2024 Georgia Tech Spring Football Position Previews: Defensive End
After previewing every position on offense ahead of spring football, its time to start looking at the defense.
This is without a doubt the side of the ball that has to improve the most. Georgia Tech had the worst defense in the ACC and one of the worst in the country in most major categories, other than forcing turnovers. Georgia Tech is bringing in a brand-new defensive staff that is hoping to improve that side of the ball and get this team to another bowl game.
Let's talk about the defensive ends.
This is a position that was hit pretty hard by the transfer portal and Georgia Tech's top returning pass rusher is Kevin Harris, who had one sack last season.
Kyle Kennard, Noah Collins, Etinosa Reuben, Malcolm Pugh, and Ezra Odinjor all entered the transfer portal and while some of those players were freshman and did not play last season, they could have provided depth and developed into solid players. Nonetheless, Georgia Tech will be without them and will have to find other guys to develop. I am also interested to see any schematic changes that the coaches bring and if some guys could be moved around.
One player that I am interested to watch this spring is Sylvain Yondjouen.
Yondjouen had 23 tackles and 2.5 sacks during the 2022 season he received a 67.0 grade on PFF (Pro Football Focus) last season on 300+ snaps. He tore his ACL in the season opener against Louisville last season and is one of the top leaders in the locker room. It is unclear how much he is going to do this spring, but he should be firmly in the rotation.
Harris is not only the leading returning pass rusher, but he is also the highest-graded defensive lineman coming back to Atlanta per PFF (Pro Football Focus). Harris played 450 snaps and finished with a 67.9 overall grade on defense as well as 27 total tackles and one sack.
Eddie Kelly was a young transfer from USF coming into last year and he flashed his potential at times over the course of the 2023 season. Kelly had 37 tackles and 0.5 sacks last season, while playing 327 snaps and finishing with a 63.6 grade on PFF. Kelly could be in line for a lot more playing time this season.
Josh Robinson is entering his senior season and Georgia Tech will need him for depth this season. Robinson played 169 snaps last season and finished with a 57.4 grade on PFF and while I don't think Robinson is going to be a high impact player, Georgia Tech is going to need him this season.
There are two newcomers that could make an impact this spring. Furman transfer Jack Barton and freshman Jordan Boyd have a chance to get plenty of reps this spring and be real factors towards the fall.
Furman transfer Jack Barton
Honors & Awards for Barton according to Furman Athletics: 2023 Preseason All-Southern Conference 2nd Team 2023 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll 2023 Southern Conference All-Academic Team2022 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.
More from Furman Athletics:
2022 — Emerged as a principal performer on Furman’s defense, seeing action in all 13 games and making nine starts at defensive end...played a pivotal role in Furman’s 10-3 season that featured a stretch of seven consecutive wins and an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, where the Paladins claimed a 31-6 first round home win over Elon...10 wins represented the most by Furman since 2005...team finished a consensus 10th in final AFCA and Stats Perform Polls...campaign was fueled with strong work by Furman’s defense, which led the FCS in turnovers gained (29), and by superior special teams play that saw the Paladins also top the FCS in blocked kicks (10)...registered 30 tackles on the season, including seven for-loss and 2.5 sacks...paced the FCS with a school record four blocked kicks...began the season as a backup to Jeremiah Jackson...stepped into the starting lineup after Jackson sustained a season ending injury early in the Charleston Southern contest (24-19 win)...went on to log starts in the Paladins’ final nine games...earned his first blocked kick on a 46-yard field goal attempt against Charleston Southern...career starting debut came the next week against Samford...had four tackles, including one for-loss versus The Citadel (21-10 win)...tallied a season high five stops (2 TFLs) against VMI (41-3 win)...deflected a pair of passes and blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt in a 24-20 win over FCS sixth-ranked Chattanooga...blocked FG versus UTC came midway the fourth quarter and helped preserve the Paladins’ 24-20 lead...notched his third blocked kick (30-yard FGA) the next week in a 23-13 road win over FCS 11th-ranked Mercer and extended his streak of blocked field goals to three games by deflecting a 38-yard attempt against Wofford (63-28 win)...named to both 2022 SoCon All-Academic Team and SoCon Academic Honor Roll for the 2022-23 school year."
Boyd is an athletic edge played at 6'3 230 LBS and he is only going to continue growing into his frame. This could be a big steal and I think Boyd is going to be an impact player at some point in the future for Georgia Tech.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Boyd was the No. 769 player in the country, the No. 67 linebacker, and the No. 11 player in the state of South Carolina.
He also competes in track and field events. As a junior, clocked times of 11.40 and 11.50 in the 100-meter dash to go along with a 37-4 TJ. As a sophomore, posted a 5-4 effort in the HJ (Per 247Sports).
