Why I'm Buying the Hype Around The Running Game for Georgia Tech Football

Usually, a college football program will bring their quarterback to media days, as a representative and leader of the program. That is not always the case and there is usually a good reason why a head coach would make that decision.

For Georgia Tech, they did a rare thing by bringing two running backs. If you follow the program, you would understand why.

The Yellow Jackets enter the season with one of the best running back duos not just in the ACC, but in the entire country. Michigan transfer Justice Haynes and Georgia Tech's top returning rusher, Malachi Hosley, are set to be the face of the program in 2026, and I am here to tell you that I think the hype around both players is completely justified.

Best RB duo?

Malachi Hosley Georgia Tec — Dec 27, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Malachi Hosley (0) runs the ball against the BYU Cougars in the third quarter during the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After transferring in from Penn, Hosley was the Yellow Jackets best running back during the 2025 season, totaling 697 yards on only 98 carries, averaging overa seven yards per carry, and scoring seven touchdowns.

He was not the No. 1 guy, having to split carries with quarterback Haynes King and Jamal Haynes, but he was an explosive and also physical. According to Pro Football Focus, Hosley finished with a 79.5 overall grade (the highest-returning grade on the offense) in 370 snaps, including an elite 86.2 rushing grade. Hosley could be the No. 1 back on a lot of teams in the power conferences, and the only reason that he is not is because of the player that Georgia Tech brought in this offseason.

Justice Haynes initially started his career at Alabama, with the former Buford High School star spurning Georgia and going to play for the Crimson Tide and Nick Saban. After two solid seasons with Alabama, where he totaled 616 yards over two seasons, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. He transferred to Michigan, where he was set to be the No. 1 running back for the Wolverines and show what he was capable of.

Haynes could not have gotten off to a better start to his 2025 season. He ran for at least 104 yards in each of his first five games and had 857 yards through seven games before he suffered a season-ending foot injury. He entered the transfer portal and came back home to the state of Georgia to play for the Yellow Jackets.

At ACC media days, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key talked about having both running backs on the roster and how they are going to complement everything else the offense is going to do:

"Very, very fortunate to be able to have these running backs with us on our team, the depth we have at that position, the unselfishness that they have. But also, we have a lot of experience on our offensive staff and within the whole staff of how to play these guys, how to practice these guys, how to train them, how to prepare them so that they're just as fresh in the fourth quarter in November as they were in the first quarter in September.”

If you were looking for a nickname for the duo, they revealed they already have that covered:

“Yeah, we call each other bad boys. You know, it was just something, you know, we were just talking about one day, you know, when we were on that field, like we have bad intentions like for the other team, you know, um, and we're the baddest boys out there. We know that, and we are confident in that because of the preparation we put in, and we are going to go out there and just do what we do,” said Haynes.

With a new starting quarterback and inexperienced receiving corps, Georgia Tech needs to lean on these two players to get the year started and it might last throughout the season. If the Yellow Jackets finish where they are projected (or higher), than I think the running game will be a huge reason why.

Brent Key's teams have built an identity on physicality, toughness, and the ability to run the football. He has the most talented 1-2 punch in the ACC and I think the hype that these two players are receiving is justified.

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