Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

NCAAF – ACC

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2022-2023 TEAM LEADERS

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Football Team

Georgia Tech Football Team News

Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins has delivered three wins in each of his first two seasons and needs to show improvement in year three of his tenure. The Yellow Jackets bring back about half their starters on both sides of the ball for units that finished near the bottom of the conference in almost every statistical category in 2020.

They have a tough schedule in 2021, facing Clemson and Boston College from the ACC Atlantic as well as Notre Dame and traditional rival Georgia to end the season. The Yellow Jackets have only one probable conference victory on the schedule, so expectations aren’t high that Collins can get the Georgia Tech program back on a winning track.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Standings

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are proving to be a force to be reckoned with in the NCAAF this season. With a competitive standing and impressive stats, this team has been making a strong push for the top of the standings. Despite some challenges, the Yellow Jackets remain determined and focused on maintaining their position and making a run for the title.

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2020 Summary

There weren’t many positives from 2020, with the offense and defense both finishing the season 14th in points scored and allowed in the conference. The one bright spot was the running game, which was sixth in the ACC and 43rd nationally at 190.8 yards per game.

After a 16-13 victory at Florida State to begin the season, they dropped their next two games but evened their record at 2-2 with an impressive 46-27 win over Louisville. The rest of the campaign saw just a single win against beleaguered Duke but otherwise it was filled with mainly lopsided losses that resulted in a 3-7 finish.

To make matters worse, they were 111th in the FBS with a turnover margin of -7, with those mistakes making it difficult when rest of the team’s performance was so dismal. Georgia Tech went from 1997 to 2014 without a losing record in the regular season, appearing in a bowl every year, so patience might be a bit thin unless Collins can show some improvement.

Key Players

Quarterback Jeff Sims tossed 13 touchdown passes as a freshman in 2020, but he also threw the same number of interceptions in his opening season. He’s still listed as the starter and was the leading rusher for the team last year, but Sims will need to play better in the passing game if he wants to stay on the field and if Georgia Tech looks to move up the standings.

Versatile linebacker Quez Jackson is the team’s leading returning tackler with 80 in 2020 as well as 4.5 for loss, two interceptions and a sack. The defense was 90th or worse in the FBS in every major category last year and Jackson’s leadership will be sorely needed with just two returning starters among the front six.

The other starter up front that is back from 2020 is sixth year senior Djimon Brooks, who recorded three tackles for loss and a sack last season.

Key Additions

Georgia Tech had trouble protecting Sims last year, so they brought in a pair of starting tackles through the transfer portal. Kenneth Kirby was a two-time All-Meac selection at FCS Norfolk State and Devin Cochran started for three years at Vanderbilt.

They also added transfers on the other side of the ball, with former Alabama player Kevin Harris expected to start at one of the defensive end positions and highly touted Keion White coming in from Old Dominion to add depth at the other one.

Key Subtractions

Leading receiver Jalen Camp, who caught four touchdown passes and averaged over 15 yards a reception. He was a seventh round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars as they look to add targets for top pick Trevor Lawrence.

David Curry led the Yellow Jackets with 84 tackles and nine tackles for loss. His contributions will be sorely missed as he signed with the Denver Broncos as a undrafted free agent.

Division Outlook

North Carolina and Miami, both ranked in the top 15 in preseason polls, are the favorites to capture the ACC Coastal and potentially play Clemson in the ACC Championship game to try to prevent the Tigers from winning their seventh consecutive league title. Neither team plays Clemson, but North Carolina holds a bit of an edge in the schedule.

Head coach Justin Fuentes is on the hot seat at Virginia Tech, but he could go a long way in staying with the Hokies if they can derail North Carolina’s title bid with a win in the opening game for both teams. Following Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Virginia will be battling to stay in the top half of the division, with Georgia Tech and Duke struggling to stay out of the basement.

The conference abandoned the division structure in 2020 as they welcomed Notre Dame into the league for one season. Prior to last year, all seven ACC Coastal teams had won the division once between 2013 and 2019.

Georgia Tech Offense

The offensive line needs to do a better job of both protecting the quarterback and opening holes for the talented running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and Dontae Smith. They will also need to find a reliable replacement for Camp at wide receiver in order for the offense to improve on their tenth place ranking in the conference.

An improved defense would also help, allowing them to take the pressure off Sims and the rest of the unit from constantly having to play from behind. Overall, the offense has the talent to make Georgia Tech more competitive if the transfers bolster the line they have a chance to run their offense.

Georgia Tech Defense

There were only 16 defenses in FBS that had worse numbers than Georgia Tech’s in 2020 and most of them weren’t trying to compete in possibly the most competitive Power Five division. With even modest improvement, they can give the Yellow Jackets a good chance to improve on their back to back three win seasons.

The players need to demonstrate more intensity and perhaps a more normal season will help. The linebackers are definitely capable of solid play, as is the secondary, but the front will need to incorporate their new contributors and generate more of a pass rush to deny opposing quarterbacks time to sit back and pick apart the secondary.

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets FAQ’s

How many national championships does Georgia Tech claim?

Four, the latest in 1990.

When did Georgia Tech join the ACC?

1983

How many conference championships has Georgia Tech won?

16, most recently in the ACC in 1998, although they had the 2009 title vacated by the NCAA.

What is Georgia Tech’s all-time record?

734-497-40

Who is the winningest coach in Georgia Tech history?

Bobby Dodd, for whom their stadium is named, won 165 games from 1945 – 1966.