Three Storylines for Georgia Tech Football As They Open Spring Practice Tomorrow

Spring football begins at Georgia Tech tomorrow. Brent Key is beginning his third spring practice as the Yellow Jackets head coach and tomorrow will start the journey for the 2025 team that will carry over into the summer and then the fall. Georgia Tech has been getting talked about as a potential darkhorse ACC contender in 2025, but there are still questions this team has to answer if they are going to live up to that.

Here are three storylines to watch as spring practice begins tomorrow.

1. Georgia Tech has a new defensive coordinator... again

This is Key's third spring practice as head coach of his alma mater and in each one, he has had a defensive coordinator. After Tyler Santucci left for a job with the Baltimore Ravens, Key moved quickly to hire Texas assistant coach Blake Gideon as the new defensive coordinator. The Yellow Jackets defense improved a lot from 2023 to 2024, but there is still a lot of room for improvement on that side of the ball. The pass rush was not one of the ACC's best, and the pass defense can still get better, those things can also go hand in hand. The linebackers and secondary return several pieces from last year's team, but the defensive line is going to look much different.

Gideon comes to Georgia Tech after four seasons (2021-24) as safeties coach at his alma mater, Texas. He was promoted to the Longhorns’ associate head coach for defense in 2024. In his four seasons at Texas, he helped increase the Longhorns’ win totals from five to eight to 12 to 13, with UT advancing to the College Football Playoff semifinals in both 2023 and ’24.

He was named the 2024 National Defensive Backs Coach of the Year by Football Scoop after Texas finished the season ranked among the top 10 nationally in interceptions (No. 1 – 22), passing yards allowed per attempt (No. 1 – 5.69), passing efficiency defense (No. 2 – 104.56), takeaways (No. 2 – 31), total defense (No. 3 – 283.4 ypg), scoring defense (No. 3 – 15.3 ppg), red zone defense (No. 3 - .692), yards allowed per play (No. 3 – 4.4), passing defense (No. 7 – 173.8 ypg) and third down defense (No. 8 - .314).

Everything won't be fixed in one spring, but it is the starting point.

2. Receiving Group Undergoing Changes

Georgia Tech is going to have a new-look group when it comes to wide receiver this season. Eric Singleton Jr (transfer portal), Chase Lane, and Abdul Janneh are all gone from last year's team. Malik Rutherford seems to be a lock to start and contribute, as well as FIU transfer Eric Rivers, who was one of the most productive receivers in the country at FIU last season, but what about the other spots? Rivers FIU teammate Dean Patterson brings experience to the roster, but Georgia Tech has young talent such as Bailey Stockton, Isiah Canion, Zion Taylor, Trey Horne, and South Carolina transfer Debron Gatling on the roster and some of those guys will be asked to take a step forward this season. Is this a position where Georgia Tech will look to add to in the spring?

3. Offensive Line Will Have Some New Faces

Going into last season, Georgia Tech was bringing back it's entire offensive line and there were no real questions about the unit, other than how much better could it get. Going intot his spring, the Yellow Jackets are going to have to replace two long-time starters in center Weston Franklin and Jordan Williams. Key and offensive line coach Geep Wade deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this group, but how will this offenisve line perform with two new starters at those positions? Georgia Tech brought in one of the nations top offensive line recruiting classes, as well as two new transfers. There is going to be competition not just in those spots, but for depth as well. The offensive line has been a huge strength of Georgia Tech's under Key since he took over as the head coach, but there will be some questions heading into the spring.

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