If there is one thing the offseason has shown fans of Tech football, it is that respect must be taken because it certainly will not be given.
Last season, the Jackets won a bowl game and achieved a winning record for the first time in five years. Rather than being optimistic, the national media is skeptical. CBS Sports has the Jackets ranked as the 53rd best team in the country and the 10th-best team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Two of the conference’s new arrivals – University of California (Cal) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) – are already being ranked over Tech.
Part of that skepticism is rooted in their challenging 2024 schedule — consensus has it among the top 10 of the nation’s toughest. They open the season in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland versus the reigning ACC champion, the Florida State Seminoles on Aug. 24. The Jackets return to Atlanta to take on their cross-town rivals, Georgia State, at home in Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. They face off against the Virginia Military Institute before embarking on an ACC run with games against Louisville, Duke and the University of North Carolina.
Next, Tech squares off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish under the bright lights of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta before they head on the road to take on a familiar ACC foe in Virginia Tech. Tech’s homecoming game this year will be their Nov. 9 showdown against the Miami Hurricanes in a game that could have massive conference implications.
The Jackets will face the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the last home game before heading to Athens to take on u[sic]ga in a display of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. On paper, Tech is going to have their work cut out for them if they want to make it to the ACC championship
game in Charlotte, N.C.
Fortunately, the Jackets have one of the best offenses in the nation. Last year, they ranked in the top 35 nationally for total offensive yardage while being especially lethal on the ground. The Jackets finished 13th in rushing yards per game and 10th in both yards per carry and first downs per rush. Those rushing totals are in large part due to redshirt junior Jamal Haynes, who became Tech’s first 1000-yard rusher since the 2018 season.
However, the Jackets’ success on the ground must also be attributed to redshirt junior quarterback Haynes King, who made a name for himself as a dual-threat quarterback. In 2023, King ran for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns while slicing up defenses through the air for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns. Only four ACC quarterbacks have matched or exceeded those totals since 2000.
Through the air, King’s primary option should be exciting sophomore receiver Eric Singleton Jr. Singleton is coming off a freshman All-American season where he caught 48 passes for 714 yards and six touchdowns. He is one of the most exciting young receivers in the nation and is poised for another big year. It is far from a one-man show — speedster redshirt junior Malik Rutherford can burn opposing secondaries from the slot while redshirt senior Chase Lane, senior Christian Leary and redshirt senior Abdul Janneh are experienced route-runners who know how to get open.
Both King and Haynes are also beneficiaries of an offensive line that returns four of its five starters. Sophomore left tackle Ethan Mackenney, redshirt sophomore left guard Joe Fusile, senior center Weston Franklin and senior right tackle Jordan Williams all played a major role in the Jackets only conceding an ACC-best of 1.15 sacks per game in 2023.
Tech’s defense is going to be the main question in 2024, but there is reason for optimism. Senior strong safety LaMiles Brooks and junior free safety Clayton Powell-Lee are a good tandem roaming the backend of the secondary. Redshirt junior Ahmari Harvey and senior Warren Burrell, a transfer addition from Tennessee, profile as the starting cornerbacks after strong seasons in 2023-24.
They will be backing up a front seven led by sophomore linebacker Kyle Eifford. The spot next to him is currently subject to a competition between redshirt sophomore u[sic]GA transfer E.J Lightsey and redshirt junior Louisville transfer Jackson Hamilton.
On the defensive line, the senior duo of Zeek Biggers and Kevin Harris are a force in the middle. This unit has undergone significant changes from last season, as the Jackets landed redshirt senior defensive tackle Thomas Gore and redshirt junior Romello Height in the transfer portal to mitigate 2023 departures from the defensive team.
On the edge, senior defensive ends Makius Scott and redshirt senior Sylvain Yondjouen will be collapsing pockets for the Jackets. It is going to take time, but there is reason to believe this defense can take strides from being one of the worst defensive units in the conference.
Yes, 2024 could be the season that the Jackets make a run at the ACC Championship. Yes, 2024 could be a year of regression as the team’s tough schedule catches up with them. However, if there’s one thing head coach Brent Key made clear in his first season, he expects to compete with everybody. If he can continue delivering on that vision, the rest of the ACC could be in trouble.
Tech fans will get their first look at the team against Florida State on August 24 in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which will take place in Dublin. Riding on the motivation garnered last season, the game will be an early test for Key’s group to answer, one that is sure to set the tone of a critical season for the Jackets.