Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Jamal Haynes (11) is pushed out of bounds by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jaiden Ausberry (4) in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech's Jamal Haynes, Keylan Rutledge Land On Preseason All-ACC First Team

Originally posted on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on SI
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 4:03 PM ET

The preseason All-ACC team was just released, and Georgia Tech saw two players get recognition. Running back Jamal Haynes and offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge were both voted first team All-ACC, with Haynes even receiving one vote for preseason ACC player of the year.

Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge, running back Jamal Haynes are preseason all-ACC selections.

Quarterback Haynes King comes in second for preseason ACC player of the year behind Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) July 31, 2025

Rutledge earned first-team all-America honors from Sports Info Solutions in 2024, his first season at Georgia Tech after transferring from Middle Tennessee. He started all 13 games at right guard in ’24, despite being unable to participate in football activities for the entire preseason after sustaining a serious foot injury in a car accident in December 2023.

Rutledge earned the all-America recognition on the strength of ranking in the top 10 offensive linemen nationally in SIS’s Total Points metric, including a top-five national ranking in run-blocking Total Points. In pass protection, he 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 ACC in rushing offense (187.0 ypg).

Earlier this summer, he was named second-team preseason all-America by Phil Steele College Football Preview. Rutledge is one of only 15 guards on the Outland Trophy watch list, which was released on Tuesday. Sixteen offensive tackles, 10 defensive tackles, and nine centers make up the rest of the list.

Haynes enters the ’25 campaign as the first Georgia Tech running back to rush for at least 900 yards in back-to-back seasons since Jonathan Dwyer in 2008 and 2009. As a junior in 2024, he amassed 1,110 total yards from scrimmage (944 rushing, 166 receiving) and 12 touchdowns (nine rushing, three receiving), en route to earning all-ACC recognition for the second-straight year.

As a sophomore in 2023, Haynes moved from wide receiver to running back during fall camp and went on to become Georgia Tech’s first 1,000-yard rusher in six years. His 1,257 all-purpose yards in ’23 (1,053 rushing, 151 receiving and 47 on kickoff returns) included 128 in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl versus UCF. He was named MVP of the Yellow Jackets’ 30-17 Gasparilla Bowl victory.

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

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