Shifting the focus onto Georgia Tech's 2025 recruiting class
Shifting the focus onto Georgia Tech's 2025 recruiting class
Where do the Jackets need to turn their attention as the focus shifts to the 2025 recruiting class?
The book is closed on the 2024 recruiting class for the Yellow Jackets as national signing day (late edition) has come and gone. So what were the final results?
Well per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the Jackets finished with the 33rd-best recruiting class in the 2024 cycle. This is a pretty solid finished considering you were breaking in a first-time head coach and trying to establish an identity for your program. It’s not where you want to be, but better then where you came from.
So what should some of the focuses be for the upcoming classes? While I’ll avoid specific positions for now and save that for later, the recruiting identity might be the biggest going forward. Below are three things that should define the “recruiting identity” of Georgia Tech heading into next year’s class and beyond.
Improved Presence in Georgia
It has been a point made over and over again, that the state of Georgia is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country. This past cycle, the Jackets finished with eight of the top one hundred players in the Peach State. Once again, that is really solid, but there is always room for improvement. As the talent continues to be produced out of the state, Georgia Tech needs to keep making an effort to be one of the finalists for these top in-state recruits. Of course there is still a ways to go for trying to poach a five-star talent out of the state, but being being considered a legitimate contender for more of the top fifty and thirty players in the state is step that the Jackets need to take here in this next cycle.
Brent Key did a fantastic job of using that helicopter to make a tour around the state, while re-establishing relationships with some of the best high-school programs this state has to offer. Combine that with the fact that Key has made a concerted effort to hire coaches with ties to the high-school ranks in Georgia, and it really does feel like the Jackets are doing a good job of making sure their logo is right there with some of the top programs that recruit the state.
Evaluations need to be the difference-maker
In order for Georgia Tech to be considered a strong suitor for the top-tier talent in the state our elsewhere, finding that “diamond in the rough” will have to do. The staff absolutely hit the nail on the head with its evaluation of freshman wide receiver Eric Singleton last season, as well as offensive lineman Ethan Mackenny. That’s a great start, but can they find more? This falls on the support and recruiting staff to identify those overlooked talents and in turn get them on campus. This program has started to build some nice momentum in that category over the past couple of years, but finding more will only brighten the recruiting star for this team.
Supplement with talent outside of the state
I said earlier that making an impact inside the state of Georgia needs to be a priority for this staff going forward. That is true. However, this staff has some nice recruiting ties to other areas of the country that really need to be taken advantage of. Having a presence in the state of Louisiana, specifically New Orleans, is a nice pipeline for this staff to try and re-establish. Picking up Graham Knowles from the state of Texas this past cycle, should not be overlooked as the Jackets were able to go into another talent-rich state and poach a quality, young quarterback. Key’s ties and familairity with the state of Alabama has allowed them to land and sign players that should be contrubotirs fairly soon in Atlanta. The addition of Anthony Carrie, Santana Alo-Tupuola and Nehemiah Chandler have shown other programs that they can win some battles down in Florida. All of these additions may not pan out to be “all-american” type moves, but it’s something to say that Georgia Tech has been able to go into other programs’ back-yards and win a battle or two.
This staff in just one year has changed the narrative around the program and winning this past season helped that tremendously. Another successful season on the field in 2024 will help a recruiting class that should be looking to crack that top 25 mark.
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