Georgia Tech Spring Football: Two-Deep Depth Chart Projections For Offense

How could the Georgia Tech offense look this spring?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Feb 21, 2023 3:26 PM EST

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Spring Football is inching closer and Georgia Tech is going to be having a lot of moving parts on offense to sort out this spring.

The Yellow Jackets have a new play-caller and tight ends coach (Buster Faulkner), a new running backs coach (Norval McKenzie), a new wide receivers coach (Josh Crawford), and a new offensive line coach (Geep Wade).

There are also new transfers and some early enrollees that are going to be vying for playing time and trying to separate themselves from the rest.

Note: there are going to be more 2023 signees coming in during the summer and they could push for playing time then, but won't be listed here for now.

Let's take a shot at projecting the depth chart for the Georgia Tech offense.

Quarterback

Naturally, the quarterback competition is going to have the most eyes on it. Texas A&M transfer Haynes King was brought in to compete with Zach Pyron and Zach Gibson this spring. The quarterbacks are still going to be coached by Chris Weinke (who is now the co-offensive coordinator as well).

The Yellow Jackets used up to four quarterbacks last season (Jeff Sims and Taisun Phommachanh have since transferred), but with a little bit of injury luck, Georgia Tech hopes to have just one quarterback this season.

Last season, King played 327 snaps according to PFF (Pro Football Focus), and finished with a grade of 53.4, a 48.6 passing grade, and a 71.6 rushing grade. He is an athletic player with a strong arm and it is a fair question to wonder if Texas A&M's offense was holding King back the last couple of seasons.

King is a former four-star recruit for the Aggies and won the starting job twice. His 2021 season was cut short after being injured early in the season. He started the 2022 season off as the starter but was benched after Texas A&M was upset by App State. He did return as the starter and had his best game on the road against Alabama, a game in which he threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns.

King's strengths are his mobility and his arm strength and I anticipate more passing in Faulkner's offense.

Pyron was a true freshman last season and played well in his limited action. He was not expected to see the field, but he got his first chance in the game against Florida State last season. Pyron then got his first start the next week against Virginia Tech and led the Yellow Jackets to a comeback victory. He was then hurt in the second half against Miami the week and was out for the last two games against North Carolina and Georgia.

Pyron threw for 565 yards and three touchdowns and completed 60% of his passes.

Gibson got his first game experience as a Yellow Jacket against Virginia, filling in for an injured Sims. He would start the next game against Florida State, but only played the first couple of series. After the injury to Pyron, Gibson came in and finished the game against Miami and then led Georgia Tech to its upset of No. 13 North Carolina. He would start the season finale against Georgia and played well considering the opponent.

Gibson finished the season with 589 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, as well as a 59.8 completion percentage.

This will be a tight race, but I like King's upside the most here. It would not surprise me if the starting quarterback battle goes into the summer and fall.

1. Haynes King

2. Zach Pyron

Running Back

Georgia Tech has a nice group of running backs heading into the season, despite losing their leading rusher from 2022 (Hassan Hall).

There are a couple of newcomers that Georgia Tech fans need to know about this spring. After having success with a Louisville transfer running back last season, Georgia Tech is going right back there for another transfer. Trevion Cooley is a veteran running back who made plays for the Cardinals and I expect him to be a big factor this season.

After having a few de-commitments at the position during the 2023 recruiting class, Georgia Tech was finally able to land one during the early signing period. Evan Dickens (IMG Academy, FL) backed off of his commitment to Coastal Carolina and would sign with the Jackets during the early signing period and he is an early enrollee.

I think being the most experienced running backs, Smith and Cooley are going to have the first crack at the job. Smith finished with 420 yards and five touchdowns on 80 carries, averaging 4.8 per carry. Smith is explosive when he is healthy and can catch the ball out of the backfield and I think that he will be the starting back entering the spring.

