Veteran Georgia Tech Defensive Back Enters The Transfer Portal

D.J. Moore has entered the transfer portal after spending the first four years of his career at Georgia Tech

Nov 21, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets helmet is seen on the sideline in the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With the season now over for Georgia Tech, you can expect to see more transfer portal movement. The latest entry for Georgia Tech is veteran defensive back D.J. Moore, who announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal earlier today.

Trusting in Gods plan🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/kl123GU2Jl

— DJ moore (@DjmooreII) December 29, 2025

Moore was a talented prospect coming out of high school and was originally a receiver. Unfortunately for Moore, he had a couple of serious injuries and was not able to see the field often in his time on The Flats.

Per his Georgia Tech bio:

"Rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN … Also ranked by ESPN as the No. 60 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 38 overall prospect in the state of Georgia … Two-time all-region honoree … Caught 35 passes for 629 yards and six touchdowns while helping lead Archer to Georgia 7-7A region championship with a perfect 6-0 record as a senior in 2021 … As a junior, caught 31-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to go in the game to lift Archer to 21-14 win over Gainesville in first round of 2020 Georgia 7A state playoffs … Coached at Archer by Andy Dyer."

Moore joins Aaron Philo, Tana Alo-Tupuola, Melvin Jordan, Benjamin Galloway, and Peyton Joseph players who have entered the portal from Georgia Tech.

Big offseason ahead

Since the beginning of the season, head coach Brent Key has talked about the program making a jump this season and they did. After the loss to BYU on Saturday, Key was asked about the next steps for this program to make another jump:

"I stick by what I say all the time, getting better or getting worse, right? We will head back tonight. I will sleep for a couple of days, like a hibernating bear. I say that. I probably won't.

We have work to do. We have work to do. We have to make sure we have the best roster we can possibly have, put together the best staff that we can possibly have. It will be here fast. As quick as this season went, the next one will be here. We have to continue with the identity that these guys have built. We are rolling into the next one, because we have a lot of work to do.

But the jump, the next one is better than this. It has to be, right? Again, that isn't always dictated by wins and losses. That is dictated by the type of team you have, how you play the game, all those things.

Ultimately, I get it. We are all judged by the wins and losses, but when you put it together the right way, those all become a by-product of having everything in the right place, and the kids all believe in the same thing, and the staff believes in the same thing."

Brent Key has his work cut out for him this off season if Georgia Tech is going to make another jump.

For starters, he has to replace quite a few offensive staff members. Buster Faulkner and some other coaches have left for Florida, running backs coach Norval McKenzie is now at Virginia Tech, and Geep Wade is now at Nebraska. Key has yet to hire an OC and with the transfer portal opening this week, I would expect that position to be filled soon.

Georgia Tech also has to figure out what it is going to do at quarterback. Aaron Philo was set to follow Haynes King as the starting quarterback, but Philo entered the portal and is going to be playing elsewhere next season. I would expect Georgia Tech to find a quarterback in the transfer portal portal to compete with rising third year QB Graham Knowles. It is fair to expect a dropoff from the level that King played at, but how much?

Key is also going to need to upgrade this roster in a meaningful way. By both the transfer portal and developing the young talent on the roster, this team has to be much better overall, particularly on the defensive side of the football.