Early FSU Scouting Report: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Florida State football team will kick off the 2024 season in Dublin, Ireland, where the Seminoles will square off against Georgia Tech on Saturday, Aug. 24, inside Aviva Stadium.

The Seminoles, under head coach Mike Norvell, are coming off a 13-1 season and 2023 ACC Championship. Georgia Tech went 7-6 last season and is 11-10 under head coach Brent Key.

Warchant will have in-depth analysis of the matchup during the coming week, but here is a preliminary look at the Yellow Jackets and the firepower they return in 2024.

Offensive Outlook:

The Yellow Jackets bring back star QB Haynes King to lead the offense in 2024. As a redshirt sophomore last season, he threw for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns. King was also the team’s second-best rusher, adding 737 yards on the ground and finding the end zone 10 times. King’s position coach and co-offensive coordinator is Florida State legend and 2000 Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke.

Joining King in the backfield is junior running back Jamal Haynes. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound back led the team in rushing in 2023; he ran for 1,059 yards and scored eight total TDs during his sophomore campaign (7 rushing, 1 receiving). Senior RB Trey Cooley will join them in the backfield after rushing for 274 yards and three scores. 

Highlighting the Georgia Tech wide receiver corps is Eric Singleton, who led the team in 2023 with 714 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Also returning is the Jackets’ second-leading pass catcher, Malik Rutherford (46 receptions, 502 yards, 4 TDs). Seniors Chase Lane and Christian Leary are expected to step up following solid springs.

Perhaps the strongest part of Georgia Tech’s offense in 2024 will be its veteran offensive line, which returns four starters from a group that paved the way for the ACC’s best-rushing attack in ’23. Tackle Jordan Williams (6-6, 315) and guard Joe Fusile (6-6, 315) received All-ACC honors in the fall, and center Weston Franklin (6-4, 310) captains the line, having started 25 games since the start of 2022. 

The Yellow Jackets ranked third in the ACC last season in total offense (424.6 yards per game), first in rushing (203.8) and seventh in passing (220.8).

Defensive Outlook:

The Jackets ranked last in the ACC for total defense last season, giving up 437.1 yards per game. They also ranked last in rushing defense, allowing a staggering 221.3 yards per game on the ground. Things were slightly better for Tech’s passing defense, which ranked eighth in the ACC, allowing opposing offenses to throw for 215.8 yards a game. 

Georgia Tech’s defensive line struggled in 2023, but the Yellow Jackets return three starters from that unit. Seniors Makius Scott (6-4, 290) and Kevin Harris (6-4, 250) are back at end, as is Zeek Biggers (6-6, 320) at tackle.

Scott ended 2023 with 34 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss and a forced fumble. Harris recorded 27 tackles in 2023, with two of them going for a loss, including a sack. Biggers comes into 2024 after racking up 40 total tackles, including four for a loss and one sack. 

Bolstering the Yellow Jackets’ defensive line are transfers Thomas Gore and Romello Height. Gore comes to Georgia Tech from Miami, where he registered eight total tackles, including 4.0 for a loss and 2.0 sacks. Height transferred from USC, where the Georgia native produced 20 total tackles, 6.0 of which went for a loss and 4.0 sacks. 

Tech returns a pair of linebackers from 2023 in Trenilyas Tatum and leading tackler Kyle Efford. Efford recorded 81 tackles last season, while Tatum registered 38 tackles, including 4.0 for a loss. The Yellow Jackets also added some pieces from the transfer portal, including redshirt junior Jackson Hamilton and redshirt sophomore E.J. Lightsey. Hamilton transferred in from Louisville, and Lightsey moved from in-state rival Georgia; neither made much of an impact at their previous schools. 

The Georgia Tech secondary returns senior strong safety LaMiles Brooks and junior cornerbacks Ahmari Harvey and Clayton Powell-Lee. Brooks recorded 67 tackles, six pass breakups and an interception last year. Harvey, a Tallahassee product, totaled 31 tackles, three pass breakups, three interceptions, and a forced fumble. Powell-Lee was second on the team in tackles, recording 70 total. The junior also broke up two passes and intercepted one. Juniors Rodney Shelley and Omar Daniels are expected to start after serving as backups in 2023.

Special Teams Outlook:

Kicker Aidan Birr returns after connecting on 17 of 19 field goals last season as a redshirt freshman. Seven of his 17 field goals came from 40 yards or more. Junior David Shanahan is back at punter after averaging 42.8 yards in 2023. Shanahan actually hails from Ireland and will be a major storyline when the Jackets face Florida State in Dublin.

Senior Christian Leary is back as a kick returner after averaging 22.0 yards last season with a long of 43. Junior Rodney Shelley was the backup punt returner in 2023 and returned four punts for 32 yards.

Previous Meeting:

The last time the Seminoles squared off against Georgia Tech was in Tallahassee during the 2022 season. FSU trounced the Yellow Jackets that day, beating them 41-16. Jordan Travis led the way, tallying 396 yards through the air and three touchdowns. 

Mitch Krueger is an FSU student and intern with Warchant.com.

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