Georgia Tech releases depth chart ahead of Colorado game
Georgia Tech and coach Brent Key released a depth chart Sunday ahead of Friday’s game at Colorado, a two-deep that notably features several new faces on the lines of scrimmage.
Tech will plug in Malachi Carney (6-foot-4, 335 pounds) at right tackle and call on either sophomores Harrison Moore (6-5, 300) or Tana Alo-Tupuola (6-2, 325) at center.
Ethan Mackenny (6-5, 310), who played more than 500 snaps as a true freshman in 2023, is slotted to start at left tackle.
“It’s still one of those things that we’re taking every advantage we can and practice opportunities and meeting opportunities to get the right guys in the right spots, to get those guys experience at different spots to build the versatility that we need to play a long season,” Key said of his offensive front. “You plan and build and prepare all the way up until now for a long season with your guys. But now it’s game week. Who are those five that are gonna go out there? Who are the sixth guy, the seventh guy, and, if you’re lucky, the eighth guy?
“But I’ve been pleased with the development of those guys. I’ve been pleased with the sense of urgency that they have every day. And it’s a long season. We’ll continue to work every day developing guys and preparing for that.”
On the defensive line, Clemson transfer A.J. Hoffler (6-4, 255) is penciled to start at one defensive end, either Mississippi transfer Akelo Stone (6-2, 290) or Central Florida transfer Matthew Alexander (6-3, 290) will take the first snap at defensive tackle and Brayden Manley (6-2, 255), a transfer from Mercer, will be at the other end spot.
Tech will also have a new nickelback in the secondary in either Jy Gilmore (Georgia State) or Kelvin Hill (Alabama Birmingham). If returnee Omar Daniels doesn’t make the start at safety Friday, Savion Riley will. Riley transferred to Tech from Colorado.
All the aforementioned players, along with the rest of the squad on the season’s first two-deep, turned their attention to scouting the Buffaloes (9-4 in 2024) over the weekend. Preparation for the season’s first opponent has carried into this week. The Yellow Jackets practiced Sunday and have three more workouts scheduled on campus before departing Atlanta on Wednesday.
The squad that steps onto the field at 8 p.m. Saturday to play in front of a sold-out crowd at Folsom Field is expected to be Key’s best in his third year at the helm of the program. That’s not only an expectation from outside Bobby Dodd Stadium but the expectation inside the locker room.
“Hopefully, they trust us. Hopefully they trust what we’re telling ‘em every day,” Key said of his team. “One of the big things we wanted to make sure we came out of camp (with) was developing that trust between players and coaches and vice versa. That’s our job, is to give them the right information, to tell them the right things, to coach and teach them the right way.
“I’d rather there be expectations than not. We welcome them, but what our internal expectations are should always be higher than anything externally.”
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