Why Georgia Tech Will See A Big Jump In Forcing More Turnovers In 2026

An area the Yellow Jackets have struggled in the Brent Key era is forcing turnovers and being more disruptive with turnovers. It has been up and down, and something that has been on the mind of Coach Key to get fixed.

“I don't care how many, you know, TFLS somebody has or many pass breakups. Well, how many plays are they playing? You know, what's the percentage of time they're out there that they're actually impacting the game? Then we put it all together in the offense, defense, havoc, and the margin of error. We've improved on it. think that's pretty obvious by the turnovers in the games. We've improved on our turnovers, but we've got to continue to improve on the takeaways because we're looking at the overall turnover margin for a team. It's not just one side of the ball that you win games with. I don't believe in that. It's complimentary football. It's playing a full game in all three phases. We've got to continue to work on that, you know, getting our hands on the football. Getting takeaways, getting the ball out, protecting the ball on offense,” said Key.

Coach Key did a good job of fixing that by bringing in a new defensive coordinator to solve the turnover issue and bring in a more disruptive unit. When you take a look at Jason Semore's scheme, it is all about aggression and disruption. You look at the players on the roster and those he brought in, you can’t help but think this will be a team that forces negative plays and turnovers.

Semore is also known for dialing up pressure and disguising blitzes. That is potent because he can bring in corner blitzes from players like Kelvin Hill or Savion Riley. He also has the most athletic linebacker on the roster in Cayman Spaulding, who has made a name for himself playing around the box, blitzing and playing downhill. Some of his best games came when he was sent on blitzes and was able to showcase his athleticism. Spaudling finished with 41 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.

Another reason this team will force more turnovers is because of the secondary. Quiet as it is kept, the Yellow Jackets have a pretty elite secondary. The cornerback room is deep with players who have a plethora of experience and can make plays. The Ramblin Wreck bring back Zach Tobe but will have Elgin Session, Daiquan White, Dalen Penson, Hill and Jon Mitchell. The Yellow Jackets also have two incoming freshmen who will be exciting to watch in 2026 to see if they can see the field in Jaedyn Terry and Traeviss Stevenson. I think this will be a unit that will be forcing more turnovers for the Yellow Jackets. It is uber talented with a lot of upside.

The other area is safety. The Yellow Jackets haven’t had this level of physicality in the back end in quite some time. Tae Harris is a punisher and a very physical defensive back who has a knack for forcing fumbles and making big hits. You saw glimpses of it a season ago for the Yellow Jackets. Harris finished with 20 tackles, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble. He will be pivotal in forcing more turnovers. Then you look at redshirt freshman Fenix Felton, who played in the final two games for the Yellow Jackets and made a number of plays for Georgia Tech, continuing to show what he can do when he is in the game, bringing physicality and instincts as a young player. Felton finished with 13 tackles and has a bright upside.
You take all these factors with what the Yellow Jackets brought in the portal on the defensive line, and you have a formula to force more turnovers and be a more disruptive defense. The Yellow Jackets will need it, especially with a new look offense.

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