Will Jaylen Mbakwe Play Predominantly Cornerback For The Yellow Jackets?

When you take a look at the Yellow Jackets' 2026-2027 roster, Mbakwe is listed as a cornerback for Georgia Tech next fall.

Here is the link to take a closer look

It is still early, and a lot to work out in spring ball, summer, and later fall camp. However, it is an interesting thing to see Mbakwe listed on defense. When you look at him being listed as a cornerback, you can’t help but be excited as a Georgia Tech fan. The reason is that he is a playmaker. When he played at Clay-Chalkville in high school, Mbakwe constantly made plays and had a knack for getting interceptions. He would instantly make the talented cornerback room potentially one of the best in the country if he plays there. You talk about a defense that would be tough to throw on and move the ball through the air; that is what the Yellow Jackets will have if he predominantly plays there.

Mbakwe made the switch to wide receiver at Alabama after coming in as a five-star cornerback for the Crimson Tide. He saw limited time at wide receiver and recorded three catches for 55 yards.

Coming in from the portal, the expectation is that Mbakwe will play both offense and defense and it was a big selling point for why he came to the Flats. On offense he certainly makes the Yellow Jackets a better team with his explosiveness alone. Will he be used in packages or will he be more of a full-time starter for Georgia Tech? The wide receiver room only returns one player with playing experience from a season ago in Jordan Allen. Everybody else will be new in terms of playing on the field in an actual game.

Here is more on Mbakwe when I wrote about him as a feature in the wide receiver room.

“Jaylen Mbakwe was a prized acquisition for the Yellow Jackets out of the portal. He changes the trajectory of the room and finally gets a chance to be a main guy in an offense that is looking for a top guy. Mbakwe was a former five-star prospect and one of the best prospects coming out of high school. The two-way player will be one to watch and could potentially have a plethora of explosive plays in the offense.”

Mbakwe would be the first two-way star in college football since Travis Hunter, who was college football's biggest star and a Heisman trophy winner for the Colorado Buffaloes. Mbakwe is certainly more than capable, and he could help the Yellow Jackets capture more of the national spotlight in 2026, especially if he is effective on both sides of the ball. It looks like he will actually get the chance to do both. That is dangerous for opponents and other teams next fall.

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