Georgia Tech OL Coach Allen Mogridge Details The Ongoing Position Battles At Both Guard Spots

Fall camp is where position battles take center stage ahead of the season and Georgia Tech has three interesting battles going on right now along the offensive line. Both guard spots and right tackle are up for grabs for the Yellow Jackets ahead of their season opener against Colorado on Sept. 3rd and the upcoming scrimmages will be huge for this group as players try to seperate from the competition.

The two spots that seem secure up front for Georgia Tech are at left tackle, where veteran Ethan Mackenny is going to be back and taking on more of a leadership role on this team, and Alabama transfer Joseph Ionata is going to be the starting center. But both guard spots and right tackle are an open competition, and when speaking with the media yesterday, Georgia Tech offensive line coach Allen Mogridge gave an update on the competition and the depth at the guard spots:

"You know what? The best part about our room is that they're a group that wants to come get better, right? They spend a lot of time working their craft. You know what I mean? Like, like don't mistake that. Like, it is a new guard box, but these are, you know what I mean? Some, there are some names you're going to see in there that are very much part of this program. Level one, square one, what Georgia Tech is. And then we're interjecting a few guys who are kind of the mold of Coach Key and his ideals and what he wants. You know what I mean?

And, like, Malachi Carney has played a lot of football guys. Like, he's played a lot of ball, and he's a big, powerful athlete. So him moving inside, and then Kevin Peay, who's been here in the program and he's been in that weight room, and he understands the core values and what it means to be here to this interlock in GT, and what Coach Key built here. And he bought into that a couple of years back. Fortunately, I was here to watch that process as well. You know, and then a Joe Ionata coming over. Right. You know what I mean? And Joe Ionata, who's a blue-collar kid from down in Tampa. Dad was an O-lineman. Brother's an O-Lineman. Joe goes to Alabama for the culture and the program there and then decides, you know what? I kind of want to be around this type of environment. Right. Talking about that middle.

So you've got a group of kids. They're hungry. They're competitive. You got Will Reed banging around in there. A journeyman from over at Princeton. You know what I mean? And kind of come in and he's played a lot of ball, had one of the best off seasons he could have going into this thing healthy. I'm trying to think. I don't want to miss anybody. You got the Mountains from East Coweta playing in there. You know, the two giants, those young kids, and they learn every single day. You've got (Xavier) Canales in there working, you know, so I'm excited."

Who comes out on top?

I think that Kevin Peay Jr has the best position to emerge as a starter for Georgia Tech after fall camp wraps up, but the right guard and right tackle battles are going to be interesting to watch because of the effects that they will have on each other.

The thought coming into fall camp was that Malachi Carney was going to be the starter at right guard for Georgia Tech and that Jameson Riggs would end up being the right tackle, which is very much still on the table. However, if Markell Samuel is able to beat out Carney at right guard, will that prompt Carney to start at right tackle and relegate Riggs to a depth role once again? Carney was very solid at right tackle for the Yellow Jackets last season while Riggs was the top backup.

Either way, Georgia Tech is going to have multiple new starters up front.

Mackenny and Carney are the only players returning to Georgia Tech who started for them last season. If Peay Jr, Ionata, and Riggs are the other three starters, those are three players that have not started for Georgia Tech.

However, given Brent Key's offensive line acumen and the fact that he has gotten the most out of this unit ever since taking over as the head coach in 2023, Georgia Tech has had one of the best offensive lines in the ACC, but this year might be the most uncertainity they have had up front when it comes to experience. Keylan Rutledge, Joe Fusile, Harrison Moore, and Tana Alo-Tupuola are all gone and while I think Georgia Tech will remain strong up front, it will be interesting to see how Key and Mogridge find the right pieces to the puzzle along the offensive line.

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