Georgia Tech Football: Defensive Tackle Horace Lockett To Enter The Transfer Portal

Lockett is the second Yellow Jacket that has announced he is going to the portal

Dec 22, 2023; Tampa, FL, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Kyle Efford (44) and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive lineman Horace Lockett (55) bring down UCF Knights running back RJ Harvey (7) during the first half of the Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech ended their regular season on Friday night vs Georgia and with the end of the regular season comes the opening of the transfer portal. While the portal does not officially open until next week, players are starting to announce their intention to enter the portal and Georgia Tech now has two players that are set to do so. Earlier this morning, quarterback Zach Pyron announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal and then shortly after, defensive tackle Horace Lockett did as well.

Georgia Tech DL Horace Lockett heading to transfer portal...https://t.co/O5GAzzkty3

— Alex Farrer (@AFarrersports) December 2, 2024

After redshirting in 2022, Lockett recorded 22 tackles last season. He did not play this season

Pyron has been at Georgia Tech since 2022 and started two games this season when Haynes King went down with an injury. He started the game against Notre Dame, going 20-36 for 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He went on to start the next weekend at Virginia Tech, but was benched in favor of true freshman Aaron Philo in the third quarter. Pyron went 10-22 for 76 yards in that game. The Yellow Jackets played both King and Philo in wins over Miami and NC State and Pyron played in one snap on Friday vs Georgia. He finished this season with 409 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Pyron started two games for Georgia Tech in 2022 as a true freshman, a road win vs Virginia Tech, and then a loss vs Miami the next week. Pyron played a lot in a road loss against Florida State, though he did not start the game (Zach Gibson did). Pyron got injured in the loss against Miami late in the third quarter and did not play the rest of the season. He was in a quarterback battle with King leading up to the 2023 season, but lost the battle in fall camp and spent the 2023 season as the backup. He was used a lot this season as a short-yardage runner near the goal line and finished this season with four rushing touchdowns. He finished his career at Georgia Tech with 995 yards passing, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Pyron played with a lot of heart over the past couple of seasons and was one of the hardest-working players on the team known for his competitiveness. After his first bit of playing time against Florida State, Brent Key had this to say about the way that Pyron competed:

"I recruited Zach and there is a special quality in a quarterback when you recruit them and they are a state champion in high school. Not just one state championship and not just two but when you have somebody that is a three-time state champion at two different high schools, running two different types of offenses, ones a kind of single wing under center offense then goes to a spread offense and still be able to do it, you can always say it is the system or it is this or it is that but at the end of the day, he went to two different systems at two different places and won state championships, there is a competitive drive in him and that showed up today."

Additional Links:

Georgia Tech Quarterback Zach Pyron Will Enter The Transfer Portal

Georgia Tech Football: Updated Bowl Projections For the Yellow Jackets After Regular Season Ends

Georgia Tech Basketball: Key Takeaways From Yellow Jackets 2nd Consecutive Win At Home