Which Freshmen Already Look Ready to Play for Georgia Tech?

The first week of fall camp is in the books for Georgia Tech and there have already been some interesting developments for the Yellow Jackets through the first four practices.

It can be tough for true freshmen to see the field at any position and expecting any to be a day one starter is unrealistic, but there are a group of players who are already making an impression early on in fall camp.

LB Braylon Outlaw

Outlaw has been making waves since the spring and he is pushing to see the field sooner rather than later.

Linebacker is one position where Georgia Tech has a lot of experience coming back, but that has not stopped Outlaw from being able to flash his athleticism and speed during the first week of fall camp.

With Kyle Efford, E.J. Lightsey, Cayman Spaulding, and Melvin Jordan IV back this season, Outlaw is going to have to show he can be depended on when out there, but neither Spaulding or Jordan IV played well enough last season to where they have their roles secured this season and Outlaw is the most talented addition to the team this offseason, as the Yellow Jackets did not bring in any transfers this offseason.

Outlaw has been great to start fall camp and should see the field.

CB Jaedyn Terry

Terry was the highest-rated prospect in Georgia Tech's 2026 class and the 6'2 190 LBS cornerback has not disappointed so far in fall camp.

Cornerback is not going to be an easy position to see the field for this season, as the Yellow Jackets are bringing back Jon Mitchell, Zachary Tobe, Daiquan White, Elgin Sessions, and Kelvin Hill are back, and Georgia Tech added Jonas Duclona and Jaylen Mbakwe this offseason.

Again, I don't think Terry is going to start from day one against Colorado, but he might be too talented to keep off the field if the first week of camp has taught us anything.

S Chris Hewitt Jr

Georgia Tech has little experience back at safety this season and are going to have a number of freshmen ready to contribute. Tae Harris, Fenix Felton, and Savion Riley are back, but none of those three players were full-time starters last season. They are going to be at the top of the rotation to start the year, but behind them is a group of freshmen.

Hewitt Jr was a signing day flip for the Yellow Jackets and according to defensive coordinator Jason Semore, Hewitt Jr and Terry have been making a good early impression, but seeing the field as freshmen is always difficult:

"It's a difficult task. Football at this level is hard. There's a ton of preparation that goes into it.The higher level of football that you play, the less talent matters because everybody's talented. So it all comes down to... kind of habits do you have to prepare? What kind of identity do you have, right? I feel good about both those guys and the way they're investing and things like that, right? Obviously, we know that we have a lot of good young secondary players, right?

But nobody's going to care if we're busting assignments and dropping the football and all those kind of things, right? We expect Georgia Tech to have a championship -caliber defense in three weeks, not 10 years from now, right? So those dudes, they have to develop in a lot of different ways. All that requires is investment. If you want to develop faster, more investment is required. Those guys know that. I'm pleased with what they're doing and the effort that they're putting in, right? And I think they're going to be able to contribute sooner rather than later."

DT Christian Speakman

Like Outlaw, Speakman made a good early impression in the spring and he has carried that over to the fall.

Georgia Tech is replacing Jordan van den Berg and some other veterans in the middle of the defensive line, giving Speakman a chance to play right away in the middle of the defense.

WIth some transfers incoming, like Tawfiq Thomas and Vincent Carroll-Jackson, it won't be an easy for Speakman to see regular snaps, but don't count him out.

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