Georgia Tech Had A Really Good Season In 2025, But It Came Up Short Of Being A Truly Special One

Georgia Tech started the season 8-0 and looked to be headed towards the ACC Championship game, but four losses in the last five games put a bit of a damper on their best season in decades

Dec 27, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key looks on against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter during the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech football accomplished a lot of things this season and it was one that the program should be proud of.

They went 9-4, winning their most games since 2016, they beat rival Clemson for the first time since 2014, quarterback Haynes King finished No. 10 in the Heisman Trophy Voting, and the Yellow Jackets had one of the best offenses in the country. They started the season 8-0 and rose as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll, giving them a clear path to the ACC Championship and potential spot in the College Football Playoff.

Then the final stretch of the season happened.

After being the definition of bend but don't break on defense through the first eight games of the season, the defense collapsed into one of the worst units in the ACC and the country. They gave up nearly 600 yards to NC State in their first loss of the season and then they gave up over 500 yards again in a close win against a 2-10 Boston College team.

I would argue that the most disappointing result of the season occurred in the final game of the year at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Georgia Tech was 9-1 and had a chance to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship with a win over the Panthers, who were a good, but far from great team. The Yellow Jackets turned in as poor of a performance as you could have at home, falling behind 28-0 and then falling short in their comeback attempt. It was a chance to get to the conference championship and potentially the College Football Playoff and Georgia Tech looked as if the moment was just a little too big for them.

In the regular season finale, Georgia Tech once again played Georgia tougher than anyone thought, but for the third straight season, they lost a one score game to their biggest rival and extending their losing streak to the Bulldogs. While it is admirable to keep these games close against one of the elite programs in college football, at some point Georgia Tech is going to have to kick the door down and get over the hump.

Then came Saturday's game. Georgia Tech had control heading into halftime of the the Pop Tarts Bowl, leading BYU 21-10. Then the Yellow Jackets had a fumble in the redzone, a blocked field goal, a pair of three and outs, and an interception on the final possession of the game to give the win to the Cougars. It was the fourth loss in the last five games of the season for the Yellow Jackets.

How should the season be viewed?

Dec 27, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) passes against the BYU Cougars in the third quarter during the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

I still think this season should be viewed as a successful one by Georgia Tech. They accomplished a lot of things they have not been able to do as a program and they improved on the win total from Brent Key's first three two seasons.

Still, this season has a feeling of a major missed opportunity for Georgia Tech.

Armed with one of the best players in school history and one of the most favorable schedules in the ACC, Georgia Tech failed to make the conference championship, despite having a chance to clinch a spot on their homefield. The defensive collapse was especially concerning. Nobody would mistake Georgia Tech for having Ohio State or Miami level talent on the defensive side of the football, but they should not have been as bad as they were down the stretch of the season. Whether it was rushing or passing defense, the Yellow Jackets could not stop much of anyone (save the Georgia game) and it was their biggest reason for losing four of their last five games.

Since the beginning of the season, head coach Brent Key has talked about the program making a jump this season and they did. After the loss to BYU on Saturday, Key was asked about the next steps for this program to make another jump:

"I stick by what I say all the time, getting better or getting worse, right? We will head back tonight. I will sleep for a couple of days, like a hibernating bear. I say that. I probably won't.

We have work to do. We have work to do. We have to make sure we have the best roster we can possibly have, put together the best staff that we can possibly have. It will be here fast. As quick as this season went, the next one will be here. We have to continue with the identity that these guys have built. We are rolling into the next one, because we have a lot of work to do.

But the jump, the next one is better than this. It has to be, right? Again, that isn't always dictated by wins and losses. That is dictated by the type of team you have, how you play the game, all those things.

Ultimately, I get it. We are all judged by the wins and losses, but when you put it together the right way, those all become a by-product of having everything in the right place, and the kids all believe in the same thing, and the staff believes in the same thing."

What now?

Dec 27, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key and teammates run out of the tunnel as they are introduced against the BYU Cougars at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Brent Key has his work cut out for him this off season if Georgia Tech is going to make another jump.

For starters, he has to replace quite a few offensive staff members. Buster Faulkner and some other coaches have left for Florida, running backs coach Norval McKenzie is now at Virginia Tech, and Geep Wade is now at Nebraska. Key has yet to hire an OC and with the transfer portal opening this week, I would expect that position to be filled soon.

Georgia Tech also has to figure out what it is going to do at quarterback. Aaron Philo was set to follow Haynes King as the starting quarterback, but Philo entered the portal and is going to be playing elsewhere next season. I would expect Georgia Tech to find a quarterback in the transfer portal portal to compete with rising third year QB Graham Knowles. It is fair to expect a dropoff from the level that King played at, but how much?

Key is also going to need to upgrade this roster in a meaningful way. By both the transfer portal and developing the young talent on the roster, this team has to be much better overall, particularly on the defensive side of the football.

Key has done a wonderful job of getting the program into the position that it is in three years after he was hired. Now he has work to do to put his program in contention to make the "jump" that he is talking about and to have a truly special season.