Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Nov 29, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key before a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Three Takeaways From Georgia Tech's First Depth Chart

Originally posted on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on SI
By Najeh Wilkins | Last updated Aug 24, 2025 2:30 PM ET

College football for Georgia Tech is just six days away, and on Sunday, the Yellow Jackets handed out depth charts to the media ahead of their Week 1 clash against Colorado on Friday night. Let’s evaluate the depth chart and talk about some key takeaways from it.

1. All eyes will be on the defensive line- Brayden Manley was special in fall camp and earned the starting position at the rush position.

The Yellow Jackets are expecting him to be the game wrecker they have wanted for a long time. His backups will be Jordan Boyd or Amontrae Bradford. At the other edge position, the starting nod goes to AJ Hoffler, the transfer from Clemson. The junior was also trying to prove himself coming back home after things didn’t work out with the Tigers. He will now be in a prime position to help out the Yellow Jackets, creating chaos and havoc on the defensive line. Ronald Triplette will be his backup, and true freshman Christian Garrett will be in position to earn some playing time receiving the "or" designation. Garrett also had an impressive fall camp and has all the tools to be a menace on the defensive line, given the chance. At the nose, Akelo Stone has locked down that position in his final year of college football. No surprise the former Georgia Tech and Ole Miss standout has earned that role. He comes with a lot of experience and a great motor that can be advantageous for the Yellow Jackets. Matthew Alexander and redshirt freshman Landen Marshall will each man the backup roles. This also received an or designation. At defensive tackle, Yellow Jackets star Jordan van den Berg will be the starter. Also, this is not a surprise. van den Berg established himself a season ago as a transfer and has never relinquished the position. His backups will be Jason Moore and Shymeik Jones. The defensive line has plenty of talent for Georgia Tech. The questions will be if they can improve their run defense, and also if they can get more pressure on the quarterback, causing more disruptive plays.

2. The nickel spot will be one to watch with Jy Gilmore and Kelvin Hill receiving an Or designation

Basically, that means either could start and receive a lot of playing time at the position this year for the Yellow Jackets, especially in Week 1. Gilmore was a transfer over from Georgia State, and Hill was a transfer from UAB. Gilmore spoke to the media a few weeks ago about the competition at the nickel spot with Hill

“The competition is great. I believe to my knowledge, I played nickel a year, maybe a year and a half longer than Kelvin, but his game is just unique because we have almost like the same makeup,” said Gilmore. “He's a smaller, twitchier guy, great in coverage. It's things that we pull from each other, and just with me being like a fifth-year guy, the experience that I have, I can drop on him, and then he could come to the sideline, some drives like, hey, no, I just did. If this works for me, try this. It's the same thing back and forth. So I feel like that relationship just helps us take our game up like levels and levels. So great relationship overall for sure.”

White is listed as a boundary corner and backup to Georgia Tech star cornerback Ahmari Harvey. In this role, White can still possibly see the field on plays that Harvey is not in the game.

3. The offensive line depth chart catches your eye.

Ethan MacKenny has earned the starting role at left tackle, and Malachi Carney has earned the right tackle job after an impressive camp. Sophomore Jameson Riggs will be his backup. Will Reed, who came over from Princeton, is not listed at tackle for the Yellow Jackets on the Week 1 depth chart. Instead, he will back up All-ACC offensive lineman and right guard Keylan Rutledge. The backups at both tackle spots catch your eye instantly. At left tackle, former five-star Josh Petty will back up MacKenny, and behind him is true freshman Peyton Joseph, manning the third spot on the depth chart. Joseph is the third guy listed on the left guard behind Joe Fusile, and true Freshman Kevin Peay Jr has earned the backup spot. Another notable on the offensive line is Harrison Moore and a or with Tana Alo-Tupuola, who both are sophomores. They each competed to get that No. 1 spot, and it looks like they could see playing time in Week 1, potentially. Offensive line had vast amounts of competition in fall camp, and the true freshmen on the team impressed enough to be in position to earn potential playing time early in their careers. Georgia Tech lost three offensive line starters from last year’s team and will deploy a new unit beside Fusile and Rutledge during Week 1.

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

More must-reads: