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Nov 29, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) scores a touchdown past Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Dan Jackson (17) during the first half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech Gets 10 Players (Four First Teamers) On Athlon's Preseason All-ACC Teams

Originally posted on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 3:17 PM ET

The offseason is getting closer to completion and ACC Media Days are nearly a week away. One of the staples of the offseason is preseason All-American or All conference lists and recently, Athlon Sports released theirs. On their preseason All-ACC teams, Georgia Tech has ten players make the cut, including four first teamers.

First Team

RB Jamal Haynes (r-Sr., Loganville, Ga./Grayson H.S.)

OG Keylan Rutledge (Sr., Royston, Ga./Franklin County H.S.)

DL Jordan van den Berg (r-Sr., Johannesburg, South Africa/Providence Christian Academy (Ga.))

LB Kyle Efford (r-Jr., Dacula, Ga./Dacula H.S.)

Second Team

WR Eric Rivers (r-Sr., Chattanooga, Tenn./McCallie School)

WR Malik Rutherford (r-Sr., Miami, Fla./Champagnat Catholic School)

Third Team

CB Ahmari Harvey (r-Sr., Tallahassee, Fla./Florida State University School)

Fourth Team

QB Haynes King (r-Sr., Longview, Texas/Longview H.S.)

OL Joe Fusile (r-Sr., Richmond Hill, Ga./Richmond Hill H.S.)

P Marshall Nichols (Sr., Atlanta, Ga./Holy Innocents Episcopal School)

Haynes has rushed for 2,003 yards and 16 touchdowns over the last two seasons, including 944 yards and nine scores despite battling a variety of injuries as a redshirt junior in 2024. He is the first Yellow Jacket to rush for at least 900 yards in back-to-back seasons since QB TaQuon Marshall in 2017 and 2018 and the first Tech running back to accomplish the feat since Jonathan Dwyer in 2008 and 2009. He also had a career-high 28 receptions out of the backfield for 166 yards and three touchdowns in ’24, giving him a total of 1,110 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns on the campaign. Haynes was an honorable-mention all-ACC selection last season as well as a third-team honoree as a running back and honorable-mention all-purpose performer as a sophomore in 2023.

Rutledge is also coming off an all-America campaign, having received first-team honors from Sports Info Solutions as a junior in 2024. He earned the recognition on the strength of ranking in the top 10 nationally among offensive linemen in SIS’s Total Points metric, including a top-five national ranking in run-blocking Total Points. In pass protection, the junior had only two “blown blocks” in nearly 400 regular-season attempts, according to SIS. He also helped anchor a Georgia Tech offensive front that ranked third nationally in fewest sacks allowed (nine in 13 games) and paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to rank second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing offense (187.0 ypg).

In his first season as a Yellow Jacket, van den Berg earned second-team all-ACC honors as a junior in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound gap-filler played a major role in Tech finishing in the top 30 nationally in rushing defense (122.2 ypg allowed). He finished the season with 23 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries from his defensive tackle position. His two fumble recoveries tied for 19th nationally, and he made one of the Jackets’ biggest defensive plays of the season when he recovered a fumble by eventual No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward with 1:36 in the game to all but seal Tech’s 28-23 win over previously unbeaten and No. 4-ranked Miami (Fla.).

Efford burst on the national scene as a sophomore in 2024, earning third-team all-ACC recognition despite seeing action in just 10 games due to a midseason injury that caused him to miss two regular-season games, as well as the Birmingham Bowl versus Vanderbilt. He led Georgia Tech in tackles for the second-straight season with 64, also led the team with 3.0 sacks and was tied for third on the squad with 5.5 tackles for loss. He averaged 7.4 tackles per game over the first seven contests of the season before sustaining the injury that forced him to miss three of the final six games of the campaign.

Georgia Tech opens the eagerly awaited 2025 season on Friday, Aug. 29 with a highly anticipated intersectional matchup at Colorado (8 p.m. ET – ESPN) and begins its home slate against Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Sept. 6 (3:30 p.m. – ACC Network Extra).

This article first appeared on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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