Will The Georgia Tech Defensive Line Take A Step Forward Next Season?

The Georgia Tech defensive line is another area where we saw some significant changes, especially with Jordan Van Den Berg, Matthew Alexander, Jason Moore, and Akelo Stone being major players who no longer had eligibility. The Yellow Jackets didn’t wait around to add players and were active in trying to get the team better. They brought in Tim Griffin, Jordan Walker, Noah Carter, Tawfiq Thomas, and Vincent Carroll-Jackson from the transfer portal. We also see the change from a tweener in Christian Garrett, who has made the permanent change to defensive tackle for the Yellow Jackets. Other names to watch will be Andre Fuller Jr, Brayden Manley, Amontrae Bradford, and Christian Speakman to see what their development is. Head coach Brent Key talked about the biggest difference this year on the defensive line.

"We're big. I mean, you look out there, and the threes are going, and you've got guys that might be starters. That's the depth we have, too. I think we have 10 D tackles and 12 D ends right now. And probably 16, 18 of those guys can play football for us this year. It's very encouraging. Length matters on the edge. Amontrae (Bradford) he's a big old boy now. Jordan Walker, what a great kid, too. What a great representative of Georgia Tech football,” said Key.

Walker was a massive addition for the Yellow Jackets, coming in at 6’4 and 270 pounds from Rutgers. He was a team captain at his previous stop and had one of his best seasons in 2024, recording 19 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks. Coach Key has been impressed thus far.

“Jordan (Walker), from the day he stepped on campus, this guy was a team captain last year, and two-time academic all-conference guy. You talk about a perfect fit for Georgia Tech, and he stepped on campus, and day one, workout one, he was a leader. He's on leadership. Those guys feed off each other, too. That's one thing I've really noticed, that defensive line, is they are the cohesiveness that they've had, the energy that they bring every practice. I mean, to think is, I mean, I got to tell him to get off the field half the time,” said Key.

“When he's not out there, he's out there, you know, cheering and dancing for the other guys and just a ball of energy. It's hard to have energy when you're out scrimmaging and playing and going through hard practices, but it goes back to what kind of shape you're in. Again, what does that go back to? How much do you love football? Those guys love football. You know, defensive line room is probably the most fun position-beating room to walk into right now. I haven't been on a good football team that, The defense wasn't ahead of the offense early in spring. And usually that starts with the defensive line. And I know for the first time since I've been the head coach here, and I know for the first time in a long time, we have a defensive line I think we can play really good winning football with."

Walker continues to turn heads. As a whole, the Yellow Jackets have to get back to a mean and nasty group up front that won’t be pushed around. It feels like they have an enforcer in Thomas who is not going to be just pushed over and will set the tone every day for the Yellow Jackets. In addition to him, the development of Garrett will also be a sight to see. Garrett has the potential to be a game-changer for the Yellow Jackets and another tone setter in the middle of that defense. He is finally healthy and is making noise in the spring and standing out. Defensive line coach Jess Simpson has taken notice.

“Yeah, it's been fun. Christian is probably really 100% healthy. First time, he's been at Georgia Tech, coming off a high school injury. I think that's a big deal. Christian's body has completely changed in the last four or five months. I think a year ago this time, he was in the 250s, and he's gained a lot of muscle, man. He's a good-looking kid. Obviously, he's had a position change. We're playing him inside, and he is a big man who's an athlete, and those are the guys that I like. I love his athleticism. His ability and understanding of how to play on the interior,” said Simpson.

“Playing inside is very different than playing on the edge. The blocks that you get, where the blocks come from, sitting on 600 pounds of a double team, like there's some, we got a lot of hard jobs that we do inside. He has not resisted that he is owning it. Every day, you can just see like he took a step today. It's just, fun to watch. Like he, you can tell the look in his eye. He wants to be great. He wants to be better every day. He's not perfect. You know, it's ebbs and flows with like every young player, but man, you know, he is on the right trajectory. His arrow is up right now. I'm excited about it.”

It is simple for the Yellow Jackets, they have to be more dominant upfront, and they need a defensive that is disruptive. They need more tackles for loss, sacks, and overall better penetration. It feels like this year they have more talent at their disposal, which should result in better play. The spring game will be a good glimpse to see if it has improved against a reworked offensive line. Who will establish themselves more, the offensive line or the defensive line? We will find out in less than two weeks. If the defensive line for Georgia Tech is good in 2026, they will be a problem in the fall.