Georgia Tech QB Aaron Philo Named ACC Rookie of the Week

Philo had a terrific performance vs Gardner-Webb on Saturday, his first career start

While he has played in a handful of games before, including big wins over Miami and NC State last season, Saturday's game against Gardner-Webb marked the first career start for Yellow Jackets QB Aaron Philo. Philo made the most of it, going for 21-28 for 373 yards and one touchdown. He overcame two early turnovers and led the Yellow Jackets to a 59-12 win.

Rookie of the Week

Nov 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Aaron Philo (12) throws a pass against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

For his performance on Saturday, Philo has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week.

𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞: Week 2

🔗 https://t.co/x1ibsamBoB pic.twitter.com/snpvQ0ZdXg

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 8, 2025

He set school records for most passing yards by a freshman (true or redshirt) and most passing yards by a Yellow Jacket in his first-career start. It was the most passing yards by a Jacket since George Godsey threw for a school-record 486 yards in 2001.

On the strength of Philo’s historic performance, Georgia Tech amassed 680 yards of offense (third-most in program history), 457 total passing yards (second-most in program history) and averaged 11.9 yards per play (second-highest in program history).

This week’s selection marks the second time that Philo has been named ACC Rookie of the Week. He also earned honor as a true freshman last season, when he racked up 322 yards of total offense (265 passing, 57 rushing) and ran 18 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds to go in the Yellow Jackets’ 30-29 victory over NC State on Nov. 21, 2024.

Huge test this weekend

Nov 11, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) reacts after tackling Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images | Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech is an underdog according to the oddsmakers, but SP+ thinks the Yellow Jackets are going to pull off the upset this weekend. SP+ is giving Georgia Tech a 51% chance to win the game.

WEEK 3 SP+ PICKS

GT 28.2, Clemson 27.7?
Vols 25, Dawgs 24??
Irish 28, Aggies 25
LSU 28, Florida 25
Bama 33, Wisconsin 16
Pitt 30, WVU 26
Miami 38, USF 24
SC 30, Vandy 21

Not as many disagreements this week. Clemson aside, anyway. Full list: https://t.co/7pOK9K2Aj8 pic.twitter.com/ZlruRlTHTs

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) September 7, 2025

What is SP+? Here is how Connelly describes it:

"In a single sentence, it's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. I created the system at Football Outsiders in 2008, and as my experience with both college football and its stats has grown, I have made quite a few tweaks to the system.

SP+ is indeed intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling -- no good predictive system is. It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you're lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you're strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise."

The Tigers dropped their season opener to LSU and were down 16-0 vs Troy before they were able to mount a comeback and defeat the Trojans 27-16. They are the favorite to win the ACC, and at Fanduel Sportsbook, they are starting out as 6.5-point favorites vs the Yellow Jackets. In the offseason, Clemson was at one point a 9.5 point favorite over Georgia Tech, but the Tigers struggles have lowered that number.

This would be one of the biggest wins of Key's tenure as the head coach at Georgia Tech. While he has gotten several ranked wins against ACC opponents, the fact that Georgia Tech has not beaten the Tigers in a long time in the rivalry would add something special to this win if they earned it. Not only that, but Georgia Tech would have the tiebreaker over the Tigers and would join Miami and Florida State as favorites in the ACC.