Is This The Year Georgia Tech Turns Its Defense Around?

Georgia Tech underwent several changes this past offseason on defense. You can start with replacing former defensive coordinator Blake Gideon, who left and returned to Texas. The Yellow Jackets brought in a familiar name who coached on the Flats before in Jason Semore. Semore came over from Southern Miss, where he had some success. He now comes in and implements a new system for the Yellow Jackets.

What does that system look like? It is more man-to-man-based and an aggressive attack-style defense. Now, why does that help the Yellow Jackets in turning around their defense? Well, now they can play more freely, and instead of playing more zone and trying to come up and make tackles, they can now make more plays on the ball and garner more turnovers.

Reasons for optimism

In the Brent Key era, Georgia Tech has struggled to force turnovers and get to the quarterback. They have improved one aspect instantly with the hiring of Semore. Semore specializes in getting turnovers and the ball back to the offense.

The other area that will allow the Yellow Jackets to turn around their defense is pressure on the quarterback. Georgia Tech did a good job filling out the roster via the portal and bringing in some guys who can help contribute to the cause and wreak more havoc. Some of those names include Tawfiq Thomas, Noah Carter, Jordan Walker, and Taje McCoy.

In terms of who returns that is expected to make an impact, it is Christian Garrett, AJ Hoffler, Andre Fuller Jr, Amontrae Bradford, and Brayden Manley. For the first time, the Yellow Jackets have a complete defensive line with a ton of depth, and they can rotate guys in and out without missing a beat. That will only help Georgia Tech move forward and become the defense they want to be.

The final component that will help Georgia Tech turn this defense around is the linebackers. It is veteran-laden and led by Kyle Efford and E.J. Lightsey, who led the team in tackles last season. They also have Cayman Spaulding, who is one of the most athletic linebackers on the team.

Georgia Tech has some young players who are ready to pounce as well, including CJ Gamble, Braylon Outlaw, and Kymani Morales. You take all the talent and coach Semore, who specializes in producing and coaching linebackers, and then you have a much better run game and can cover on the outside.

The component I didn’t mention was the secondary because it is a mix of veterans and young guys. It is hard to know how good it will be until the ball kicks off against Colorado in week 1, but it is talented. Overall, Georgia Tech's defense should be much better in 2026 and a force to be reckoned with, shocking many people. This is the year the defense is finally formidable.

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