The most intriguing aspect of the running back room next year to me is the two young running backs, Jamie Felix and Antonio Martin. Felix earned more carries as the year went on and Martin did not receive any. Felix finished the year with 23 carries for 80 yards. Martin was the highest-rated recruit for Georgia Tech in the 2022 class according to 247Sports and I am ready to see his progression in the spring.

Redshirt Sophomore Daylon Gordon is another name to know for the spring. He has made progress in each season and has experience under his belt.

1. Dontae Smith

2. Trevion Cooley

Wide Receiver

Malik Rutherford — What will Georgia Tech's wide receiver depth chart look like this spring?
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Wide receiver is going to be one of the most important positions for Georgia Tech this upcoming season and there are going to be plenty of new faces this spring. The Yellow Jackets are welcoming in three new transfers and four new 2023 signees this summer.

There are a couple of reasons that this is such an important position for the Yellow Jackets. The top three leading receivers for Georgia Tech (Nate McCollum, Malachi Carter, and EJ Jenkins) are gone, as are Ryan King and Kalani Norris. McCollum, King, and Norris transferred, while Jenkins and Carter ran out of eligibility.

Out of the three transfers, only two are going to be participating as early enrollees this spring (Abdul Janneh and Christian Leary). One high school player enrolled early (Zion Taylor).

The top returning receiver for the Yellow Jackets is slot receiver, Malik Rutherford. Rutherford finished the 2022 season with 23 catches for 225 yards and zero touchdowns. He averaged 9.8 yards per catch and with his speed, I hope that number is going to be much higher this season.

I think the two early enrollee transfers are going to have a chance to make a big impact this spring and into the fall.

Abdul Janneh (Duquesne) is one of the early enrollees and I think he is going to be lining up on the outside for the Yellow Jackets' offense.

Janneh is a 6'3 180 LBS wide receiver that received plenty of interest from other schools when he entered the transfer portal.

Janneh is projected to be an outside receiver with his size and ball skills and I think that is the thing that stands out the most when watching him play. Last season, he caught 43 passes for 579 yards and was very good at catching the ball in traffic and winning his matchups.

The other early enrollee transfer is Christian Leary, who is coming in from Alabama. Leary was originally committed to UCF after entering the portal, but Key pulled off an impressive flip and got Leary to commit to the Yellow Jackets.

Leary is a former top 100 recruit from the class of 2021 and signed with Alabama. During his two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Leary only tallied three catches for 10 yards, but he still has potential and I think a breakout season is on the way. The 5'10 175 LBS wide receiver should compete for playing time immediately.

The rest of the options for Georgia Tech in the spring are inexperienced, but the Yellow Jackets are going to need a few of these guys to step up.

Leo Blackburn caught five passes for 81 yards and one touchdown last season and during the game against Duke, he showed what he is capable of doing when healthy. Blackburn is going to contend for one of the outside receiver spots and I think he has a chance to start this season.

D.J. Moore, Avery Boyd, Juju Lewis, James Blackstrain, and 2023 signee Zion Taylor (Norcross, GA) are the other guys that are going to be fighting for playing time this spring. This group of players is very important because Georgia Tech needs receivers to step up not just as starters, but as depth players as well.

More guys are going to be coming in the summer and this position will see some shuffling around, but for now, this is how I am projecting the depth chart to look after the spring.

X Receiver

1. Abdul Janneh

2. D.J. Moore

Slot Receiver

1. Christian Leary

2. Malik Rutherford

Z Receiver

1. Leo Blackburn

2. James Blackstrain

Tight End

Will Brett Seither take the starting tight end job this spring?
Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Going into the 2023 spring practice and into the fall, there is no doubt that getting more production from the tight end position will be an offensive goal for Georgia Tech. Last season, this group was supposed to be a key to the offense under former coordinator Chip Long, but that is not what happened in 2022.

No tight end on Georgia Tech's roster topped 100 yards or caught a touchdown and that was a problem. Most offenses are going to function better when they have a threat at the tight end position and that will be something that Faulkner is going to be working on.

Back are Dylan Leonard and Luke Benson and the Yellow Jackets are going to be adding transfers Brett Seither (Georgia) and Jackon Long (USF).

