Georgia Tech Football: Three Things To Watch For In Saturday's White and Gold Spring Game

The Georgia Tech spring game is upon us, and a great time to assess where this Yellow Jackets team is. There are a lot of things to watch as we get the first look at them in 2025. Let’s take a look at some things to watch in the spring game.

Offensive Line- An intriguing position group to watch for the Yellow Jackets, especially after losing so many guys to either the transfer portal or going off to the pros. Georgia Tech is replacing three players on the offensive line. Some good signs are that All-ACC first-team guard Keylan Rutledge is back for the Yellow Jackets and multi-year starter Joe Fusile. Coach Key has also been impressed with true freshman Peyton Joseph throughout the spring.

"I thought, Peyton Joseph in the front, just as far as a guy that can get some movement at the point of you know, in some of the short yard situations, moving people, moving people, and stopping people. Third one you run behind them. You can get the first now. No greater feeling to move a man from point A to point B against his will. He's not ready to play a game now, but as he puts his hands on people and locks them down, they don't really go anywhere."

There are still battles going on, so it will be interesting to see who the Yellow Jackets trot out on Saturday as the starters with the first team. Can they move the Georgia Tech defensive line and have some success like they did last year, having one of the best offensive lines in the country in 2024?

Defensive Line- In a scrimmage last week, right before the spring game, Brent Key singled out several players who have been performing and even acknowledged the defensive line beat the offensive line quite a bit a few weeks ago.

"I actually got Brayden Manley's name written down here. Brayden and, you know, (Ronald) Triplette had a really good camp. Tell him I started seeing Amontrae (Bradford) show up the other day, which was good. He's, I just told him he's got to stop overthinking things, just go play. And he's long, he looks the part, he can run, so he's starting to show up. That's been very encouraging, very encouraging to see. Christian, talk about an athletic big man now. I mean, he can move, he can bend, he can do those things. He's also got that, you know, he was out with the shoulder surgery previously. So he's getting back to the, you know, the strength levels and whatnot, you have to play it. Then inside on the D-Line, I think we all know who 99 is, I think everybody knows who 99 is. JJ's a good football player now. He's disruptive.

The defensive line is one of the biggest questions still lingering heading into the spring game. Who will be able to generate pressure outside of Jordan van den Berg? If the Yellow Jackets want to be a good football team in 2025, they need impact EDGE rushers who can make a difference alongside him. Who will be able to emerge as a potential staple on the defensive line and make an impact? Saturday will provide a glimpse.

How will young players perform? Although it is spring, this poses a great question because, in the last few years, we have seen a young player have a great spring game each year. Last year, QB Aaron Philo, WR Chris Elko, WR Zion Taylor, and Tah’j Butler all flashed. Chris Elko was recently put on scholarship by head coach Brent Key, who praised his work ethic. Elko was a walk-on for the Yellow Jackets but continued to prove he belonged.

Who will it be this year?

There are a lot of names to keep an eye on, like Derry Norris Jr, Jayden Barr, Tae Harris, Josh Petty, Christian Garrett, and more. Let’s take a look at what Key had to say about some of the young guys throughout this spring.

Here is what he said about true freshman defensive end Andre Fuller

“I talked about Andre earlier, I mean, he makes some plays out there today, but he's also, I think he's got to continue to get better at... There's not one freshman out there that's ready to walk on a field and play a football game, all right, there's not one player on our team that's ready to do that, much less a freshman.

Another freshman that is turning heads early in the secondary is Elgin Sessions the former three-star recruit from Dutch Fork, South Carolina. He mans the secondary and is continuing to play at a high level this spring.

“I've been pleased with those guys back there. Elgin Sessions is another one that continues to impress and show up.”

Somebody will make a name for themselves on Saturday and etch their name early into a potential role for the Yellow Jackets this upcoming season. Key isn’t shy about playing young players and putting the best on the field.

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