Six Yellow Jackets With Most To Gain In The Pop Tarts Bowl

Georgia Tech is about a week away from playing in its bowl Game against BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Let’s take a look at five players who have the most to gain in the bowl game.

1. Haynes King

latest — Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) passes the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

King has a chance to put a stamp on the rebuild for the Yellow Jackets with a 10-win season. Georgia Tech’s last 10-win season was in 2014 when they finished 11-3 on the year under Paul Johnson. It is crazy to fathom that they were in that spot just a few years ago; they were 3-9, desperately looking for answers. King has been a key part of the rebuild and came over from Texas A&M back in 2023. He has led the Yellow Jackets to winning seasons and been at the forefront of their recent success. This year, he was a Hesiman candidate, ACC Offensive Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, and first-team All-ACC. He threw for 2,697 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. King did a lot of his damage on the ground, rushing for a career-high 922 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. He has a chance to finish strong and deliver a 10-win season for the Yellow Jackets, which would be the culmination of their rebuild and back into national relevance as a program.

2. Keylan Rutledge

Rutledge was the centerpiece to a very good offensive line the past few years. He came over from Middle Tennessee and has proven to be one of the best additions from the transfer portal in the Brent Key era. He has continued to be consistent at his position and is viewed as one of the best, winning All-ACC honors. Rutledge also has continued to rake in the national honors, being a consensus All-American. He was named an All-American by Sports News, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, On3, and Associated Press. He was the seventh-highest graded offensive player on the team with a 75.6 grade, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). He excelled in pass blocking this season for the Yellow Jackets, posting an 80.1 pass block grade. He had five games with an 80 or better pass block grade and only allowed five pressures all season. He’s continued to improve every year and has become a reliable and dependable player for the Yellow Jackets. Like King, Rutledge has a chance to go out on top and finish things strong.

3. Jamal Haynes

It wasn’t quite the senior season Jamal Haynes wanted to have after finishing with back-to-back 900+ rushing yard seasons. Haynes posted career lows in carries, yards, yards per rush and touchdowns. Despite the down season, Haynes has a chance to finish his Yellow Jackets career strong and at a high level. BYU's defense is stingy and tough to run against, but the offensive line for Georgia Tech has been stout all year. Haynes could rush for 100 yards and score a touchdown or two and cap off a productive career with the Yellow Jackets. Remember, at one point, he was a wide receiver who converted to a running back, and the rest is history. He became one of the better backs in the ACC and a top guy on the team. One season doesn’t define him, and he gets a chance to finish his career the right way next Saturday.

4. Fenix Felton

A young player with so much potential to be great at this next level. There hasn’t been a lot of word on Clayton Powell-Lee, who suffered an injury against Georgia in the final week of the regular season. Felton filled in for him against the Bulldogs and played well in his first-ever action at the collegiate level, recording six tackles. He has a chance to build on that, especially if Powell-Lee doesn’t play, which means more time on the field for him. With that opportunity, Felton can establish himself as the guy for next year’s roster and a potential starter for the Yellow Jackets next season. Another strong performance, and you will be seeing a lot of No.31 on the field in 2026.

5. Brayden Manley

The biggest question with Manley is whether he can build on some of his success towards the end of the season. He recorded a sack in each of the last two games. This season, Manley has 17 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed. Georgia Tech needs someone it can hang its hat on and be that guy at the edge rusher position. Manley has shown flashes up to this point of the player he can be potentially for the Yellow Jackets. If he can play at a high level in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, he would give Georgia Tech much-needed reassurance and could carve out an even bigger role for himself in 2026.

6. The Young Guys

Yes, now it will be interesting to see what young guys the Yellow Jackets will play in this game, especially with all the changes to their offensive coaches and some of their players. Nonetheless, it is an opportunity to showcase why you should be playing a prominent role moving forward. Guys like Jordan Allen, Andrew Fuller Jr, Amontrae Braford, Christian Garrett (if he plays), Derry Norris (if he plays), Tae Harris, and Josh Petty. This is an audition for next year, and with likely a revamped staff and new coaches coming in, you can put together some really good tape. Now, and early in the spring, will be great chances to show how much you have improved and developed over the course of the last few months. I think you will see a few guys make a statement and make a name for themselves in this bowl game.