Grading Every Georgia Tech Position Group After Week 1 vs. Colorado

There were not a lot of bright spots for Georgia Tech 's position groups after the loss against Colorado

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Alberto Mendoza (15) prepares to play against the Colorado Buffaloes in the first half Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Georgia Tech was debuting a number of new starters on Thursday night against Colorado, and there were varying degrees of success for the Yellow Jackets' new-look position groups. Let's break them down one by one.

Quarterback: B

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Alberto Mendoza (15) practices before the game at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was the first career start for Alberto Mendoza and I thought he played a solid game overall.

Mendoza finished the night 17-23 for 237 yards and he looked poised and in control, as well as making some plays on the run. Mendoza was not used much as a run threat, but he delivered throws on time and was accurate when he was allowed to let it loose. There is plenty to build on for him, but Tennessee is going to be a tough opponent.

Running back: C-

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Justice Haynes (22) rushes the ball past Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Cree Thomas (20) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

C- might be a bit generous for this group and this was a disappointing showing for the talented running back duo of Justice Haynes and Malachi Hosley.

After a solid opening drive, Haynes only finished with 64 yards on 19 carries, leading the way for Georgia Tech. Hosley finished with 14 yards on six carries, averaging just 2.3 yards per carry. Haynes caught one pass for four yards.

Some of it had to do with the offensive line play (more on that later), but it was an underwhelming night for the running backs.

Wide Receiver: B-

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Jordan Allen (4) makes a catch against the Colorado Buffaloes during the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For a position group that came into the season with tons of questions, there were some bright spots among the starters, but the depth is still a bit of a question.

Jordan Allen led the way with eight catches for 113 yards, but he also had a fumble on a jet sweep and had some special teams struggles. In his first game as a receiver, Dalen Penson had three catches for 73 yards, including a 42-yard catch and run that set up Georgia Tech in field goal range. Highly-touted transfer Isaiah Fuhrmann finished with one catch for 10 yards.

Tight ends: C-

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets tight end Kevin Roche Jr. (86) attempts to make a catch against Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Immanuel Ezeogu (52) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The tight ends were a bit disappointing overall, but Kevin Roche Jr showed flashes of the potential he has as a receiver and he also blocked a kick in the second half of the game.

The rest of the group was underwhelming. No other tight end caught a pass and both Chris Corbo and Spencer Mermans were two of the lowest graded players on the offense according to Pro Football Focus.

Offensive Line: F

This group was a disaster on Thursday night. Whether it was pass blocking or getting to the second level when run blocking, there was nothing that went right for the,

Colorado was able to sack Mendoza three times and collect eight tackles for loss, not to mention holding Georgia Tech's rushing attack to 1.7 yards per carry. LT Ethan Mackenny finished with a 28.6 PFF Grade and Jameson Riggs finished with a 40.0 overall grade. The highest-graded offensive line on PFF was LG Kevin Peay Jr who had a 57. 2 grade.

Defensive Line: C-

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive end Jordan Boyd (8) hits Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Joseph Williams (8) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For all the talk from the coaching staff about how improved this group was and the results were underwhelming.

Colorado was able to run for 183 yards on Thursday night and Georgia Tech finished with a 0% run-stuff rate, which is also on the linebackers. Noah Carter, Tawfiq Thomas, and Taje McCoy were bright spots and were three of the highest-graded defenders on Pro Football Focus, but Shymeik Jones, Amontrae Bradford, Christian Speakman, A.J. Hoffler, and Jordan Walker were hoping for better nights.

Linebacker: C

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker E.J. Lightsey (2) reacts after a tackle on Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) in the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kyle Efford did finish with a 77.4 grade on PFF and he had a huge goal line tackle on a 4th and goal in the first half, but he also struggled in coverage.

The rest of the group did not have strong performances. Cayman Spaulding finished with four tackles and E.J. Lightsey finished with six, but neither were impact players.

Cornerbacks: C+

Coming into the game, Colorado's passing game was getting a lot of love as a possible strength of the team, but aside from the final drive, the Buffaloes did not do much through the air.

But the final drive did happen and that knocks the grade for this group down just a notch. Jaylen Mbakwe had a nice debut, finishing with a 68.1 grade in 70 snaps and had a PBU. Kelvin Hill and Daiquan White played the majority of the other snaps, with true freshman Trae Stevenson Jr playing eight snaps. This group came into the night with huge question marks, but it was a solid game to build on.

Safeties: B-

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (3) is tackled by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets safety Savion Riley (13) at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tae Harris and Savion Riley started the game at safety and they played all of the snaps at the position.

Harris was one of the highest-graded players on the defense and was solid in run support all night, finishing with nine tackles. Riley had a solid game, finishing with eight tackles.

Not a perfect night, but an encouraging sign from this group.

Special Teams: B-

This group could have had an A, but there were some miscues as everyone probably saw.

The good was that Rahkeem Smith ran back a kickoff for the only touchdown for the Yellow Jackets, the first kickoff return for a TD since 2021. Kevin Roche Jr blocked a field goal in the second half, and Aidan Birr hit a couple of field goals.

But there was plenty bad on special teams. Birr missed an early field goal, the blocking failed on the blocked field goal as time expired, and the punting was subpar all game. Birr has nailed some of the biggest kicks to win games before and I think he will be fine, but blocking and punting need to be fixed.