The dust has settled, for now, on Georgia Tech’s offseason of player acquisition and roster turnover.
Third-year coach Brent Key will have at least 40 new players on his 2025 squad by the time kickoff rolls Aug. 30 in Boulder, Colorado. Key signed 23 high school seniors in December and has nearly 20 college transfers (none of whom have been officially announced by Tech at this point) pledged to become Yellow Jackets for next season.
Here is a closer breakdown, by position group, of how Tech’s roster could look in August, when the Jackets start their work to improve upon back-to-back 7-6 seasons:
Quarterback
Tech appears to be in very good shape as far as the quarterback position is concerned.
Key and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke will continue to work with Haynes King, a two-year starter and rising senior, as well as Aaron Philo. Philo threw for 565 yards over four games and is eligible to term the 2024 season as a redshirt season, having appeared in only four regular-season games — the former Prince Avenue Christian star led Tech to a last-minute victory over North Carolina State on Nov. 21.
Tech also returns Graham Knowles (6-7, 220), a freshman in 2024, and adds freshman Grady Adamson (6-2, 215). Adamson, from Edmond, Oklahoma, played in the Navy All-American Bowl on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas, where he went 2-for-4 passing for 41 yards.
Running back
Because of injuries throughout the backfield, Jamal Haynes mostly did it all on his own in 2024 (and Haynes himself dealt with multiple nagging injuries for much of the season as well). Haynes should have a lot more help in 2025.
Tech also returns Chad Alexander, who ran 58 times for 280 yards, and Anthony Carrie and Trelain Maddox. Maddox (who played in only two games before a season-ending injury) and Carrie (25 carries for 170 yards) were freshmen in ’24.
Key added Malachi Hosley out of the transfer portal from Penn. He was the Ivy League offensive player of the year, and he rushed for 1,192 yards and nine scores this season. The program also signed two South Georgia running backs in Shane Marshall (Irwin County) and J.P. Powell (Miller County).
Offensive line and tight ends
Tech’s lineup in the trenches will be a question mark for the next eight months.
While the Jackets do return guards Keylan Rutledge (6-4, 310) and Joe Fusile (6-6, 315), center Weston Franklin and right tackle Jordan Williams graduated, and left tackle Corey Robinson transferred to Arkansas.
Ethan Mackenny (6-4, 310) will start his third season with the program and is expected to take hold of the left tackle spot. Returners Harrison Moore and Tana Alo-Tupuola should be in the mix as well.
Tech is bringing in Andrew Rosinski (6-5, 280) from North Carolina and JaKolby Jones (6-4, 285) from Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi. Highly touted recruit and incoming freshman Josh Petty is one of five offensive linemen Key signed in December.
At tight end, Harry Lodge (Wake Forest) and J.T. Byrne (California) will join returners Avery Boyd, Josh Beetham, Luke Harpring and Brett Seither (Seither missed all of 2024 with a knee injury). Two freshmen, Connor Roush of the Wesleyan School, and Kevin Roche of Darien, Connecticut, will provide added depth.
Receiver
Perhaps no other position group went through as much of an overhaul as Tech’s wideout group.
Tech already has three incoming transfers among 2025 newcomers in former Florida International teammates Dean Patterson and Eric Rivers and Debron Gatling from South Carolina. Incoming freshmen Jordan Allen (Buford), Jamauri Brice (Cartersville) and Cal Faulkner (Lumpkin County) join that trio in a room that no longer includes Eric Singleton Jr. (transferred to Auburn) and Chase Lane (graduation).
Malik Rutherford, who briefly dipped into the transfer portal in December before returning to play in the Birmingham Bowl, has averaged 54 catches for 602 yards the past two seasons and is back for a fifth year. Isiah Canion and Bailey Stockton are two young pass catchers to watch as well.
Defensive front
Key, defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci, defensive line coach Jess Simpson and defensive ends coach Kyle Pope continued to bulk up the defensive front this offseason. The ongoing transformation of that unit started in December with the signing of five defensive linemen from the high school ranks, including Christian Garrett (6-3, 285) from Prince Avenue Christian.
Those newcomers will join T.J. Hoffler from Clemson, Brayden Manley from Mercer, Matthew Alexander from Central Florida and Ronald Triplette from Texas San-Antonio as first-year Jackets.
The added depth was sorely needed for Tech after the offseason losses of Romello Height, Sylvain Yondjouen, Zeek Biggers, Thomas Gore, Horace Lockett, Makius Scott, Kevin Harris and Joshua Robinson. Notable returners to the roster include Jordan van den Berg, Amontrae Bradford, Jordan Boyd and Jason Moore.
Linebackers
Tech’s linebackers could turn out to be the strength of the defense in 2025, given the amount of experience and talent returning to the fold.
Kyle Efford will be back for his fourth season, Jackson Hamilton, E.J. Lightsey and Tah’J Butler all return for their second campaign and Melvin Jordan IV (Oregon State) and Cayden Spaulding (Tennessee Tech) enter into the mix for added depth.
Because of Tech’s solid footing at the linebacker position, the program didn’t sign any high school prospects at the position in 2024.
Secondary
The back end of Tech’s defense won’t necessarily be a concern in 2025, but it will have some questions.
Longtime starter and safety LaMiles Brooks graduated, as did starting cornerback Warren Burrell. Backup safety and nickel back Taye Seymore transferred to Auburn. But there still are plenty of familiar names on the back end that should give the Jackets stability: Clayton Powell-Lee, Ahmari Harvey, Rodney Shelley, Omar Daniels, Syeed Gibbs and Zachary Tobe to name a few.
Kelvin Hill from Alabama-Birmingham and Daiquan White from Eastern Michigan transferred into the program and five highly regarded freshmen — Jayden Barr, Fenix Felton, Tae Tarris, Dalen Penson and Elgin Sessions — could push for early playing time.
Harris recently took part in the Under Armour All-American Game, Penson played in the Navy All-American Bowl and Sessions played in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas in December.
Special teams
Tech’s special teams will have some new looks as well.
Punter David Shanahan and long snapper Henry Freer graduated, so Tech recruited Nevada-Las Vegas punter Marshall Nicholls and Florida Atlantic long snapper Luke Whiting through the portal.
Kicker Aidan Birr, now 32-for-41 on field-goal attempts for his career and 82 of 83 on extra-point attempts (having made 68 consecutive) returns for his third season as the team’s starter.
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