Freshman Linebacker Braylon Outlaw Picks Up High Praise From Brent Key At ACC Media Days

There is one true freshman for the Yellow Jackets who is continuing to garner attention and make quite a name for himself on the Flats. He comes over from Pike Road High School and was a big recruit for the Yellow Jackets in the 2026 class.

He was a two-way star in Alabama and a difference-maker on both ends. He became known for his ability to make plays on defense, anticipate, make hard hits, and be a constant presence in the backfield.

I am talking about Braylon Outlaw. Outlaw has hit the college scene and is turning heads.

Outlaw put together an impressive spring and was rotating in and was even close to getting some first-team reps. He has come in and taken advantage of every rep. So much so that he has the attention of head coach Brent Key. Here is what Coach Key had to say about Outlaw at ACC Media Days

“The first day of practice, we're in team run, and he's dropping back playing curl flat. Okay, in team run, dropping back in coverage. By the end of the first scrimmage, in the second, I'm ready to get him up there and get him reps. And by the end, he's the guy that I think is gonna play for us. So again, I've said it before, it's shocking that kids develop as 17-, 18-year-olds, right? But he's talented; he can run. He's a football guy. The more he continues to get reps and live reps, let him get in there and fail and make his mistakes and learn from them,” said Key.

So what does that mean?

Georgia Tech has a bevy of veterans at the linebacker position in Kyle Efford, Cayman Spaulding, E.J. Lightsey, and Melvin Jordan IV, but that doesn’t mean the young guys aren’t going to see the field in some capacity. Outlaw could be a player who is used in certain situations on the field and serves a certain role for the Yellow Jackets. My guess would be on special teams to start out, but if he plays that at a high level, he could generate more.

Outlaw has a different level of athleticism that not many who play the position have, which makes him a candidate for a freshman difference maker for the Yellow Jackets. Coach Key has been adamant all offseason about playing his young guys early.

Outlaw is certainly a player on track to do so, despite all the veterans in the room. Being a young guy ready to contribute and make an impact bodes well for Georgia Tech, which struggled at the position in 2025.

With Outlaw and the new look linebacker room, expect Georgia Tech to be a much better team on defense.

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