Everything to know ahead of Georgia Tech football at Clemson
Jason Semore is out as Georgia Tech’s defensive coordinator.
He and three other staff members were fired by Brent Key earlier this week.
With defensive backs coach Vinnie Sunseri taking over play-calling duties, Key was candid about what to expect from the Yellow Jackets defense over the final three games.
“You can’t wholesale change things,” Key said.
Tech will travel to Clemson this weekend with the personnel it has, a roster depleted by injuries that has won just two of nine games this season.
Key said he outlined his expectations for the remaining defensive staff. The defense needed to be simplified, players needed to communicate clearly and coaches needed to work together.
Everybody reading from the same, simple page.
“Just from watching practice, talking to a lot of the players, getting feedback from them, those are the things I’ve said,” Key said. “Just how we simplified things, we’ve made things easier to go execute by not having to think as much on our feet and allow them to play fast. And that’s what I hope to see transition and be able to take Saturday.”
On offense, Key confirmed that coordinator George Godsey will remain the play caller.
He did not get into specifics about the game-planning changes Tech announced alongside the staff firings, which are being implemented ahead of the Clemson trip.
“I obviously am totally aware that we haven’t necessarily been in the right position to have success offensively,” Key said.
Georgia Tech football at Clemson: What you need to know
- Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Clemson, South Carolina. Memorial Stadium (81,500 capacity)
- TV: The CW
- Radio: Georgia Tech Sports Network; 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan; SiriusXM 266
- Odds: Louisville is a 13½-point favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is 47½.
- Series history: Georgia Tech leads 51-36-2. The Jackets won the most recent meeting 24-21 on Sept. 13, 2025, in Atlanta.
Top storylines ahead of Georgia Tech at Clemson
Yellow Jackets injury report
With Sunseri calling the defense, that means he can no longer handle some of the duties he previously managed during games, including helping coordinate substitutions.
Key was asked how the staff would adjust. His answer came with a bit of humor, though it also reflected the state of a roster hit hard by injuries.
“The beauty of it and the curse of it is that we don’t have that many to sub,” Key said. “So there you go. It’s not a huge challenge when you don’t have anybody to sub.”
The joke had an uncomfortable truth behind it. Tech’s injury list remains extensive, leaving the Jackets with limited options as they prepare for Saturday.
Listed as OUT against Clemson:
- RB Malachi Hosley
- CB Kelvin Hill
- DE Jordan Boyd
- RB Chad Alexander
- S Savion Riley
- WR Darnell Collins
- CB Jaedyn Terry
- CB Trae Stevenson
- S Fenix Felton
- S Will Kiker
- LB Kyle Efford (medically retired from football)
- OL Kevin Peay, Jr. (out for the season)
- OL Courtney Heard
- OL Markell Samuel
- OL Ethan Mackenny (out for the season)
- WR Kentrell Davis
- DE A.J. Hoffler
- DT Shymeik Jones
- DT Landen Marshall
QUESTIONABLE:
- WR Rahkeem Smith
- RB Shane Marshall
- TE Kevin Roche Jr.
Shared snaps
Tech is expected to use multiple quarterbacks again Saturday, though Key indicated the rotation could look different.
Alberto Mendoza and Grady Adamson alternated series in last week’s 44-17 loss to Louisville. Asked whether Adamson, who had been Mendoza’s backup, had done enough to continue seeing playing time, Key said both quarterbacks will likely play against Clemson.
“Not necessarily by series,” Key said. “But how we feel like if those guys can get in and execute what they do best to help give us a chance to win.”
Key noted the challenge of playing at Clemson, where the Jackets will face a strong defense in a loud road environment. He said continuity would matter, but both quarterbacks bring things that can help the team.
“Both those guys are ready to play, and I would imagine we’d see both of them on Saturday,” Key said.
A leader’s message
Aidan Birr got emotional this week when asked what message he has delivered to Tech’s team during a disappointing season.
The senior kicker and team captain, one of the most accomplished players in program history, turned the question inward. Birr said he felt he had let his teammates down with his performance and had not done enough to uphold the standard set by those who helped rebuild the program.
“I feel like I failed this team with my play on the field earlier in the year, and then really just as a leader, I didn’t uphold the standard that was set before us,” Birr said. “So I take that on the chin, and it sucks.”
With three games remaining, Birr said the team has a chance to show that the standards established in recent seasons have not been lost, even amid the struggles of this year.
“Guys aren’t quitting on this team,” he said. “We’ve got three games to play and go out there and give it our all.”
Birr is Tech’s all-time scoring leader with 355 career points. He is also the school’s all-time leader in field goals made with 68 and has the highest field-goal percentage at 81.9%.
Key was struck by Birr’s willingness to take responsibility, even as the kicker has established his name prominently in the record book.
“That’s why football is the greatest game there is,” Key said. “To teach discipline and accountability. To hear that Aidan said something like that, it just echoes the type of young man that he is.”