Who Is The Face Of The Georgia Tech Football Program?

Outside of head coach Brent Key, who is the face of this new era of Yellow Jackets?

Georgia Tech QB Alberto Mendoza | Photo Via Najeh Wilkins (SI)

The Yellow Jackets are ushering in a new era of football with the same head coach but a bevy of new players coming into the fold. When you look at the offense, they added key players like Alberto Mendoza, Justice Haynes, Isaiah Fuhrmann, Gavin Harris, Chris Corbo, and Spencer Mermans, to name a few. Haynes will be gone after a season and will likely be headed to the NFL. Harris, Corbo, and Mermans are veterans and don’t have much time left.

A candidate we didn’t mention who is entering his sophomore year and could be a face is Jordan Allen, similar to how Malachi Toney is the face of the Hurricanes. He has a legit shot, but it will depend on whether he can break out in 2026. 

Could it be a player on Georgia Tech's defense who heightens and showcases an improved team under defensive coordinator Jason Semore? You would usually say Kyle Efford, but this will likely be his last year on the Flats. Whenever you think of defense, he comes to mind.

Or could it be a young player that is ready to take advantage of his opportunity, like a Tae Harris, Fenix Felton, Noah Carter, Christian Garrett, Christian Speakman, or Kealan Jones? There are many places you can look, but someone will have to step up and be a leader of this defense, especially in the future, with the loss of a lot of the leaders after this season. 

So who is the face? 

It may be crazy to think because he only has 25 career passing attempts and is coming over for a fresh start to Georgia Tech, but Mendoza is the best in line to be the face for Georgia Tech for a while, and at least the next two seasons. Here is why. Mendoza has already ingratiated himself with the team and has taken the leadership role very seriously. He’s been able to build a rapport with his teammates in a short amount of time and has shown he is a guy they can trust and lean on. 

“Yeah, just being a guy means just showing them that you're being relatable and just showing them you're one of them. You're not better. You're not worse. You're just a guy. I mean, I don't come in here thinking my last name is hot. I mean, I'm Alberto Mendoza. We're people then, and I don't really care what my brother's done, what people think of my brother. I mean, I'm me, and I came in here just trying to be me. That's all I can be at the end of the day, and they embraced, and if they can embrace me, they cannot embrace me. They've embraced me really well so far, and I've embraced them. So it's been an awesome locker room,” said Mendoza. 

The success of the Yellow Jackets also hinges largely on how good he will be this season. Georgia Tech will have a number of big games this season, and they will need strong quarterback play and a player who can lead them through adversity and come out on the other side.

They had it with their previous three-year starter, Haynes King, and hope to have the same with Mendoza. He already bears the last name synonymous with success and known across the college football landscape, but can he now make his own mark, become the player he wants to be, and carve out his own legacy? It is certainly possible, and if he does, he will be the face of the Yellow Jackets for the foreseeable future.