How Improved Is The Linebacker Position for the Yellow Jackets In 2025?

An improving player in it has been Tah’j Butler, who was a freshman last season. His role has continued to expand, and he has been taking full advantage of his opportunities. This season, Butler has 14 tackles and one pass defensed. Coach Key said it best about his development and his role within the team.

“Tah’j man, I'm proud of him. So proud of him. I mean, he's a guy that has a lot of talent, probably got a little big in the offseason. He's up in the mid-230s, close to 240, almost. Now that he's come back down a little bit in his weight, he went out there and took his opportunity and really showed what he can do, show what he can do when the lights are on. He's earned his opportunity to play more and more. That's why you do it.”

The Yellow Jackets also hired a new linebacker coach, Darius Eubanks, in the summer, who came over from his alma mater, Georgia Southern. Coach Eubanks has this linebacking core playing at a high level. In fall camp, he stressed positional flexibility, and we see it with this unit, and so many guys flying to the ball and making plays. To only be a season in and to see the impact he is having is nothing short of spectacular.

"I've got a lot of good players, in my opinion, and that's the thing I know somebody brought up position flexibility, that's what I believe in, so if you guys watch their practice today, you know, I'm rotating five guys or so, and it's a mix and match. And that says a lot about those guys learning multiple positions too,” said Eubanks. “So they're taking a challenge. If you want to get reps, guess what? You need to learn multiple positions. They're taking a challenge with that. But yes, we're running some base. Coach BG got a lot of base calls, so we're running a little bit of base. So you may see three linebackers out there.

Some guys are still going to do some things better than others. Like, even though I think they're a really good athlete, we've got good athletes in the room. There's still a lot of probably two or three guys that maybe cover better than the other three or four guys. So if we get caught in that predicament, hey, I need the guy who covers the best. I need him to go out and, you know, be one one-on-one on the tight end. There's still a lot of thinking into it. I just can't, I just don't throw two guys out there and be like, hey, you do this job, you do that job. Hey, let's show what the offense gives us and then let's work to our advantage."

When you check the stats, four of the six tackling leaders for the Yellow Jackets this season have come from the linebacking core. They are flowing to the ball and making plays, and it is making a difference. Another great thing is the linebackers aren’t having to play heavy snaps, which keeps them fresh. Coach Key has been pleased with the unit and how well it is performing.

“I was pleased with the players we brought in and the guys that were here that we developed. I think Kyle's playing as good a football as he's played. I really do. And is that different coaching, being a year older? All those things are involved, but it's having other good players in there and being able to play 35 plays a game instead of 65 plays a game,” said Key. “It's a big difference. Being able to have different packages with different guys, that's a big deal. You know, EJ, he's as solid as they come inside. Nature of his position, you're not going to see a bunch of big stat things by his name, right? Whether it's him or Kyle, whichever one's in there, I mean, those guys are running the show, getting people aligned.”

A lot of the attention was on the secondary with so many additions and high end recruits coming in, but the linebacking core has taken this defense to another level and has this team playing with its ears pinned back. That is a credit to the players, coach Eubanks, and the development that is happening on the Flats.