Media pick Georgia Tech to finish fifth in ACC
Credentialed media members polled at the ACC Football Kickoff picked Georgia Tech to finish fifth in the ACC, the conference announced Tuesday.
The Yellow Jackets received 2,006 total points from the 188 media members who cast a ballot. They also earned two first-place votes, the sixth-most among the ACC’s 17 teams.
Georgia Tech has finished above preseason expectations in every season under coach Brent Key and is the only program to finish in the top four of the ACC the past three seasons. The Jackets enter 2026 after a 9-4 (6-2 ACC) finish to 2025, tying them for second place in the ACC with Duke, Miami, SMU and Pittsburgh.
Indiana transfer Alberto Mendoza is expected to take over at center for the Yellow Jackets, after the departure of ACC Player of the Year Haynes King. Tech also landed the commitment of Justice Haynes, a Georgia native who previously spent time at Alabama and Michigan. He tallied 1,473 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first three collegiate seasons.
The Yellow Jackets will begin fall camp Monday. The season opener is Sept. 3 against Colorado at Bobby Dodd Stadium.