Everything to know ahead of Georgia Tech-Colorado season opener

Finally, college football season is here.

And Georgia Tech is opening with a pair of games that will command plenty of attention.

On Thursday, the Jackets welcome Atlanta sports legend Deion Sanders and Colorado to Bobby Dodd Stadium. With Sanders always in the spotlight, the nationally televised matchup gives Tech an opportunity to raise the profile of the program and create a recruiting showcase right out of the gate.

“Any time you open the season in a game that’s an out-of-conference team, that’s a marquee team in the country, it puts eyes on your team,” said Jackets coach Brent Key. “Competitors want to compete. They want eyes on them. That’s the confidence you have to have as a top-level college football player, as a top-level college coach. You want eyes on you. You want people to see you.”

Next week, Tech hosts No. 20 Tennessee. The SEC opponent should provide an early measuring stick for a Jackets program that worked its way into the national conversation last season before falling apart down the stretch.

The two games will put Tech prominently in the national spotlight before the Jackets even begin ACC play. They also should begin providing answers about a new-look coaching staff and an overhauled roster.

Here’s what you need to know:

Kickoff: 8 p.m. Thursday

Where: Bobby Dodd Stadium (52,113)

TV: ESPN

Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network, 680 AM, 93.7 FM in Atlanta

Odds: Georgia Tech is a 6.5-point favorite, according to Vegas Insider. The over/under is 50.5.

Series history: Tech and Colorado met for the first time last season. The Jackets won 27-20 in Boulder, Colorado.

Weather: 90 degrees at kickoff, 0% chance of rain

Top storylines ahead of Georgia Tech vs. Colorado

Nobody’s shadow: Haynes King will be hard to replace. The 2025 ACC Player of the Year brought the intangibles needed for a program hungry for relevance.

His successor has plenty of reasons for motivation, too. Alberto Mendoza, the brother of Heisman winner Fernando, will start his first career college game on Thursday.

He’s following both a brother who went No. 1 overall in this year’s NFL draft and one of the best players in Tech history.

None of that history matters now.

“I’m just ready to go show people what I can do and just be me at the end of the day,” he said. “That’s all I’ve got to be is Alberto Mendoza. Nothing more, nothing less.”

And Justice for all: We all know what helps quarterbacks get acclimated. That’s right, handing the ball off.

Mendoza figures to be accompanied by a deep group of running backs, headlined by Michigan transfer Justice Haynes.

The former Peach State high school star rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns in just seven games last season with the Wolverines before surgery to repair an injured foot.

Now he’s home for his senior year.

“It gives me chills just thinking about this season and what we’re about to do,” Haynes said. “I truly think it’s going to be special.”

Haynes isn’t alone. Senior Malachi Hosley had nearly 700 yards rushing and seven touchdowns last season after transferring from Penn. Redshirt sophomore Trelain Maddox was named a permanent team captain last week.

We know Key’s philosophy as a former offensive lineman. He should have the talent and depth in the backfield to play the way he prefers in 2026.

New names. But not really: We’ve made it too far without mentioning Tech has new coordinators on both offense and defense.

But you already know them.

George Godsey, the former record-setting Tech quarterback, returns from an extended run in the NFL to guide the offense. Former Tech staffer Jason Semore moves from Southern Miss to call the defense.

Semore is in the process of installing his defense at a third school in four years, after spending two years as coordinator at Marshall from 2023-24. To help get up to speed, Semore said he’s learned to simplify his teaching methods.

And he leans on players he trusts.

“The thing that I look for is dudes that have intangibles that create leadership,” Semore said. “Then I really invest in them because everybody that plays on the defensive side of the ball is going to be influenced either by their fellow teammates or the assistant coaches. That’s just who they live with every day.”

Who’s on the list of “dudes” so far?

Key named linebacker Kyle Efford and Rutgers transfer Jordan Walker as permanent team captains. And Semore pointed to safety Savion Riley.

Prime time: Yes, Deion is returning to Atlanta.

Whether you like it or not, Sanders remains perpetually in the news cycle nearly 35 years after playing in both an NFL game and MLB postseason contest on the same day for the Falcons and Braves.

Sanders had plenty of nice things to say about the Jackets in a press conference earlier this week.

On Haynes King: “Thank God that quarterback is gone. That kid refused to lose a year ago, and he was definitely a difference maker.”

On Justice Haynes: “Kid can play, man. We’ve got to do what we got to do to keep him contained. We are fully aware of wherever he’s going to line up on Thursday night. We will be aware of who he is. Trust me, this kid can flat-out play.”

On Brent Key: “Coach Key is one of my favorites. Played the game. Tough, hard-nosed, detailed coach. It’s going to be a tremendous challenge, but I love it.”

Key returned the kind words.

“It’s not far-fetched. It’s the truth,” he said. “Deion is the biggest sports celebrity probably to ever play in town, in the city of Atlanta. And he’s coming back home.

“It’s a big deal, especially for somebody that grew up in the 80s. He was the top of the top, premier guy that everybody wanted to be when they were growing up. Baseball, football, just the persona that was created around him.”

Can’t get enough: Wide receiver remains a position of speculation for Tech. There’s not much returning production there, but the Jackets have an answer of sorts in a loaded tight ends room.

The Yellow Jackets have assembled a diverse cast there, with Dartmouth transfer Chris Corbo joined by transfers Gavin Harris from New Mexico State and Spencer Mermans from Yale. Expectations are high for redshirt freshman Kevin Roche Jr., a 6-foot-9 pass-catching target with considerable potential.

All four should get considerable reps, allowing the Jackets to show multiple looks.

“There’s guys that have different skill sets,” Tech tight ends coach Nathan Brock said. “It’s our job to kind of put those puzzle pieces together and make sure that they’ve all got buy-in in their role and are ready to go.”

New fit, new money: To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Tech becoming the first collegiate program to do business with Under Armour, the Jackets will wear special-edition jerseys on Thursday.

The jerseys feature Georgia Tech’s interlocking GT logo on the chest and Under Armour’s original logo from its founding in 1996.

Adding to the fresh look, the Jackets will debut a jersey patch featuring Veritiv, an Atlanta-based packaging, facility and print solutions company. It is the first sponsorship of its kind in Tech athletics history.

“In today’s day and age, winning is tied to continuing to generate more resources and your resource base tied to winning has never been so closely aligned in college sports,” Tech athletics director Ryan Alpert said.

Showcase: Thursday’s game should feel like an event, the kind of show high school recruits gravitate toward.