Georgia Tech begins its second full spring of practice under coach Brent Key one week from Monday.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 7-6 season, 5-3 run in ACC play and win over Central Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl in December. Expectations to improve those marks are high for a team that returns a wealth of offensive production and talent.
Here are five things to watch as the Jackets begin the first of 15 practices culminating in the program’s annual spring game April 13:
1. New-look defense
When the dust had settled on college football’s 2023 season, Tech landed 128th nationally in rushing defense, 120th in total defense and 94th in scoring defense. The Jackets have now finished 85th or worse nationally in total defense for five straight years.
Thus, Key once again looked to shake things up on that side of the ball by appointing his third defensive coordinator in less than half a year when he hired Tyler Santucci in January. Santucci spent the ‘23 slate at Duke following three seasons at Texas A&M.
Santucci, who replaces Kevin Sherrer who replaced Andrew Thacker, is charged with turning Tech’s defensive fortunes around and that process begins with spring practice. How quickly the Jackets adapt to Santucci’s scheme and how much Santucci is able to utilize the personnel he has within that scheme with be imperative to a healthy start to the 2024 season in August.
2. Offense’s next step
Tech returns virtually every piece of its balanced, exciting and productive offense. What’s the next step?
Co-offensive coordinators Chris Weinke and Buster Faulkner have the somewhat unenviable task of making the Tech offense not only just as good as it was in 2023, but even better. The Jackets finished 13th (and best in the ACC) in rushing offense at 203.77 yards per game and scored more than 400 points for the first time since 2018.
With quarterback Haynes King, running back Jamal Haynes, wide receivers Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton (among others) and four out of five starting offensive linemen back, there’s no reason Tech’s offensive unit can’t take another step forward. How exactly they do it should begin to become evident this spring.
3. Transfer tracker
Key signed 10 transfers in the offseason (a number which includes former Kennesaw State long snapper Ronnie Thomas) to help build depth and fill gaps on the roster. Six of the other nine newcomers play defense.
Defensive backs Warren Burrell (Tennessee) and Syeed Gibbs (Rhode Island), linebackers E.J. Lightsey and Jackson Hamilton (Louisville) and defensive linemen Ayo Tifase and Jack Barton (Furman) will all be expected to contribute right away. Where they land on the spring depth chart will give early insight on just how much of an impact that will be come fall.
4. Defensive personnel
Along with the aforementioned transfers, Tech’s defensive depth chart will be littered with names that aren’t necessarily unfamiliar, but names that haven’t been called a significant amount in seasons past.
The Jackets do return defensive backs LaMiles Brooks, Clayton Powell-Lee and Ahmari Harvey, linebackers Trenilyas Tatum and Kyle Efford and linemen Makius Scott, Kevin Harris, Eddie Kelly and Zeek Biggers (and Sylvain Yondjouen off an injury), but Santucci and his staff need to find out who is ready to step into starting and backup roles across the board.
Tech lost linebacker Paul Moala, safety Jaylon King and defensive back Myles Sims to graduation. Defensive backs Kenan Johnson and K.J. Wallace and defensive linemen Kyle Kennard and D’Quan Douse were among the Jackets that transferred out in the offseason leaving plenty of holes to fill going into 2024.
5. The fifth member of the band
A major reason for Tech’s offensive success in 2023, especially late in the season, was due to the play of the team’s offensive line. And only one starter, right guard Connor Scaglione, from that unit departed in the offseason.
Left tackle Ethan Mackenny (6-4, 311), left guard Joe Fusile (6-6, 302), center Weston Franklin (6-4, 311) and right tackle Jordan Williams (6-6, 304) are all back to front Tech’s offensive attack. Backup tackle Corey Robinson (6-5, 305), who played 374 snaps in 2023, returned as well.
Who becomes the fifth member of Tech’s starting offensive line is a battle that will begin in the spring. Key often sung the praises in 2023 of Patrick Screws (6-5, 319) and Brandon Best (6-4, 295) as reserves waiting in the wings ready to make an impact. Former Middle Tennessee lineman Keylan Rutledge transferred into the program in the offseason to provide even more depth to a unit that should be one of the best in the ACC in 2024.
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