BREAKING: Georgia Tech Lands Florida State Defensive Line Transfer

Georgia Tech is in the process of building depth on the defensive line

Georgia Tech has made another addition to the defensive line via the transfer portal. 

Florida State transfer defensive lineman Ayobami Tifase committed to Georgia Tech today over other offers that included Wisconsin, Coastal Carolina, FAU, Marshall, and FAMU. Tifase becomes the second transfer defensive lineman to commit to Georgia Tech, joining Furman defensive end Jack Barton. 

Tifase recorded one tackle during his time in Tallahassee. The 6'4 299 LBS defensive lineman is going to compete for playing time in Atlanta and at minimum, add depth for the Yellow Jackets. He recorded one tackle during his time in Tallahassee and is originally from Baltimore, MD. 

NEWS: Former Florida State DL Ayo Tifase has committed to #GaTech, choosing them over Wisconsin and several others @RivalsPortal https://t.co/qqbrz9ydjH pic.twitter.com/6E2ILGgujY

— Russell Johnson (@RJohnson404) December 30, 2023

DL Etinosa Reuben, DL Kyle Kennard, DL Malcolm Pugh, DL Noah Collins, DL Jason Moore, DL Bryston Dixon,  and DL D'Quan Douse have all entered the transfer portal and Georgia Tech is going to have to add new players to the mix-up front and Tifase can do that in the middle. 

Kennard and Douse were starters up front, but a lot of the other defensive linemen who are leaving are freshmen or backups. Georgia Tech still returns experienced players on the defensive line such as Makius Scott, Eddie Kelly, Josh Robinson, Kevin Harris, and Sylvain Yondjouen will be back from injury, Horace Lockett and Zeek Biggers are also returning. The Yellow Jackets also got Furman defensive end transfer Jack Barton from the portal, as well as signing talented freshmen like Amontrae Bradford, Uche Iloh, and Jordan Boyd. You can't always expect or rely on true freshmen for depth, but this coaching staff showed an ability to get the most out of some young players last year like Eric Singleton Jr and Ethan Mackenny. 

Florida State transfer Ayobami Tifase :: Ehsan Kassim/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

Another thing to consider when thinking about the defense next year is that there will be new coaches on the staff to help orchestrate the turnaround Key has already made one big hire on that front.

Former Duke defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Jess Simpson is going to be joining the Yellow Jackets staff in a role to be announced at a later date according to Kelly Quinlan of Rivals.

While Simpson will be a part of the defensive staff, Brent Key has yet to find a defensive coordinator. That search remains ongoing.

I think this is a strong hire for Key. Simpson was a fantastic high school head coach while he was at Buford from 2005-2016. He spent a year as a defensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons before joining Mark Richt's staff at Miami in 2018. After a year with the Hurricanes, he returned to Atlanta to coach the Falcons defensive line for two seasons before heading back to Miami for another year with the Hurricanes. After Manny Diaz was fired at Miami, Simpson joined Mike Elko's staff at Duke, where he was the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach for the past two seasons.

Simpson brings not just experience as a defensive coach, but as a recruiter in the state of Georgia, which will be huge for Key.

Tifase is a solid addition to the defensive line and I am anxious to see how quickly he can make an impact for the Yellow Jackets. 

Georgia Tech Can Overcome Recent Transfer Portal Departures on Defense

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