In an ACC-SEC clash, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Vanderbilt Commodores give fans one of the top QB-powered bowl games of the season. However, one team will be without some serious star power, thanks to the transfer portal and opt-outs.
Top Vanderbilt Players Not Playing in Birmingham Bowl
Thanks to the CFN Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, we know which players from the Commodores won’t be in action in the Birmingham Bowl.
- Ezra McAllister, WR (transfer portal)
- Tyler Fortenberry, TE (transfer portal)
- Gunnar Hansen, OT (transfer portal)
- Darren Agu, EDGE (transfer portal)
- Evan Herrmann, EDGE (transfer portal)
- Callahan Blair, EDGE (transfer portal)
- BJ Diakite, EDGE (transfer portal)
- Devin Lee, DL (transfer portal)
- Jeffrey Ugochukwu, LB (transfer portal)
- Alvin Williamson Jr., CB (transfer portal)
- Alan Wright, CB (transfer portal)
- Micah Bell, ATH (transfer portal)
- Steven Sannieniola, S (transfer portal)
- Will Faris, K (transfer portal)
The biggest factor for Vanderbilt is the fact that they have their QB: Diego Pavia. With Pavia, the Commodores can truly beat anyone. They showed that this season.
Elsewhere, however, they’ve lost several players to the portal, but like most teams, those portal entrants have had quite different impacts this year.
And for Vanderbilt, their portal entrants were all minimal contributors this season, at best. In fact, only Diakite on defense notched more than a single tackle (3) while each offensive portal entrant did not record a single statistic in 2024.
Top Georgia Tech Players Not Playing in Birmingham Bowl
Similarly, thanks to CFN’s Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker, the Yellow Jackets expected to miss the game are easy to find:
- Zach Pyron, QB (transfer portal)
- Evan Dickens, RB (transfer portal)
- Christian Leary, WR (transfer portal)
- Malik Rutherford, WR (transfer portal)
- Eric Singleton Jr., WR (transfer portal)
- Leo Blackburn, TE (transfer portal)
- Corey Robinson II, OT (transfer portal)
- Jordan Brown, OT (transfer portal)
- Romello Height, EDGE (transfer portal)
- Christian Burkhalter, EDGE (transfer portal)
- Uche Iloh, DL (transfer portal)
- Horace Lockett, DL (transfer portal)
- Taye Seymore, S (transfer portal)
Unlike Vandy, the Yellow Jackets may be a shell of themselves offensively.
Sure, they have Haynes King to keep their rushing attack intact, but their receiving corps were decimated by the portal. Leading receivers Singleton and Rutherford hit the portal, leaving behind 115 total receptions and over 670 yards apiece.
Georgia Tech’s leading receiver in this game will be Avery Boyd — who produced a 22-292-2 statistical showing this year to date.
On defense, the Jackets will be without Height, who finished second on the team with 2.5 sacks, but his presence off the edge is hard to replicate.
Seymore is perhaps the biggest disadvantage for the Jackets as he finished with 45 total tackles, providing an added layer to both the second and third levels of defense.
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