In a small, unadorned locker room underneath the Joel Coliseum stands, Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner is trying to set the stage for a second-half comeback against Wake Forest on Feb. 4. In different moments, he is excoriating players for careless offense in the first half, praising them for defensive successes and then imploring them to sharpen their focus on the details.

Pastner’s team is assembled in rows of four. Team members look intently back at him. Hired to revitalize the Yellow Jackets, Pastner is being put to the test on this Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C.

For Tech’s road game at Wake Forest, Pastner allowed the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to accompany the team with access to practice, video sessions, meals and the locker room. This is what it looked like.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Georgia Tech announced that the Yellow Jackets will wear gray jerseys and gray pants Saturday when it hosts Temple. Tech also wore gray uniforms on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, during a 38-22 loss to North Carolina at Bobby Dodd Stadium. (Danny Karnik/Georgia Tech Athletics 2019)

Credit: Danny Karnik

Featured

Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com