Here Is What We Hope to Learn From Georgia Tech’s First Fall Scrimmage

Things we hope to learn from Georgia Tech's Fall Scrimmage

Dec 27, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key talks with a referee before a weather delay during the second half of the 2024 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech will host their first fall scrimmage today as the team prepares for its first matchup of the year against Colorado on August 29th. As the Yellow Jackets prepare for a closed scrimmage and a key evaluative period, here is what we hope to learn about the program.

Who dominates on the offensive line?

Georgia Tech is trying to find its best five offensive linemen ahead of the 2025 season. The Yellow Jackets are replacing three offensive linemen from last year’s team and will only return two starters in Joe Fusile and Keylan Rutledge, who are well-established. Outside of these two, positions are open for grabs. The Yellow Jackets brought in Will Reed (Princeton), Malachi Carney (South Alabama), and Andrew Rosinski (North Carolina). They also brought in prized recruits Josh Petty, Peyton Joseph, and Kevin Peay on the offensive line in the 2025 class. It is still a work in progress for the Yellow Jackets as they figure out who emerges on the line. Here is more insight from offensive line coach Geep Wade on one of the battles for the Yellow Jackets

“I love it. And let's be honest, Harrison played half the game, the last four to five games of the season, and played well. It's a great competition, and guys, honestly, it's a great problem to have from the standpoint of, you've got two centers and they're very position flexible too. So that's the, and right now, honestly, they're just going back and forth. You got this series, you got this series, you got this series, you got this series. So there's no rhyme or reason right now to it. Right now in camp, we're trying to worry about Georgia Tech. We're trying to worry about Georgia Tech's o-line. We're trying to just have the base fundamentals, base rules. And that's what we're focusing on every day for the next seven, eight, nine days," said Wade.

Will a running back stand out for the No. 2 job behind Jamal Haynes?

Georgia Tech has one of its deepest running back rooms in quite some time. It is led by Jamal Haynes, who has been a name who has made a number of preseason award watchlists, most recently the Doak Walker award, given to the nation’s best back. There are a number of names you can throw out here. Trelain Maddox is massive with 6’1 and 215-pound frame. When he is healthy, he is tough to slow down. Malachi Hosley was a prized pickup out of the portal from UPENN, and a former player of the year. Daylon Gordon provides valuable experience and one who knows the system extremely well. Last year, this position was rotational behind Haynes as Georgia Tech never had a No.2  back established, but they still played well and didn’t see a drop off when he wasn’t in the game. Haynes dealt with a few nagging injuries last season, but Georgia Tech was still able to run the ball at an efficient level.

Nov 9, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

How good will new additions be to the wide receiver room?

Georgia Tech added several notable names in the transfer portal with the addition of FIU receivers Dean Patterson and Eric Rivers, among others. The Yellow Jackets also added South Carolina transfer Debron Gatling and North Carolina WR Evan Haynes. Rivers looks primed to thrive in the Georgia Tech offense, especially with the scheme that offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner runs. Patterson was another player Georgia Tech added out of the portal who looks to make his mark and be a key contributor this season. You also can’t forget about the freshmen Jamauri Brice and Jordan Allen, who both possess elite speed and the ability to be dangerous in the open field when they touch the ball.

Who emerges on the defensive line?

Another position the Yellow Jackets were active in was adding people on the defensive line. Georgia Tech landed Matthew Alexander, Brayden Manley, AJ Hoffler, Ronald Triplette, and Akelo Stone out of the transfer portal. Manley is a former SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and brings an attitude to the defense. Stone is a former Ole Miss player who started his career with the Yellow Jackets. Outside of Jordan Van Den Berg, the Yellow Jacket players are still earning their stripes. Freshmen Carrington Coombs, Christian Garrett, Andre Fuller, and Derry Norris are trying to crack the rotation. Jordan Boyd and Amontrae Braford are looking to fulfill bigger roles this season for Georgia Tech and be valuable contributors. To put it simply, it is a position that will be instrumental in how good the defense is going to be in 2025. They have to be able to create pressure and disrupt the quarterback. Saturday will give us an early look at who could be some guys the Yellow Jackets could lean on potentially this season.

Will a player separate itself in the secondary for the star position?

A question that has been prevalent is who will emerge at the nickel spot for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech added Jy Gilmore, Savion Riley, Daiquan White, and Kelvin Hill, who are all competing at a high level for the position. The nickel cornerback spot is responsible for a lot of things in addition to being able to blitz and cause pressure they have to be able to cover speed slot receivers and tackle in the open field. It will be imperative to the success of the Yellow Jackets to get this position right, whether it is different players rotating in or

Something that has been common in press conferences with players is the position flexibility and being able to play multiple positions, which could bode well for the Yellow Jackets. Having a multi-faceted defense that can play anywhere makes the Yellow Jackets dangerous. Longtime veteran defensive back Clayton Powell Lee summed it up best.

“The depth that we have is really special in my eyes because you're able to interchange players. Everybody ain't got to just play boundary safety, field safety, or just dime, or mike. Not even just with the secondary, but everywhere from the D-line to the linebackers and the secondary. The depth is so crazy, so you're going to see a lot of different players playing different positions. So it's going to be a wild one. It's going to be fun, though, because we're all learning everything. So it's not like we don't know what's going on because we're all learning,” said Powell Lee.

Fall camp will continue for Georgia Tech next week as they inch closer to week 1 of the season, as they hope to get off to a stong start.