In head coach Brent Key’s first full season at the helm, Georgia Tech put up its first winning season in five years. However, the Yellow Jackets own the No. 2 toughest strength of schedule in the nation, with VMI their only clear win and Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami (FL), and Georgia on tap. To post back-to-back 7+ win seasons for the first time since 2013-14, Georgia Tech’s top 10 returning players must reach their potential.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Top 10 Returners in 2024
10) Aidan Birr, K
As a true freshman in 2022, Aidan Birr sat behind Gavin Stewart, who set Georgia Tech’s single-season field goal rate at 92.3%. All he did when he took over the starting kicking role in 2023 was record the second-highest single-season field goal rate in program history (89.5%), making 15 of 19 field goals.
9) Kevin Harris and Romello Heights, EDGEs
Kevin Harris enters his fourth and final season in Atlanta fresh off his best season. After not seeing the field as a four-star true freshman at Alabama, Harris transferred to Georgia Tech but struggled to see the field in his first two years. Then, in 2024, he earned a starting role, putting up 27 tackles and a sack. At 6’4″ and 245 pounds with impressive speed, Harris is primed for a breakout campaign.
Romello Heights, who is on his third team (Auburn, 2020-21; USC, 2022-23), has one more season to unlock his four-star pedigree. He flashed in his last season with the Trojans, recording four sacks and 20 tackles. The physical tools are there; it’s up to Key and Co. to put him in a position to succeed.
8) Zeek Biggers, DT
At a hulking 6’6″ and 333 pounds, Zeek Biggers is a problem anywhere from the A to B gaps. He generated 35 tackles, four TFLs, one sack, three PBUs, a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick in his first season as a full-time starter in 2023, and he should build on his impressive outing in Year 2.
7) Clayton Powell-Lee, S
Safety Clayton Powell-Lee registered the second-most tackles on the team last season with 71. He also posted two pass deflections and an INT from his deep-third alignment. The true junior has played significant snaps since stepping foot on campus as a three-star recruit in 2022. While he’s a reliable over-the-middle defender for new DC Tyler Santucci’s 4-2-5 scheme, Powell-Lee has also contributed off the field.
Georgia Tech nominated him for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes college football student-athletes for their unwavering commitment to community service and good works off the field. Of 178 nominees across all levels of college football, 22 student-athletes will be named to the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in September.
6) Kyle Efford, LB
Last year’s leading tackler (81), Kyle Efford, didn’t even start the entire year, garnering the first-team role in Week 8. He’s only a redshirt sophomore and has room to add muscle to his 6’2″, 219-pound frame, but he has the movement skills to shut down the second level in 2024. Linebacker is an experience-based position, and with half a year’s worth of starting reps under his belt, it’s Efford’s time to shine.
5) Eric Singleton Jr., Malik Rutherford, and Christian Leary, WRs
As a 5’11” and 170-pound true freshman, Eric Singleton Jr. tortured defenses, taking 48 passes for 714 yards and six TDs. His 59.5 receiving yards average tied for fourth among all freshmen (true or redshirt) in the country. If he continues to build on the chemistry he shares with QB Haynes King, there’s no reason not to believe he’ll be even better in 2024.
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While Singleton is the unquestioned WR1 on the team, Georgia Tech has two more pass catchers ready to make an impact. Malik Rutherford was the second-leading receiver last season, manufacturing a 46-502-3 receiving line, while Christian Leary caught 25 passes for 309 and two scores. Both WRs are around 5’10” and 170 pounds, so they’ll never thrive with physicality, but they know how to separate.
4) Jordan Williams, OT
Jordan Williams joined the Yellow Jackets as a three-star prospect in the 2020 class from Gainesville, Georgia (about an hour northeast of campus). It took him less time to receive meaningful playing time than it took him to drive to Atlanta, as Williams has seen 500+ snaps every season since.
Last year, he helped pave the way for an offense that averaged 203.8 yards per game, which ranked No. 1 in the ACC and No. 12 in the FBS. But Williams isn’t just a mauling run blocker. Serving as the starting right tackle, he kept King’s jersey clean, as the QB was only sacked 1.15 times per game, the No. 1 rate in the conference and No. 15 nationally.
3) LaMiles Brooks, S
Following a 10-pass deflection, three-INT, third-team All-ACC campaign in 2022, LaMiles Brooks entered 2023 with heightened expectations. However, several injuries slowed him down, although 67 tackles, seven pass deflections, and an interception is anything but disappointing. Now back with Powell-Lee, Brooks aims to form one of the best safety duos in the nation.
During the spring, Brooks spoke about what motivated him to return for a final season:
“Absolutely. Last year, it was more of a down season; a few more injuries occurred than I would have liked, production wasn’t where I would have liked it as well. So, you know, kind of motivated for sure but embracing what happened last year, kind of accepting it for what it was or what it is, and then coming in and making this season strictly about this season, kind of not trying to look back or compare anything to last season”
2) Jamal Haynes, RB
Jamal Haynes became Georgia Tech’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017 last season; he entered the spring as a wide receiver. At 5’9″ and 180 pounds, he’ll never handle the workload of sturdier backs, but he is as shifty and explosive as they come with the ball in his hands. Add in Haynes’ pass-catching and kick-returning ability, and you have a top-five RB in the conference.
1) Haynes King, QB
King’s 16 INTs weren’t great, but he also had some tough turnover luck in 2023 that should positively regress in 2024.
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Plus, he showcased an aspect of his game we hadn’t seen much of before: his rushing ability (737 yards and 10 TDs). With a full year of starts under his belt and time to control his arm arrogance, King should enjoy another standout performance in 2024.
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