Georgia Tech edge rushers ‘ready to lay it on the line’ for team, Pope says
Ahead of his third season at Georgia Tech, Kyle Pope has assembled a room with lofty expectations for themselves.
The third-year defensive ends/outside linebackers coach brought in several transfer additions as the Yellow Jackets look to attack the quarterback more following a 26-sack output in 2025, which ranked 10th-best in the ACC.
The competition within his new-look room has bred a relentless mentality that could result in a big year for the Jackets’ front.
“I think we lead off of competition. I think that’s where it starts in this room,” Pope said Monday. “You got a lot of guys that are hungry; you got guys with experience now. So right now every day is a day to compete. Those guys understand when they hit the field, that’s a job on the line. And I think the beautiful part about that is the competition brings ability on the field.”
Among the transfers expected to provide immediate impact at edge are Jordan Walker from Rutgers and Noah Carter from Alabama. Carter recorded tackles in six of the Crimson Tide’s final seven games of 2025, including two solo tackles in a win over LSU last November.
Walker is expected to command one of the starting roles at edge. He was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy last season, which is awarded to the nation’s top college football player who began his career as a walk-on.
Pope had high praise for the pair, even calling Walker “a specimen.”
“He’s a good-looking kid, but he’s not one that just looks good,” Pope said of Walker. “He flies around; he’s a big body that runs around, that plays fast and then plays physical. The motto’s fast and violent, and he epitomizes that in everything that he does each play.
“With a guy like Noah, that guy there does a lot of different things. I mean, he was a receiver in high school. So to see what he’s grown into today and what he does now, it excites you to say, ‘OK, what you can get out of that guy in the fall.’ It’s very exciting, as well as Taje McCoy. Those three guys that transferred in this past spring; I’m very pleased and very excited for what they’ve shown not just through spring ball but to this point of camp. Those guys are ready to lay it on the line for Georgia Tech.”
Fall camp can be grueling and frustrating for some, especially when factoring in the ever-present Atlanta heat. Senior defensive end A.J. Hoffler said the room’s chemistry is “night and day” from last season, in large part because of a crop of players from diverse backgrounds.
“I think for the first time everybody’s having fun, looking forward to getting their reps (and) competing,” he said. “Someone makes a play, we celebrate with them. You go in there, you make a play — it’s a snowball effect. … We mesh together really well, and I’m excited to see where the group goes this year.”