Way-Too-Early Georgia Tech Opponent Preview: Week One vs Colorado

For the second consecutive season, Georgia Tech and Colorado are going to face each other in week one and like last year, it is going to be one of the most intriguing games of opening weekend.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off their best season since 2016, but have undergone a lot of change on the coaching staff and on the roster. The same can be said for Deion Sanders and Colorado. Sanders, like Brent Key at Georgia Tech, is coming into his fourth season as the head coach with the Buffaloes, but it appears that these programs are trending in different directions.

After what appeared to be a breakout 9-4 campaign in 2024, Colorado backslid into a 3-9 season and a lot of the program's most talented players left in the offseason. Georgia Tech on the other hand has remained steady under Key, making a bowl game in each of his first three seasons, but they are wanting more out of 2026.

After starting 8-0 last season, Georgia Tech stumbled down the stretch, losing four of their last five games and missing out on a chance to go to the ACC Championship game and a shot at the College Football Playoff.

With so much turnover on both teams, how do the two teams matchup on paper?

Georgia Tech offense vs Colorado defense

Alberto Mendoza is set to replace Haynes King this season and he is going to be under the direction of new offensive coordinator George Godsey. Godsey is back at Georgia Tech after spending the last 16 seasons in the NFL and he is looking to keep the Yellow Jackets among the top offenses in the country this season.

Mendoza is going to be the leader of the group. After coming over from Indiana, where he backed up his brother Fernando on the Hoosiers national championship run, Mendoza is looking to start his own legacy and in the spring, he looked confident in the offense and on time. He can also run effectively, though I don't expect it to be as good as King.

He is going to be facing a secondary that is facing a lot of turnover from last season. Colorado's top cornerback DJ McKinney is now at Notre Dame, Tawfiq Byard is at Texas A&M, John Slaughter is at Purdue, and Carter Stoutmire is at Arkansas. There is going to be a mostly new group back there for the Buffaloes, including former Tennessee defensive back Boo Carter.

Colorado is also going to have a new defensive coordinator. After Robert Livingston departed for the NFL, former Virginia Tech DC Chris Marve is taking over.

The Buffaloes secondary is going to be mostly new, as is Georgia Tech's receiving corps. Of the returning wide receivers and tight ends, Jordan Allen is the only one who caught a pass for the Yellow Jackets last season. Allen is going to be the top target for Mendoza, but one player to keep an eye on is former top 100 recruit Dalen Penson.

Penson is a fantastic athlete and is perhaps the fastest player on the team. He was recruited to Georgia Tech as a DB, but made the switch over to WR during the spring. Will he be able to make an impact right away?

Elon transfer Isaiah Fuhrmann, Debron Gatling, and some younger players are going to need to step up on the outside and become reliable targets for Mendoza.

Under Godsey, I would also expect to see more tight end usage. Georgia Tech brought in Gavin Harris, Chris Corbo, and Spencer Mermans through the transfer portal, and redshirt freshman Kevin Roche Jr had a standout spring.

The strength of this Georgia Tech offense is going to be the running game. Malachi Hosley is back, but the Yellow Jackets' prized offseason addition was former Alabama/Michigan running back Justice Haynes. Haynes looked like one of the best running backs in the country before sustaining a foot injury with the Wolverines last season.

Hosley and Haynes are going to be one of the best duos in the country, and they should see plenty of work against this new look Buffaloes defense in week one.

Georgia Tech's offense line returns Ethan Mackenny and Malachi Carney (who is moving to right guard this season), but there are going to be three new starters up front.

They are not going to be facing the toughest test in Colorado's defensive line. Tawfiq Thomas (who is now at Georgia Tech), Samuel Okunlola, London Merritt, Alexander McPherson, Brandon Davis-Swain, and Jeheim Oatis are all gone.

The new look Buffaloes defensive line will feature Baylor transfer Samu Taumanupepe, San Jose State transfer Vili Taufatofua, and Coastal Carolina DL Tyler Moore.

At linebacker, Texas transfer Liona Lefau is expected to be a big time contributor, as well as Bowling Green transfer Gideon Lampron.

Georgia Tech has more of an identity on offense than what Colorado has on defense, but there are enough new faces on the Yellow Jackets to where you could see some early hiccups in this game.

Georgia Tech's defense vs Colorado's offense

Again, you are going to be seeing a lot of newcomers on both sides of the ball for both teams.

At the coordinator spots, Colorado has hired Brennan Marion to replace Pat Shurmur, while former Georgia Tech linebackers coach Jason Semore is taking over as the defensive playcaller for the Yellow Jackets after stints at both Southern Miss and Marshall.

Georgia Tech is very excited about what this new look defensive line is going to be able to do for them this season. They were busy in the transfer portal, bringing in Noah Carter, Taje McCoy, and Jordan Walker on the edge and getting Thomas, Vincent Carroll-Jackson, and Tim Griffin on the inside. Those players, along with returners Christian Garrett, Amontrae Bradford, and Andre Fuller Jr should make the Yellow Jackets more disruptive up front.

At linebacker, Georgia Tech is returning the same unit as last season, minus Tah'j Butler, but there might not be a unit that needs to improve more than this one. Kyle Efford, Cayman Spaulding, Melvin Jordan, and E.J. Lightsey are all back and should be the main contributors here, but freshman Braylon Outlaw could factor in as well.

In the secondary, Georgia Tech is losing quite a bit of experience at both cornerback and safety, but they are excited about the players who are expected to step up. Alabama transfer Jaylen Mbakwe has first-round ability, South Florida transfer Jonas Duclona is someone the program is excited about, and the young defensive backs in the room, such as sophomores Tae Harris, Elgin Sessions, and Fenix Felton, are names to watch.

Colorado is going to be moving forward with former five-star QB recruit Julian Lewis as the starter and he got some brief playing time last season. This is going to be his first time as the starter though and he is going to have a brand new supporting cast.

The offensive line for Colorado is losing Jordan Seaton, who is now at LSU. Seaton is one of the most talented OL in the country and the Buffaloes will be missing him this season. Dre'lon Miller and Omarion Miller were a talented duo on the outside, but I do think that Colorado did a solid job of replacing them in the portal.

Ernest Campbell (Sacramento State), Kam Perry (Miami OH), Danny Scudero (San Jose State), and DeAndre Moore Jr (Texas) should all be instant impact players and if Lewis is kept clean, they are dangerous targets that can threaten the Yellow Jackets secondary.

Overall

The new faces everywhere for both teams makes this game fascinating.

I think Georgia Tech is the more talented team, but there are a lot of unknowns about them coming into this game. However, I have more belief in the identity of Georgia Tech's program than Colorado's and that should make a big difference when Sept. 3rd rolls around.

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