During the 2022 season, Leonard led the tight ends with 90 yards receiving on 11 catches and zero touchdowns. Benson had nine catches for 85 yards and Harris finished with six catches for 61 yards. No tight end caught a touchdown for Georgia Tech last season.

Could one of the transfers take over the starting position?

I think it is possible, but both Seither and Long are light on experience. Long did not play a snap for the Bulls last season, but I am intrigued if he can push for playing time, despite not having the playing experience the other tight ends on the roster have.

During his career as a Bulldog, Seither recorded four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. While in Athens, Seither was stuck behind Brock Bowers (the best tight end in the country), Darnell Washington (a potential first-round pick), and four-star freshman Oscar Delp.

1. Brett Seither

2. Dylan Leonard

Offensive Tackle

It is no secret that the offensive line was not a strength for Georgia Tech last season, but it was a young unit and the majority of the snaps are going to be returning for the upcoming season. I think because the unit was poor last season, all positions could face competition and no job should be safe.

Last season, Corey Robinson II started every game at left tackle and I would anticipate him being the starter this spring. Last season was Robinson's first as a starter after transferring from Kansas and there is no doubt he could improve from last season and be a rock-solid starter for the Yellow Jackets. His development is going to be key for Georgia Tech this spring and fall.

Right tackle is going to be an interesting position to follow this spring. Jordan Williams started the first nine games at right tackle but was moved inside to right guard for the final three games and Jakiah Leftwich took over as the starting right tackle. It is going to be interesting to see how Wade and Key manage this position and if Williams is now going to be a guard. If so, I think Leftwich will remain the starter at right tackle.

Who could challenge for these starting jobs or be the main backups?

Tyler Gibson saw some action for the Yellow Jackets last season as a true freshman and I am interested in his improvement. Wing Green could be in the mix too.

Left Tackle

1. Corey Robinson II

2. Tyler Gibson

Right Tackle

1. Jakiah Leftwich

2. Wing Green

Interior Offensive Line

The interior of Georgia Tech's offensive line is going to be hoping for last year's starters to take a step forward this spring. There have not only been departures for this position group, but the Yellow Jackets had one of the worst offensive lines in the country last season and because of that, I think that any of these spots could be open this season. The incumbent players need to improve this season or they could risk losing their job to any of the freshmen or transfers.

At left guard, there were two main starters at the position, but they are both gone now. Pierce Quick made the decision not to finish his playing career and Paula Vaipulu transferred to North Texas. Weston Franklin started every game at center and is the favorite to do so again. At right guard, Joe Fusile started seven of the first eight games at right guard before Jordan Williams took over. Fusile also started one game at left guard.

The newcomers to the team include Charlotte transfer Jordan Brown, who I think will compete at one of the guard spots and possibly be the backup at center right now with William Lay III out of eligibility. He is one of the guys I am most excited to see play this spring, as I think he could give this group a big boost at any of the three spots. The lone early enrollee that will be participating this spring is Elias Cloy. Cloy is a talented player who will be getting valuable reps this spring and that is always a plus for freshmen looking to compete for playing time and I think he will be in the mix at guard. He was rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN and was an All-state performer and four-time all-region selection, including first-team as a junior and senior at Alpharetta.

Some other interior linemen to monitor this spring will be Paul Tchio and Will Scissum. Both players have experience.

For left guard, I think there is going to be an open competition and multiple players will be involved. If Williams stays at guard and does not move back out to tackle, he could be the favorite at right guard, and Fusile will compete for the left guard spot. Scissum and Tchio could factor in here as well.

I expect Franklin to be the starting center again this season. If he improves this spring and into the fall, he could be one of Georgia Tech's best linemen.

If Williams stays at guard, I think he will get the first opportunity to be the starter.

Left Guard

1. Joe Fusile

2. Jordan Brown

Center

1. Weston Franklin

2. Jordan Brown

Right Guard

1. Jordan Williams

2. Paul Tchio

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