plays on the ball making it difficult to throw it in his direction. He was certainly one of the most impactful transfers Georgia Tech had in 2024

Ahmari Harvey finished with the second-most tackles as a cornerback this past season with 62 tackles. He also had two passes defensed, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. You don’t usually see cornerbacks with high tackle numbers, but Harvey took the challenge every game and made sure to help his team. He was the third-highest rated corner on the team according to Pro Football Focus with a 70.2 grade. The junior corner had a career year and posted a career-high in tackles. Harvey had four games this season where he finished with seven or more tackles in a game.

Harvey has had several notable games this season against Miami, Florida State, and Syracuse. His most impressive performance had to be against Duke. Harvey finished with seven tackles (five solo) and recorded the first interception of the season for the Yellow Jackets. The interception helped seal the win for the Yellow Jackets against the Blue Devils. You could see the ascension of Harvey in the defense this year and he looked very comfortable consistently making plays on the backend. Getting him back in 2025 is huge for the secondary.

Each year, Rodney Shelley has taken a step forward in his career. He finished with 19 tackles and four passes defensed this season for the Yellow Jackets, all career-highs. Shelley finished with the second-highest defensive back grade on the team per PFF with a 71.2 grade on 442 snaps. Shelley was called on a lot to fill in at different spots as the Yellow Jackets battled injuries and succumbed to attrition as the season came to a close.

Clayton Powell-Lee was probably the most impressive player on the backend with his versatility. Powell-Lee was tasked with playing various positions on the defense. He finished with 53 tackles, three passes defensed, a fumble recovery and a sack. He finished with the fourth most tackles on the team.

An area he was impressive was when he was sent on exotic blitzes and pressures. Don’t be fooled by the one-sack statistic. Powell-Lee was forcing errant throws and messing up the timing between the receiver and the quarterback forcing negative plays and incompletions. At times he had to line up in the slot and guard explosive slot receivers. An example would be Xavier Restrepo, who is Miami’s all-time leading receiver in their prestigious history. It’s tough to slow down a receiver of his caliber for four quarters. Restrepo scored late in that game but Powell-Lee made it tough on him throughout the game.

If Powell-Lee can continue to add to his game as he has the past few seasons, he could put himself in a position to be one of the best safeties in the ACC and a draft pick in the NFL. He will be one to watch in 2025.

Omar Daniels was the fourth leading tackler on the team and as the team had more injuries on the backend, he stepped in nicely and filled in playing at a high level. He finished with 51 tackles and three passes defended. Daniels had an impressive stretch of games towards the back end of the season. Against Miami, he recorded eight tackles and pass defense and you will remember that game for a big hit he caused jawing the ball loose leading to an incomplete pass. For his performance, he was one of the defensive players of the game. In the final four games of the season, Daniels had four or more tackles. He posted a 65.0 PFF grade on 485 snaps this past season. Daniels announced he would be back for another year with the Yellow Jackets early in the offseason.

Taye Seymore had a productive season finishing with 45 tackles and two passes defended. He finished with one of the worst grades according to PFF posting a 51.6 grade on 401 snaps for the 2024 season. Seymour posted career-highs in tackles and passes defensed in 2024 but oftentimes was behind other starters. One of his best games came against Syracuse when he finished with 10 tackles. An area he struggled with was coverage, sometimes getting beat for big plays.

Our own Jackson Caudell has more on his performance this year:

“Seymore had his ups and downs in his first real year of playing time, but he flashed real ability at times. He finished the season with 45 tackles and two pass deflections. At PFF (Pro Football Focus), Seymore was the No. 32 graded player on the Yellow Jackets' defense in 401 total snaps. He finished with a 55.0 grade and a 38.4 tackling grade. Georgia Tech is also losing Brooks after the season, as he is out of eligibility.”

When he got in and played he did produce, but likely with all the talent coming in he decided to leave for greener pastures. Seymore entered the winter transfer portal and will play for Auburn in 2025.

Zachary Tobe finished with the fourth-highest grade in the secondary posting a 67.4 grade. Tobe finished his sophomore season with 17 tackles and three passes defensed. Tobe was a rotational player for the Yellow Jackets in 2024.

Lamiles Brooks recorded 42 tackles and two passes defensed in 2024. One of his best games came in the Birmingham Bowl where he finished with seven tackles. It was his best performance of the season and he made up for the game where he missed some tackles against NC State. It’s overall been an up-and-down career for Brooks who has battled injuries but he’s always put his best foot forward.

A thing that stands out about Syeed Gibbs is his physicality at the defensive back spot. He forced a team-high two forced fumbles this season and has a knack for jarring the ball loose and creating turnovers. At times the sophomore struggles in coverage, but he has shown he has the ability to be a great defender in run support and plays with his head on fire. He finished his sophomore season with 22 tackles.

Nehemiah Chandler was a true freshman who came from Jacksonville, FL. He was able to see the field on 15 snaps this season and posted a 56.5 PFF grade. Christian Pritchett was also a true freshman this past season for the Yellow Jackets and recorded four tackles. He played high school football at St. Augustine High School in Harvey, Louisiana. In just 16 snaps, he finished with a PFF grade of 64.7.

Jayden Davis and Will Kiker didn’t see much of the field in 2024. Davis is a transfer from Cincinnati and played his high school football at Collins Hill. Kiker played his football at Gilmer County High School in Georgia and is still fighting for time on the field. Davis entered the transfer portal and will move on to play for Georgia Southern in the fall.

This will be a unit to watch in 2025 for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech probably has one of the most talented defensive back groups coming in. When you look at what they did in the transfer portal and with the 2025 class, the secondary has the chance to be one of the best units in the fall.

Georgia Tech on SI Grade: B-

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