Georgia Tech sets sights on an ACC title after promising season and major roster turnover

Georgia Tech

ATLANTA (AP) — 2025 record: 9-4

Expectations

Brent Key has raised expectations in a short time with three straight winning seasons and a 23-16 overall record since being promoted from interim to head coach at the start of the 2023 season. Key comes off his best season to date, leading the program to nine wins for the first time since 2016, maintaining a plausible shot at the College Football Playoff until late November and ending the season with a narrow bowl game loss to BYU.

Sights are set this year on an ACC title, but growing pains could ensue in Key’s first season without gutsy dual-threat quarterback Haynes King leading the charge.

Strengths include running backs and veteran linebackers

Georgia Tech has the pieces to run and run well, with expectations high for Michigan transfer Justice Haynes. Georgia Tech is the third stop for the Georgia native after two years at Alabama and one in Ann Arbor. Haynes had 857 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 121 carries for the Wolverines last season, averaging 7.1 yards per carry before a season-ending injury in late October.

Haynes joins senior Malachi Hosley, who led Georgia Tech running backs last season with 697 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 98 carries. The two will work to fill the void King left behind after leading the Yellow Jackets last season with 953 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.

Veteran linebacker duo Kyle Efford and E.J. Lightsey are back to anchor Georgia Tech’s defense. The duo combined for 156 tackles in 2025 and Efford added 1.5 sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Weaknesses include heavy turnover and uncertainty at receiver

Transfer quarterback Alberto Mendoza will get his first experience as QB1 after sitting behind his brother, Fernando, during Indiana’s national championship run last season.

It’ll be Georgia Tech’s first time in three seasons with a new face at quarterback, but the roster changes don’t end there. Plenty of newcomers are joining the team with an offseason haul of 19 transfers and an incoming freshman class that includes four wide receivers fighting for time. There isn’t much time to jell before the opener against Colorado and a Week 2 matchup against No. 20 Tennessee.

Mendoza has Haynes and Hosley to hand the ball off to, but there’s less certainty with a receiving corps that lost Malik Rutherford, Isiah Canion and Eric Rivers Jr. in the offseason — a trio that combined for 1,661 receiving yards, 125 receptions and nine touchdowns last season.

New faces

QB Alberto Mendoza (transfer from Indiana), RB Justice Haynes (transfer from Michigan), CB Jaylen Mbakwe and DE Noah Carter (transfers from Alabama), DL Jordan Walker (transfer from Rutgers), WR Isaiah Fuhrmann (transfer from Elon).

Key losses

QB Haynes King (NFL), G Keylan Rutledge (NFL), DT Jordan van den Berg (NFL), RB Jamal Haynes (NFL), CB Ahmari Harvey (NFL), WR Eric Rivers Jr. (NFL), WR Malik Rutherford (NFL), WR Isiah Canion (transferred to Georgia).

Biggest games

Vs. No. 20 Tennessee (Sept. 12), vs. Duke (Oct. 10), vs. No. 24 Louisville (Nov. 7), at Clemson (Nov. 14), vs. No. 3 Georgia (Nov. 28)

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