Who Are The Top Newcomers Georgia Tech Will Face In 2026?

Georgia Tech annually plays one of the toughest schedules in the country, and they are going to face a lineup of 11 Power Four opponents in 2026.

The Yellow Jackets will face a number of good players next season and will have to make sure they slow them down to come out on top in games. Let's take a look at some of the players you must keep an eye on in the fall.

Tennessee DL Xavier Gilliam

Giliam is a player for the Tennessee Volunteers who is expected to take a big step forward in his sophomore season. He only had 12 tackles a season ago, but he is really good at stopping the run and continuing to help close down the pocket, where he excels.

For the Yellow Jackets, the interior of the offensive line will have to be stout, or it could be a long day for them in trying to block the stud defensive line. He has shown even early in his career that he can be a force and tough to slow down. He has the capability of blowing up games and taking over.

Tennessee QB Faizon Brandon

Tennessee is currently holding a three-quarterback competition with Ryan Staub, George MacIntyre, and Faizon Brandon. Nobody separated from the pack in the spring. However, the inclination is that Brandon sits in a good spot and could even be a starter for the Vols in Week 1.

The former five-star quarterback was the No.1 QB in the country per 247Sports for the 2026 cycle. It is a lot to ask a freshman to be ready in Week 2 of the season against a nine-win team, but that may be just what head coach Josh Heupel and the Vols have ordered. The question is, will he be ready, or will he make some freshman mistakes?

Colorado WR Danny Scudero

This will be a player to watch in week 1 for the Yellow Jackets because of how good Scudero is after the catch. He was highly productive at his last stop, finishing with 88 catches for 1,297 yards and 10 touchdowns. Scudero led the nation in receiving yards last season while being tied for top five in receptions and tied for 12th in touchdowns.

To put it simply, he is a playmaker. Now he is not big in stature at just 5’9 and 174 pounds, but the Yellow Jackets have struggled to cover the smaller wide receivers out of the slot in the past. This will be one they must have an answer for when they kick off things in the season opener.

Virginia Tech QB Ethan Grunkemeyer

That October 17th matchup will be critical for the Yellow Jackets and will likely be their toughest game of the season. By then, the Hokies will be more established and a team that has figured some things out in the first year under head coach James Franklin.

Grunkmeyer will be the starter for Virginia Tech and is an extremely accurate quarterback, completing 69.1% of his throws. He has shown that he can lead a team and run an offense at a high level. He had one of his top games last season in the finale against Clemson, throwing for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He got better as the season wore on. Imagine where Grunkeymeyer will be next season with six games under his belt before he plays the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia TE Kaiden Prothro

Prothro has a chance to be an absolute problem as a true freshman next season. He is making the transition from playing TE at Bowdon High School to WR with the Bulldogs. He is 6’6 and 230 pounds as a freshman, not even a season in.

He made a number of plays in the spring game for the Bulldogs and should have a distinguished role for the Bulldogs as a freshman. The thing that catches your eye the most is his catch radius and ability to be a red zone threat. That gives Georgia a lot of options and a player they can rely on in critical stretches of the game. He could easily be on the SEC All-Freshman team. Georgia Tech will have to have an answer for him.

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