Finally, it is game week.
Georgia Tech’s offseason is over as it prepares to head across the pond Wednesday ahead of its season-opening matchup with Florida State at noon Saturday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The Yellow Jackets have endured four weeks of preseason practice and now have just a couple workouts left on campus before departing for Europe.
Here are some key events this week leading up to the highly anticipated matchup being broadcast live by ESPN.
Straight to the pitch
The Jackets are scheduled to practice Wednesday morning on campus. Later that night they will depart on a charter flight for Dublin where they are scheduled to train at noon local time Thursday on the practice field at Aviva Stadium.
Afterward, Tech coach Brent Key and senior punter David Shanahan, from Castleisland, Ireland, will meet with any media present. Later Thursday, Tech’s players, coaches, staff and personnel will have the opportunity to visit EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum.
Also on Thursday, Tech president Angel Cabrera will be part of a public forum with Ireland minister of state for trade promotion, digital and company regulation Dara Calleary at Trinity College at 2 p.m. local time.
Helluva Block Party and pub possibilities
Tech is taking its Helluva Block Party across the Atlantic as well.
The program’s pregame football party, created and implemented for the 2023 season, will make its 2024 debut at 3:30 p.m. Irish time Friday in Merrion Square Park in Dublin. Tech’s marching band, spirit squads and, of course, Buzz are scheduled to make appearances.
Tech also has three official pubs serving as meeting places for fans of the Jackets: Toners, The 51 and Ryan’s Beggers Bush. Toners was established in 1734 and is one of the city’s oldest public houses.
More football!
If Tech-FSU wasn’t enough football, Dublin will be playing host to three other games all day Friday.
Part of the Global Ireland Football Tournament, a tripleheader of games is scheduled to begin at noon Friday at Energia Park where the Maclay School of Tallahassee, Florida, will face the Windham School of Windham, New Hampshire. After that, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) will go up against the Episcopal School of Dallas (Texas).
The nightcap of the event will feature the Junior Irish Wolfhounds against the Great Britain under-19 team.
Tech has two current players from IMG Academy in freshman running back Evan Dickens and freshman offensive lineman Tana Alo-Tupuola.
College GameDay in Ireland
ESPN wanted in on the Dublin fun, so it is sending its entire pregame show over to hype up Saturday’s game.
Host Rece Davis and analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee will begin Saturday’s live broadcast of “College GameDay” at 2 p.m. local time, 9 a.m. ET from College Green on Dame Street and will be on air up until kickoff. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban, whom Key worked for from 2016-18 as Alabama’s offensive line coach, will also join the show as an on-set analyst.
“College GameDay’s” trip overseas marks the first time the show is originating from outside the United States.
Coddle for the Commish, too
Jim Phillips, the commissioner of the ACC, plans to be in Dublin this week for the festivities leading up to the game and at the matchup itself. Phillips, who has been the league’s commissioner for more than three years, will also be spending much of the week stateside helping to promote and celebrate the five-year anniversary of the ACC Network.
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