Six Major Offseason Moves That Could Shape Georgia Tech's Season

Georgia Tech is in the midst of summer workouts, and there is just a little more than a month before the Yellow Jackets begin fall camp.

It has been a very busy offseason for Georgia Tech, as they had a lot of roster turnover and movement along the coaching staff. It is going to be a new -look team on The Flats this fall, and here are the major moves that will shape this season for the Yellow Jackets.

1. George Godsey in, Buster Faulkner out

Ever since Brent Key was hired, the Yellow Jackets have had one of the top offenses in the country, especially when it comes to running the football. That was with Buster Faulkner, who left to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida, and replacing him is someone that Georgia Tech fans know well.

Former Yellow Jackets quarterback George Godsey is back on The Flats and is going to be the playcaller for Georgia Tech this season. Godsey has been in the NFL since 2010, during which time he has been an offensive coordinator for two different teams and was most recently the tight ends coach for the Baltimore Ravens.

Godsey is going to have an elite group of running backs at his disposal, as well as a talented tight end room, which the Yellow Jackets should lean into. Will Georgia Tech remain among the ACC's best offenses or will they slip with so many new faces on the roster?

2. Jason Semore back to run the defense

Jason Semore is not unfamiliar with Georgia Tech, of course, and was with Key when he was the interim head coach in 2022. He is not just the linebackers coach anymore, though, as Semore is here to run the defense, which has been a sore spot for the Yellow Jackets under Key.

Semore is going to be the fourth defensive coordinator that Georgia Tech has had under Key and aside from a solid year under Tyler Santucci in 2024, the Yellow Jackets have not been able to get it figure out on that side of the ball.

Semore's defenses at Marshall and Southern Miss prioritized havoc plays and creating turnovers, two things that have not been a strength for Georgia Tech under Key. If those things can turn around positively, this defense should be better.

3. Alberto Mendoza replaces Haynes King

Haynes King was one of the best and most productive quarterbacks to ever play at Georgia Tech, but he is now with the Carolina Panthers, and for the first time since 2022, the Yellow Jackets are going to start the year with someone else under center, and it is going to be Indiana transfer Alberto Mendoza.

Mendoza is the most experienced quarterback on Georgia Tech's roster, but he has never started a collegiate game, highlighting the inexperience of the Yellow Jackets signal callers. He is mobile, smart, and accurate, and during the spring game, he looked very comfortable running the new offense.

Mendoza is not going to have any tune-up games to start his tenure at Georgia Tech. He will open with Colorado and Tennessee, and while I don't think the Buffaloes are a Big 12 title contender, they are still a Power Four team. He will have to be ready and ready quickly.

4. Justice Haynes is the big portal splash for Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech likes to run the ball. That has been their entire offensive identity and their program identity under Key, and it makes sense that they wanted to land the top rusher in the transfer portal, who also happens to be a Georgia native.

Haynes was one of the best running backs in the country at Michigan last season, but his year was cut short due to an injury; he has the talent to be a first-team All-ACC player and All-American candidate. He is the most talented running back that Georgia Tech has had since Jahmyr Gibbs and Jordan Mason, and a big season should be in store.

5. Defensive line overhaul

When you listened to Brent Key talk during the spring, there was nothing that he brought up more than the size of his new look defensive line.

The Yellow Jackets lost Jordan van den Berg, who was a sixth-round pick in the NFL Draft, but they are gaining Cincinnati transfer Tim Griffin, Colorado transfer Tawfiq Thomas, and UConn transfer Vincent Carroll-Jackson on the inside, while also adding Noah Carter (Alabama), Taje McCoy (Oklahoma State), and Jordan Walker (Rutgers) on the edge.

Will this result in better run defense and pressure on the quarterback? Georgia Tech is hoping so.

6. Wide receiver room

A lot of focus is going to be on the new coordinators and the new starting quarterback, but I would argue that the wide receiver room is the biggest question mark on Georgia Tech this upcoming season.

Eric Rivers, Malik Rutherford, Isiah Canion, Jordan Allen, Bailey Stockton, Dean Patterson, and Zion Taylor were the leading pass catchers at the wide receiver position last season (excluding running backs and tight ends), and of that group, Allen is the only one returning.

Georgia Tech also only brought in two transfers at the position, with Isaiah Fuhrman (Elon) and Jaiven Plummer (California) coming in, but Fuhrman has been playing at an FCS program, and Plummer has two career catches.

In the spring, Georgia Tech moved former top 100 recruit Dalen Penson from cornerback to wide receiver, and he has blazing speed and could be an instant fit on the outside. The Yellow Jackets are also going to be relying on other young guys to step up, guys who have not played in many games at all.

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