Georgia Tech lost tight end Brett Seither to a torn ACL, Tech coach Brent Key announced Tuesday.
“Just really thinking about him and have been and spending a lot of time with him, and he’s gone through that and some other things,” Key said Tuesday.
Seither, expected to be the team’s starter at the position, had seven catches for 101 yards and hauled in four touchdowns — a team high for tight ends — in 2023. He played on 264 plays for the Yellow Jackets and, according to Pro Football Focus, had his highest-rated game in an upset win over North Carolina in October.
During Tech’s first scrimmage of preseason Aug. 3, Seither caught two touchdown passes.
“Had a really good day catching the football and the way he played out there,” Key said that day. “Really, really proud of (Seither). That’s what he wanted to do, and he went out and did it.”
A 6-foot-5, 240-pound senior from Clearwater, Florida, Seither was considered a three-star recruit, according to the 247Sports Composite, out of the class of 2019. He enrolled at Georgia that year and spent four seasons with the Bulldogs and played in 27 games until transferring to Tech.
Seither, who also missed spring practice after undergoing back surgery, made four catches for 54 yards with UGA and hauled in a 9-yard scoring grab from quarterback Carson Beck in a 2021 win over Charleston Southern.
Key said senior Avery Boyd (6-3, 240) will get the start at tight end Saturday in the season opener against Florida State. Boyd, from Tallahassee, Florida, has been transitioning to the position after arriving at Tech as a wide receiver in 2020. Boyd had six catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns last season.
“Was limited a little bit earlier in camp with some tendinitis but has been full-go,” Key said. “Excited for Avery, a guy that is really bulked up and embraced the transition to the tight end position and doing every really consistent at that position.”
“Has really done a nice job there. I’ve really been pleased with his blocking and what he’s been able to do as a guy that knows his point of attack on the line of scrimmage. He’s a big, strong guy that does a good job.
Seither’s injury leaves Tech with seven active tight ends for the 2024 season in Boyd, Michigan transfer Josh Beetham, Yale transfer Jackson Hawes, Mississippi State transfer Ryland Goede and freshmen Luke Harpring, Blake Ragsdale and David Prince. Key said he is confident any of those guys can step up and make plays for the Jackets.
“That’s a testament to the amount of depth we’ve been able to bring in over the last year and the coaches’ development of those guys. Just because you bring people in doesn’t mean they’re going to be able to play in Week 1. The (transfers) that we brought in, and then the freshmen, we’ve got depth at the position.”
Credit: Bob Andres
Credit: Bob Andres
