TAMPA, Fla. — Georgia Tech and coach Brent Key added 31 players to the roster Wednesday on the first day of college football’s early, three-day signing period.
Of the 31 signees, 23 will come to campus out of high school. The only player committed to Tech who did not sign Wednesday was defensive lineman Trashun Griffin of Centreville, Alabama.
“I thought the staff, the recruiting staff, everybody did a really good job of being able to get the (letters of intent) – get the texts and the emails and what not – in (Wednesday) morning which really helped us be able to prepare for the (Gasparilla Bowl on Friday) and be in our game preparations,” Key said. “Right now we’ve got 29 guys that have signed. Hopefully by the end of the day we’ll have north of 30 signees in for early signing day.”
Eight more players, all transfers, also signed with the program Wednesday including the surprise of EJ Lightsey from Georgia. A 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker from Fitzgerald, Lightsey did not play for the Bulldogs in 2023 and played in only four games in 2022, totaling two tackles in a win over Vanderbilt. His commitment was not previously announced.
Lightsey joined former Georgia teammate and tight end Ryland Goede, who transferred to Tech from Mississippi State, as part of the eight incoming transfers. That group also included former Middle Tennessee offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge, former Yale tight end Jackson Hawes, former Tennessee cornerback Warren Burrell, former Rhode Island cornerback Syeed Gibbs, former Louisville linebacker Jackson Hamilton and former Furman defensive lineman Jack Barton.
“A year of deep-dive studies and research of how to exactly use the portal, was able to study a lot of NFL teams and how they use free agency,” Key said. “There’s a lot of similarities there when you look at some of the teams that have used the (NFL) draft to really build their rosters, but then supplement through free agency and have success.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Tech’s recruiting class was ranked 36th nationally by the 247Sports Composite, the program’s highest mark since the 2020 class (27th). Luke Harping, the son of Tech basketball legend Matt Harpring, was Tech’s highest-ranked recruit. The four-star prospect signed as a 6-foot-3, 220-pound tight end.
Troy Stevenson, also considered a four-star recruit, will come to Tech as a 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback. Four-star wide receiver Isiah Canion, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound wide receiver from Warner Robins High, also inked with Tech.
Key brought in two quarterbacks who each put up gaudy numbers during their prep careers and in their senior seasons. Prince Avenue Christian’s Aaron Philo, who won a state title this month and is the state’s all-time leader in career passing yards, signed along with Graham Knowles (Southlake, Texas) who threw for 3,195 and 21 touchdowns in 2023.
Tech also signed five offensive linemen to join Rutledge. That will deepen a position group that returns four of five starters from this year’s squad.
“Now days in college football you gotta recruit your own roster, you’re not just recruiting everywhere else in the country,” Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said Tuesday. “You’re recruiting portal, you’re recruiting high school, but you also gotta make sure you’re recruiting your own roster. That’s the most important thing with us. We got a great group of guys, we got a good group of young guys and we wanted to make sure we keep this group together and we made that clear with them. We appreciate their commitment to Georgia Tech and us as well.”
Thirteen of Tech’s signees play defense. Defensive lineman Uche Iloh (6-5, 250) was one of the last prospects to commit to this year’s class but is second only to Stevenson in rating among the prep prospects.
On Wednesday afternoon, Statesboro High defensive end Amontrae Bradford flipped his commitment to Colorado and signed with Tech.
Bradford (6-5, 245) is considered a three-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. He had been committed to Colorado since October and has more than two dozen scholarship offers.
Not long after Bradford made his pledge official, running back Anthony Carrie announced his commitment to Tech. Carrie (6-foot, 200 pounds) is a considered a three-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite who committed to Michigan State in June.
This week in Tampa, the Jackets practiced Tuesday and Wednesday at Carrollwood Day School, where Carrie attends.
Key said 20 of the 31players who signed Wednesday are expected to enroll at Tech in January.
Prospects can continue to sign with programs through Friday. College football’s traditional signing period begins Feb. 7 and runs through April 1.
“You’ve got 85, after the season anywhere from 70-75 guys that are scholarship-type guys. There’s always gonna be attrition. This day and age in college football, attrition is something that’s there, it’s not gonna go away,” Key said. “You wanna build the roster from the bottom up. To be able to improve that 50-70 range, that really improves the depth of your team.
“When you can really improve your roster from the bottom up, I think you have a chance to build the foundation for long-term success.”
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