Georgia Tech begins its third season with coach Geoff Collins Saturday, playing its opener against Northern Illinois at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The Yellow Jackets are picked to finish sixth in the ACC Coastal Division, but Collins has expressed his belief that his team has a chance to be “really, really good” if things come together in the right way.
Here’s what the Jackets’ starting lineup might look like for Saturday:
Quarterback
Starter: After winning the starting job last preseason as a freshman, Jeff Sims seems entrenched in the spot. After completing 54.9% of his passes last season with a 13/13 touchdown/interception ratio, Sims is being counted on to make a jump in performance due to a strengthened grasp of the offense and improvements on the offensive line.
Backups: Jordan Yates looks like the No. 2 with grad transfer Trad Beatty in the No. 3 spot, followed by freshman Chayden Peery. Beatty came to Tech from Temple, where he played in five games in three seasons.
“He’s still a young guy. Sometimes there’s still some headscratchers out there, but the great thing now with Jeff is I don’t really have to tell him,” offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude said of Sims. “He just knows now. Now he can say to me, ‘I should have done this,’ ‘I should have done that,’ instead of me saying, ‘Well, what were you doing with this particular read?’ or whatever, and he’s looking at me like I’m speaking a foreign language.”
Running back
Starter: Jahmyr Gibbs, a preseason All-ACC selection after finishing fourth in the conference in all-purpose yardage per game a year ago (138.3 yards), is the obvious choice to remain in the top spot. Gibbs added 10 pounds from the end of last season and made significant strength gains.
Backups: Jordan Mason, an All-ACC pick in 2019, stands to be the No. 2 behind Gibbs, followed closely by Dontae Smith and Jamious Griffin. It’s arguably the deepest running-back group in the conference.
“We have a room of running backs that can all play, so (the competition level), it’s high,” Smith said. “And then coach (Tashard) Choice, he makes sure that we’re all competitive. If somebody’s beating you, he’ll be like, Somebody’s ahead of you right now. You need to pick your stuff up because somebody’s about to come take your spot.”
Wide receiver
Starters: Malachi Carter and Kyric McGowan figure to be Sims’ top two targets. McGowan, a slot receiver and grad transfer from Northwestern, has impressed with his quickness and speed. Adonicas Sanders could be the third in the lineup.
Backups: A number of wideouts figure to see plenty of time in a rotation. They include PeJé Harris, Avery Boyd, Nate McCollum, Marquez Ezzard and freshman Malik Rutherford. It’s a group that has grown markedly faster.
“We’re trying to get six to nine receivers that we can just roll in and not have a drop-off, and we’re trying to do that at every position in the program,” Collins said.
Tight end
Starter: In a close competition, it looks like Dylan Leonard will be the starter over Dylan Deveney, who was the primary starter a year ago. Leonard said that he feels stronger, faster and more comfortable with weight gains made in 2020.
Backups: Whichever of the two Dylans starts, the other figures to play plenty, both in a rotation and possibly in packages with two tight ends. Jack Coco likely will also be part of the rotation, with Billy Ward also a possibility.
“We’ve got five guys now that are functioning at a very high level,” tight ends coach Chris Wiesehan said. “And I told them just on the field, I said, ‘There’s going to be steaks on the table. Whoever’s hungriest is going to eat and get these reps.’”
Offensive line
Starters: What is expected to be a significantly improved group, the offensive line should be left tackle Devin Cochran, left guard Kenny Cooper, center Mikey Minihan, right guard Ryan Johnson and right tackle Jordan Williams. Cochran, a grad transfer from Vanderbilt, will be counted on to protect Sims’ blindside.
Backups: The ones most likely to come off the bench are Nick Pendley (tackle/guard), Kenneth Kirby (tackle) and Weston Franklin (center). All are new – transfer, grad transfer and freshman, respectively.
Defensive line
Starters: This might be the most fluid group on the team. Two starting ends could be Jordan Domineck and Jared Ivey and the tackles will likely be T.K. Chimedza and Djimon Brooks. Domineck is an underrated edge rusher who has the potential to be an All-ACC selection.
Backups: At end, the group includes Sylvain Yondjouen, Kevin Harris, Kyle Kennard, Antonneous Clayton and Josh Robinson. Grad transfer Keion White is expected to make an impact when he is healthy. At tackle, Mike Lockhart, Akelo Stone and D’Quan Douse are all returnees who contributed last year. Transfer Makius Scott and 363-pound freshman Zeek Biggers could see time, also.
“Coach (Larry) Knight and coach (Marco) Coleman have done a tremendous job with that group,” Collins said. “And then the development, the length and the speed and all those things that we’ve talked about for 2 ½ years, you see it out on the field right now.”
Linebacker
Starters: Grad transfer Ayinde Eley will take the place of David Curry at one linebacker spot while returning starter Quez Jackson and Charlie Thomas are competing at the other. Time could be split there fairly evenly.
Backups: The primary sub will be Demetrius Knight. Freshman Trenilyas Tatum has made an impression and could see defensive snaps. Khatavian Franks and Khaya Wright are developing at the position.
“Charlie is a big-time playmaker. And him, JaQuez Jackson, ‘Ace’ (Eley), Demetrius Knight being back at that position – that four is a really good linebacker corps,” Collins said.
Secondary
Starters: Two-year starter Zamari Walton has one cornerback spot, and the other has some possibilities. Three-year starter Tre Swilling will likely line up at the nickel corner spot, although there will be times when Wesley Walker plays there and bumps Swilling to corner. Tobias Oliver and Myles Sims are also candidates to start.
At safety, Juanyeh Thomas and Tariq Carpenter will start for the third and fourth years, respectively.
Backups: Besides Oliver and Sims, Derrik Allen figures to be a part of the rotation and can play multiple positions. Other candidates include Kenyatta Watson, Jaylon King, Miles Brooks, Kenan Johnson and freshman Kaleb Edwards.
“We feel like if we can get eight guys that are ‘Above the Line,’ we can always have five of those eight on the field while keeping people fresh,” defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker said.
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