Report Card: Grading Georgia Tech entering the bye week
Who are the Yellow Jackets through five games?
It’s safe to say that Georgia Tech is heading into a much-needed bye week. The Yellow Jackets have been pedal to the metal since early August as they prepped for the Week Zero matchup in Ireland. This week is a time for reflection and correction. Is this team perfect? No, but is it as bad as some might think? I don’t think so, either. It’s time to take out the red pen and grade each side of the football through five contests.
Offense: B
Opinions might differ here, but this unit has overall been pretty solid in 2024. Are there things that need to improve? Yes, but some things have improved from last season. Let’s start with a positive. Haynes King has taken care of the football. The Jackets’ signal-caller has made good decisions with the ball for the most part, and outside of the backward pass that was swatted down and recovered for a touchdown against Louisville, King has been decisive with where he wants to go with the football. His biggest question was how he would look when he cut down on the turnovers. Would it also cut down on his playmaking ability? I would say we have seen maybe a little less aggression through five games, but he has been very efficient. That being said…
The run game has been disappointing for an offense that ranks 45th in scoring at 33 points per game. They have had to be pretty reliant on the passing game and King's legs to kickstart and sustain drives. This started after the Florida State game, where the Jackets left a good impression on the country but came back to the United States slightly banged up. The Jackets made good strides against the Seminoles, but the lack of an inside run game has puzzled the fanbase. The use of Kings’ legs has been played a bit too much and has become predictable. A week off for Jamal Haynes and the rest of this run, combined with getting the interior of the offensive line back on track, should help this unit restart things as they prepare to host Duke next week.
The wide receiver spot has flourished at the top as Malik Rutherford and Eric Singleton lead a unit with speed and explosive playmaking ability. While fans may want to see more down-field opportunities, the run game has to help open that up. The emergence of Avery Boyd is something that many fans and people in the media wanted to see. He’s becoming a bonafide weapon for this offense to utilize in different spots. With Christian Leary stepping away from the team, expect more opportunities from the likes of Chase Lane, Bailey Stockton, and Isiah Canion, too. I like the present and future of this position and feel it might be one of the most robust units on the field.
Defense: C
I really fought between a C and a B+ minus grade here, but my mom was a teacher for 20-plus years and she was always a harsh grader. So, for Georgia Tech, they are going to have to earn that C+ grade. I think the defense played pretty well against Louisville, but at times, they got dominated up front. This was also a common theme in the loss at Syracuse. Based on who they have played and our data through five games, this defense has been less than stellar against equal-to-better competition while solid against the teams they are better than.
One area of concern for me (and I discussed this in Sunday’s podcast episode), is the ability to defend the pass at the linebacker spot. This centers around fan-favorite Kyle Efford. While the linebacker has been solid against the run, outside of the VMI game, Efford has graded out below a 61 per PFF in pass coverage in each of Georgia Tech’s other four games. On Saturday, the broadcast even identified Louisville picking on Efford in coverage. This isn’t to say he can’t improve in that area, but right now, it’s a liability for the Jackets’ defense. It’s a mismatch that opponents are already pointing out, and that won’t stop if he stays out there in passing situations.
The secondary, in general, has shown flashes, but they were picked apart in the losses to Syracuse and Louisville. In games against formidable passing attacks, this unit has struggled. Some of that can be placed on the lack of a consistent pass rush, too. The Jackets aren’t getting what they expected from some veteran ends, and the interior rush isn’t much better. Efford and Jordan van den Berg have shown flashes in the pass rush, but a guy like Romello Height really needs to step up in order to help out this defense as a whole.
Special Teams: B-
After kicking a game-winner in the season opener, Aidan Birr has had an up-down four weeks since. The place kicker is now 3-of-7 on field goal attempts, including just 1-of-5 from 40-plus yards. The bye week is a good time for him to reet and recalibrate for the next opportunity. He can be a weapon, and I believe this is just a slump, not indicative of who he is. Rodney Shelley has been handling punt returns and hasn’t been a massive contributor yet, averaging just 7.2 yards per return. Punting has been dealt by David Shanahan, who is averaging 45.6 on fourteen punts this year. Lastly, the plays that Georgia Tech has made on special teams, such as blocked field goals, have been countered by their miscues. In my opinion, they have canceled each other out.
Couple comments:
1) If you had told me at the end of last year that our defense would earn a C-something, I would have been somewhat happy. Of course, this is a lot of "you can't fall off the floor" and any significant improvement would have been welcomed.
2) Not sure what's up with Birr, but it's definitely fixable. We had a field goal kicker that went a season or two not being able to make thirtysomething-yarders, while hitting chip shots and long ones. Didn't know if it was mental or physical or what.
His name was Harrison Butker.