With spring practices and the spraying transfer window closed, now is as good as any time to break down the expectations of college football programs across the country. On3’s Andy Staples was joined by ACC Network analyst Roddy Jones on the Andy Staples On3 Podcast to go over the ceiling and the floor of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 2024.
“This is a good team, probably an even better team than last year,” opened Staples. “Haynes King [is] at quarterback. After he left Texas A&M, we finally got to see him playing free, and what a great athlete he is in Buster Faulkner’s offense; he just blossomed. But congratulations, Yellow Jackets. You’re getting better now. You get to go to Dublin in week zero and play Florida State.”
Georgia Tech will kick off the 2024 season with a neutral site game across the Atlantic Ocean in Dublin, Ireland, against the defending ACC champs, Florida State. As far as this year goes, the Yellow Jackets will not be given the opportunity to face any of these three incoming programs into the conference: Cal, Stanford, and SMU.
As Jones picked up where staples left off, the former Yellow Jacket in his own right highlight it how daunting the back half of their 2024 schedule is, while simultaneously highlighting their defensive and offensive pros heading into the summer.
“The back half of the schedule is just absolutely brutal,” Jones said. “This will be a better Georgia Tech team; they bring in Tyler Santucci at defensive coordinator. I think there’s some natural strides to be made defensively there.”
“Offensively, the growth that I think you’ve seen from that offensive line really, over the last four years Brent Key was in charge of it under Geoff Collins, and he takes over, and as head coach, the offensive line continues to improve. You mentioned Hayes King— 37 touchdowns for Haynes King last year. I really like this Georgia Tech team and I like the direction they’re going.”
Ceiling and floor predictions for Georgia Tech
With Georgia Tech widely believed to have a better program in head coach Brent Key’s second year leading the program, Jones is not alone in the belief that the Yellow Jackets will be better in 2024. However, their schedule, which ends with whole matchups against Notre Dame, Miami, NC State, and trips to Virginia Tech and Georgia, will greatly challenge Georgia Tech’s ability to improve on last year’s 7-6 finish. So, where does Jones Staples believe the Yellow Jackets will finish in 2024? And does either college football expert see them making it to a bowl game for the second year in a row?
“This schedule’s so tough,” Jones started. “In order for them to have a better record than they did a year ago, a lot has to break right for them. I think the ceilings 8-4… I think, more realistic, it’s 6-6. Georgia Tech is one of those that if they make a bowl, it is a win for the season; the floor is probably somewhere in that four-win range.”
“I had 5-7 as the floor,” countered Staples. “I think this program is going in the right direction. But like you said, the schedule just doesn’t do them any favors. Gotta play Georgia every year. They’re not going to be getting any worse. And Miami, NC State, Florida State— they got the toughest draw of anybody in the league.
Georgia Tech will face off against four of the top five teams in the ACC, expected to compete for the conference crown and a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff. Not to mention, they also have their annual matchup against in-state rival the Georgia Bulldogs, who are one year removed from back-to-back national championship runs, to end the year.
The Yellow Jackets might not finish 2024 undefeated or ask her for champions. However, in the eyes of both Jones and Staples, Georgia Tech earning a second straight bowl season berth would be a successful season and second year under Key.
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