Why Georgia Tech Has One Of The Best Running Back Rooms In The Country After Landing Justice Haynes

Georgia Tech made major headwaves after they signed one of the best running backs in the transfer portal on Wednesday in Justice Haynes. Haynes comes over from the Michigan Wolverines after a stellar season and is one of the lead backs in Ann Arbor. Haynes was one of the best running backs in the portal and one who had a bevy of offers from all around the country. He was a heavily sought-after prospect, but the Yellow Jackets wasted no time on bringing back home one of the best.

Here is a little bit more on Haynes.

“Haynes had a productive season for the Wolverines, rushing for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns. Haynes started the season with five consecutive games of 100 yards rushing. He was known for his explosiveness and big home run ability in 2025. Haynes had his best game against Michigan State, where he rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Heading into the portal, Haynes is a four-star prospect, the No.3 running back, with a 93.68 rating.

When you look at his numbers even deeper, he played at a high level per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Haynes finished with an 81.0 offensive grade and an 83.5 rushing grade. Haynes had 18 runs of over 10+ yards this season and 456 yards after contact.”

Haynes also averaged seven yards per carry. He rushed for a career-high three touchdowns against New Mexico State. Haynes is an NFL talent and one of the best backs that Georgia Tech has had in the Brent Key era. He is on par and on the level of what the Yellow Jackets had before Key in Jahymr Gibbs.

Malachi Hosley had a productive season for the Yellow Jackets in 2025 and became RB1 for Georgia Tech. He finished with 697 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Even more impressive for Hosley was his yards per rush, which was 7.1. That was the fifth highest in the FBS,

Hosley had impressive numbers this season on Pro Football Focus (PFF). He finished with an 80.1 offensive grade and an 87.1 run grade. Hosley had an impressive 400 yards after contact. He had 19 10+ yard runs, 13 runs of 15+ yards on designated runs, and a 45.4 breakaway percentage.

Both of the running backs are elite home run guys who can make big plays in the running game. It will make defenses stack the box more which will lead to advantageous situations in the passing game. An underrated part of both of their games is the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and get open on routes. This will be an area you will also see them used to keep defenses honest. On one hand, you have a bruising back with a second-level burst that is hard to get on the ground in Hosley. With Haynes, you have an elusive running back that can make people miss, excellent jump cut ability, and breakaway speed. With this move, the Yellow Jackets have the best running back room in the country and one that will give defenses fits in 2026.

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