Taking A Closer Look At True Freshman Safety Fenix Felton's Performance In His Collegiate Debut

"He's going to be a really good football player for us."

Nov 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nate Frazier (3) is tackled by Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Fenix Felton (31) in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech lost its veteran safety and leader, Clayton Powell-Lee, in its game yesterday vs its rival, Georgia. The Yellow Jackets defense turned to true freshman Fenix Felton in his absence. Fenix Felton came in for his first career snaps and showed some things in his debut. His coverage was pretty good as he helped take away a deep ball and did a good job of taking away players in coverage. To be such a young player, he did a really good job of communicating and aligning players throughout the game. His instincts were on full display, and you can imagine with development and more time the type of player he will become. 

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Felton finished with a 59.4 defensive grade. 
He was best in run defense, registering a 67.5 grade. This was apparent throughout the game with how he was finishing plays in the run game and consistently closing the open gaps. A surprising score was his coverage grade, which was a 54.1. It felt like he did really well in coverage and played at a high level, in my opinion. In the game against Georgia, he finished with six tackles (four solo). He was the fourth-leading tackler in the game on Friday.

It’s been a process for Felton, who hasn’t played a lot this season but has built up trust in the last few weeks with the coaching staff to get opportunities on the field. Head coach Brent Key talked about the growth and ascension of Felton as a player. 

​​"We've really been elevating him, you know, getting his reps really, for the last three weeks, three or four weeks, getting a lot of reps. He was ready to go play today, regardless of the injury. I thought he went in there and did a really nice job. First time in a game, it was not too big for him. He's going to be really, really good football player for us,” said Key. 

Coming out of high school, Felton was a four-star prospect and one of the best defensive players in the state. He starred at Eagles Landing Christian High School, where he registered 90 tackles and five interceptions in one season with the Chargers.  It is no surprise to see him get early reps for the Yellow Jackets. It is still early to his career, but he showed the coaching staff they have a player to build around for the future at defensive back.

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