Georgia Tech Bye Week Report Cards: Defensive Line

I do think this is a matter of playing your best players, and the Yellow Jackets can get more production.

For example, Amontrae Bradford is beginning to come on for Georgia Tech and continuing to affect the game in the pass rush and also defending the run. He was the second-highest ranked defensive player with a 71.3 grade on only 18 snaps against Wake Forest. This season, he has 10 tackles and two sacks. He is tied for the lead on the team with two sacks. Bradford should be on the field more than he is, especially with the impact he is having.

Jordan van den Berg is having another productive season with 11 tackles. He’s had a running mate alongside him who is making his job easier in the interior of Akelo Stone. Stone has 11 tackles and two sacks this season for the Yellow Jackets. Stone is affecting the run and rushing the passer. Both defensive tackles have been bright spots for the Yellow Jackets this season.

Jason Moore and Matthew Alexander have been subbing in for Georgia Tech this season and are a heavy part of the rotation in the interior. They’ve combined for 13 tackles. Brayden Manley hasn’t had quite the start to the season that Georgia Tech would have hoped, with only six tackles in five games, but it looks like he is starting to turn a corner. In the last game against Wake Forest, Manley had a tackle and a forced fumble. They desperately need him to be close to the player he was with Mercer and be that game wrecker and difference maker. He is still figuring it out.

Ronald Triplette had his best game against Temple this season, recording four tackles and a sack. They need more of that from him moving forward. Shymeik Jones and AJ Hoffler have been getting a good number of snaps but have combined for six tackles through five games this season. Hoffler was a big pickup from Clemson for Georgia, but still looking to make an impact on the gridiron.

Georgia Tech has got great production from their freshman edge rushers who have been playing at a high level in Andre Fuller Jr and Christian Garrett. Fuller Jr has nine tackles on the season, and had his best start early in the season with multiple games of three tackles. Garrett has seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one pass defensed. Both have shown they can be effective even as freshmen and deserve to be on the field more.

If Yellow Jackets Play This Trio More They Could Become Lethal

I think the bottom line for the Yellow Jackets is that they need to play some of their younger players, especially at the edge position, who are having success and making a difference. Yes, they are inexperienced and will make mistakes, but when they are producing at the level they are, you have to see what they can do with more consistent snaps. It is showing on the PFF grades when you evaluate the team.

Garrett is the highest-rated defender with a 77.9 defensive grade in 2025. He is also one of the better tacklers with a 78.9 tackling grade.  Bradford is ranked sixth with a 71.9 defensive grade. Bradford is the best pass rusher by a mile with an 83.4 grade, which is considered good to great according to PFF metrics. Fuller is ranked lower on the scale but shows potential with his impact splash plays. If Georgia Tech finds a way to play this trio more, this defensive line could come alive and create more turnovers and negative plays. All three of these guys have been playing at a high level this season and deserve more snaps.

“I mean, he's (Christian Garrett) a really good football player. Got a long way to go. Christian, he's big, he's strong, he's fast. Same with Dre (Andre Fuller). But like all freshmen, playing on the line of scrimmage, they're in there playing sometimes 15, 20 plays, sometimes it's 30, 40 plays, depending on really what we're in. But they're developing every week, they're improving every week. You still see them play high and try to peak and see what's going on. Christian had a couple last week where his eyes got out of place, where some of the quarterback things, and he's in perfect position, perfect position, and takes the cheese and goes in,” said Key.

“That's why we play these guys. That's why we're playing them, because hopefully they won't make those mistakes again. I've been very encouraged by the development of those young guys. Montre (Amontrae), I know he's a second-year player. Jordan Boyd's second year, but Montre has made so much improvement. He's a little different, too, because so many guys come in in January, and he came in in the summer last year. So really, when you look at him and Christian or him and Dre, they're really only about six months apart from the time they've been here. So you can almost throw those guys in the freshman group as well, who got here in the summertime.”

Grade: C-