Georgia Tech Football Fall Camp Preview: Defensive Line
Georgia Tech finished last in the ACC in sacks and had one of the worst rushing defenses in the country, so it is safe to say that the Yellow Jackets are going to have to be much better up front.
It was evident that the coaching staff thought so as well, as they were busy mining the transfer portal for help and seemingly found it in Memphis transfer Morris Joseph Jr and Wyoming transfer Solomon Byrd. Unfortunately for Tech, Joseph decided to go to Auburn instead and Byrd left for USC. Now, Georgia Tech is almost left with the same group that it had last year, with the addition of two other transfers.
The good news for the defensive line is that Keion White is going to be healthy for the start of the season. White missed the first eight games of the 2021 season and is going to be counted on to give the Yellow Jackets a boost in the pass rush.
T.K. Chimedza is going to be one of the veteran guys on the inside and a likely starter. He had a nice 2019 season, but after missing the entire 2020 season with an injury, he struggled a bit in 2021. The run defense needs him to play as he did in 2019 to have any chance of getting better.
Georgia Tech defensive tackle T.K. Chimedza
Kyle Kennard is another guy that is going to be counted to help lift this pass rush. He played in every game last season as a freshman and finished the season with two sacks, which both came in the upset victory over North Carolina. Kennard was a member of the 2020 recruiting class and the coaching staff is hoping he can finally put it all together.
Makius Scott came over from South Carolina as a transfer last season and did not make much of an impact, despite playing in nearly every game. Scott is going to have to be a better part of the rotation this season.
One player in this unit I am really intrigued to see this season is defensive end, Kevin Harris. Harris is one of the most athletic members of the defensive line and was a highly-rated recruit when he originally was playing at Alabama. I think Harris will become a key piece of this rotation in 2022.
Josh Robinson was a backup last year and saw action in ten games, but did not put up many stats. I think he will be another key piece of the rotation again this year.
Christian Burkhalter is one of the two transfers that Georgia Tech brought in this offseason and he did not play at UCLA last year due to injury. He is a former three-star recruit and hopes to get on the field this season.
Georgia Tech Defensive end Christian Burkhalter
Sylvain Yondjouen was a reserve backup last season that mostly played special teams, but he is going to be competing for a more prominent role in 2022.
Daniel Carson is the other transfer that is coming over to the Yellow Jackets. Carson started his career at Texas before moving over to Western Illinois and wants to provide depth up front.
Georgia Tech Defensive Tackle Daniel Carson
Zeek Biggers is a mountain of a man at 6-6 341 LBS and he appeared in nine games last season. He is going to be in the mix for a starting job and is going to be counted on to clog the middle of the defense and improve the defense against the run.
Another guy that could get in the mix with a good fall camp is Noah Collins.
Overview
This is a position that worries me ahead of the 2022 season. There is no proven threat on the edge right now for the Yellow Jackets and the guys in the middle are mostly inexperienced and have not made much of an impact yet. There is going to have to be a massive leap for several guys on this unit for this to even be an average defensive line in 2022.
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