What We Learned From Georgia Tech’s Transfer Haul and Actions This Portal Cycle: Defense

A reset on the defensive back room for the Yellow Jackets happened in the spring. Their main players are still here in Ahmari Harvey, Clayton Powell-Lee, Rodney Shelley, Omar Daniels, and Zachary Tobe to form a formidable unit. Georgia Tech was active in the winter portal adding defensive backs Daiquan White and Kelvin Hill Jr. The Yellow Jackets remained aggressive and brought in Jyron Gilmore from nearby Georgia State who has a lot of experience playing college football. 

Defensive back room is deep with the latest additions.

Defensive back was probably the most active position group during their transfer haul with additions and departures combined. The Yellow Jackets saw redshirt freshman Cedric Franklin hit the transfer portal and end up with Arkansas State. Franklin had a productive spring but the Yellow Jackets and Franklin decided to move on. Other departures included Syeed Gibbs and Nehemiah Chandler to the portal. Gibbs transferred to the Kansas Jayhawks and finished his career with 22 tackles and two forced fumbles for the Yellow Jackets. Chandler was a redshirt freshman. 

Georgia Tech added Colorado DB Savion Riley, Penn State CB Jon Mitchell, and Georgia State CB Jyron Gilmore in the spring transfer portal window. 

Here is more on the additions: 

Jyron Gilmore 

“Gilmore began his career with Tennessee Tech, where he spent four seasons and redshirted his freshman year in 2020. He broke out in 2023, recording 44 tackles, five pass deflections, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a half sack. After spending the lion's share of his college days with Tennessee Tech, he transferred to Georgia State.”

“During his lone season with Georgia State, He finished second on the team with 53 tackles, two interceptions, and a pass deflection.  He recorded a season-high eight tackles against Marshall. He finished as the fifth highest-graded player on Georgia State's defense per PFF, finishing with a 70.0 overall grade in 779 snaps, including a 76.2 tackling grade.”

Jon Mitchell 

“Mitchell was a redshirt freshman this season but appeared in six games for the Nittany Lions. He posted five tackles and was named the Special Teams Player of the Game vs SMU in December. His best game came against Kent State, where he made two tackles. The Nittany Lions have a really good cornerback room mixed with a lot of superb athletes. Mitchell now lands an ideal spot with the Yellow Jackets and could be a contributor this season for Georgia Tech.”

Savion Riley 

“Riley spent a brief period with the Miami Hurricanes in the spring of last year before transferring to the Buffaloes. With the Buffaloes, he finished with 12 tackles and appeared in four games. One of his best games with Colorado came in the season opener against North Dakota State, where he finished with seven tackles. He was a key piece on special teams for Colorado, recording 85 snaps in that unit.”

“He has yet to record an interception in his collegiate career but is known for his ability to tackle in the open space and make plays one-on-one. He is great at playing in the box and playing against the run. Riley will also be able to add some value or the Yellow Jackets in the special teams area where he is accustomed to making big-impact plays.” 

If you are a Yellow Jacket fan, you have to feel confident about what Georgia Tech has done with the defensive back room especially in terms of depth heading into the fall. It was a good position for Georgia Tech in 2024, but faced a lot of injuries late in the season, especially in the Georgia game where there was a litany of injuries. 

Linebacker will be a position to watch for the Yellow Jackets. 

Georgia Tech lost some pieces this past offseason with Trenilyas Tatum, Jacob Cruz, and Caleb Dozier. We know that Trenilyas Tatum ran out of eligibility but was one of Georgia Tech’s best defensive players a season ago finishing with 55 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble.

In the winter portal, the Yellow Jackets added Cayman Spaulding (Tennessee Tech) and Melvin Jordan (Oregon State) who will be competing for spots in the rotation. 

Georgia Tech will have veteran pieces Kyle Efford and EJ Lightsey reruning who have plenty of experience. Both finished with 65+ grades according to Pro Football Focus. Tah’j Butler will be the most intriguing to watch because he has potential and hasn’t reached his ceiling yet. He will be a big part of the defense in 2025 and they will need him to make an impact to take the next step. They also welcomed Jackson Hamilton who will be a part of the rotation for the Yellow Jackets this upcoming fall. 

In terms of the spring transfer portal, the Yellow Jackets lost some depth with Nacari Ashley deciding to enter the transfer portal. Ashley was buried deep behind the rotation in his time with the Yellow Jackets. 

I think the biggest concern here is depth especially with the linebacker position being so physically demanding. Yes, the Yellow Jackets have about six linebackers which is more than enough but it is always good to have a young developmental piece to throw in the fray or an additional veteran linebacker to round out the position. I feel like seven is the sweet spot for linebacker. Nonetheless, it will be a position to watch especially with Georgia Tech improving its run defense dramatically in 2024. Can the Yellow Jackets take another step forward? 

Defensive Line is still an area of concern and Yellow Jackets as they add only one player in the spring portal. 

Yes, Georgia Tech made some additions in the winter portal adding Clemson DL AJ Hoffler, UCF DL Matthew Alexander, UTSA EDGE Ronald Triplette, and Mercer EDGE Brayden Manley but the spring still left some concern of generating pressure, especially from the defensive end position. Manley flashed in the spring game showing his capability to create pressure, but it wasn’t too much outside of that. 

Georgia Tech did welcome back a familiar face on the defensive line in former Yellow Jackets Akelo Stone, who began his career with Georgia Tech before leaving for Ole Miss where he spent two seasons in the spring transfer portal window. Stone gives the Yellow Jackets a much-needed interior defender to pair along with Alexander and Jordan Van Den Burg. 

Here is more on Stone 

“In 2024, He finished with 14 tackles for the Rebels, 1.5 sacks, and a pass deflection. He had a breakout year in 2023, finishing with 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. He played a total of 286 snaps in his career with Ole Miss.”

“According to 247Sports, he is ranked as a four-star transfer prospect, the No. 17 DL, and the No. 115 player overall.” 

Even though Stone helps fill a void, Georgia Tech only added one player on the defensive line on a unit that still has some question marks. Georgia Tech does have some impressive freshmen in Derry Norris, Christian Garrett, Carrington Coombs, Andre Fuller, and Blake Belin, but it is a lot to ask them to be ready for college football in a couple of months. Now, we could see these freshmen and other players develop at a high level under defensive line coach Jess Simpson and outside linebackers/edge coach Kyle Pope. It will still be something to watch to see if the production will line up with the talent but remains a question for now.

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