2021 season: 3-9, 2-6 in the ACC (6th in the Coastal Division)
Head coach: Geoff Collins (4th season)
Georgia Tech didn’t perform spectacularly in its 2021 season, and the upcoming season doesn’t bode significantly better for Collins’ squad. Its opening nonconference slate features two ranked teams in Clemson and Ole Miss, and starting the season 1-3 will not give the Yellow Jackets any significant momentum to finally fix their dreary trajectory.
And like last year, the rest of the season will not be smooth sailing for Georgia Tech either: they are set to face off against North Carolina, Georgia, Miami and Pittsburgh. But if there’s an ACC matchup the Yellow Jackets should be slated to win, it is against Duke. Duke will need a year or two with new head coach Mike Elko before its performance in the ACC will be significantly higher than last year’s donut in the ACC win column.
To throw Collins a bone, one of the hardest parts of rebuilding after moving away from a triple-option offense is recruiting, as many new positions need to be filled on the field. But with a 2022 recruiting class that ranks ninth in the ACC and 54th overall, another year of mediocre recruiting might indicate that this rebuild may finally be deemed unsuccessful at the end of the season.
The only positive one can anticipate this year for Georgia Tech is that its offensive line can only go up from last year. There are four new transfers on the offensive line this season, which will go a long way toward ameliorating the team’s fine-at-best blocking unit from the last couple of seasons.
The other main component of Georgia Tech's unclear offense is Jeff Sims, who will be returning for his third year as starting quarterback. While he only had seven interceptions last season compared to 13 in 2020—which was good for third-highest in the country—his 12 passing touchdowns and 1,468 yards through the air leave Yellow Jacket fans wondering how strong the backbone of their offense really is.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Leah Boyd is a Pratt senior and a social chair of The Chronicle's 118th volume. She was previously editor-in-chief for Volume 117.