One Position Group Georgia Tech Fans Should Have Confidence In As The Season Approaches

The Yellow Jackets are about a week away from the season starting, and fall camp is coming to a close after the second scrimmage. One defensive position hasn’t been talked about nearly enough, and it could hold the keys to the team's success in 2026. This group has experience and the perfect mix of veterans and youth in the room to play at a high level.

That position is linebacker. Four veterans return in Kyle Efford, E.J. Lightsey, Melvin Jordan, and Cayman Spaulding. One of the keys to this room, however, is the coaching and the development from young coaches that has been instrumental in the development and taking the group to another level. A couple of names come to mind.

“Yeah, Boogie has done a great job with those guys. Jack Tyler is another guy I’m really high on as a young coach. I brought up Nate—Jack is another guy who is a really, really good coach. He’s coached the position in the ACC. He’s coordinated, running this whole side of the ball.

Then you bring Ace (Ayinde) Eley along and have Ace here with us as a young coach. You’ve really got all levels. You have the play-caller, the defensive coordinator, then you have the younger linebacker coach, and you have Ace and the impact he’s had on the guys off the field and on the field—how to carry yourself and how to prepare.It wasn’t very long ago that he was here and playing really good football for us. Really good football. He’s had a tremendous impact on those guys. All those guys together have really helped elevate that room. I think Kyle is playing as good of football as he’s played because of the positions that Jason is putting him in,” said head coach Brent Key.

I think one component that will help this group is the versatility and how the linebackers can play any role, whether it is the mike or will linebacker. As a unit, they are coming together and playing outstanding football at the right time before the season begins.

“E.J. (Lightsey) can play both spots, Kyle can play both spots. Cayman (Spaulding) has been the best version of himself, really, for three and a half weeks now. He’s been the absolute best version of himself. For him to let go of some of the emotional things that he had in the past that kept him from being a contributor as much as he could have, it’s allowed him now to really pick up the defense. I laughed the other day. I said, ‘That’s another one that Boogie got to,’ right? Ace has been big in that one. He plays so fast now. He’s communicating and just doing a lot of really good things on the field. But to be unselfish and to let go of some of those things—that has made us a better football team. It’s made us a lot better football team. Melvin (Jordan) coming back again has really given us a great communicator. He gets everybody lined up,” said Key.

So on one end you have the veterans playing at a high level, but the ceiling of this group is raised even more with the youth of the room. Two linebackers the Yellow Jackets got out of the 2026 class was Braylon Outlaw and C.J Gamble. Both were ranked and key parts to their high school programs. They have come in and already shown the coaching staff they mean business and can play at a high level. This is a good sign because both will likely see the field as freshmen in some kind of role. They each are taking the coaching and making plays, a good sign for the room.

“Then I can’t say enough about the two freshmen. I can’t say enough about those guys—C.J. and Braylon. Thirty-four and 35. When they’re out on the field, it’s fun to watch. Now, they’re going to make mistakes, right? I told the staff yesterday, ‘They’ll make a lot fewer mistakes in Game 6 because they played in the first five.’ That’s the only way to get them to continue to develop and improve.

We’re committed to that. I’m committed to that. We’re going to need those guys. Whether they get their feet wet early on special teams, they’re ready to play.Outlaw, every time I looked up, he was showing up—really for the last week and a half on the field. I mentioned that in the springtime, and then he got sick and had to miss a little time. He’s just a tremendous athlete.

C.J. has such a high level of football IQ—knowing where to be, how to fit plays and how to communicate. That goes back to C.J., obviously knowing Joey King for so many years, his high school coach, who also coached Kelvin,” said Key. While everyone is talking about the defensive line and rightfully so, the linebacker core could be a major player in how much better this defense looks in the fall. If that is the case, Georgia Tech could have a big-time year.

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