Georgia Tech Football: Malik Rutherford Withdraws Name From Portal, Will Play Last Season With Yellow Jackets

Rutherford entered the portal earlier in the week, but is opting to return to Georgia Tech

Oct 26, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Malik Rutherford (8) runs the ball against Virginia Tech Hokies linebacker Sam Brumfield (3) during the third quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

After entering his name into the transfer portal, Malik Rutherford is withdrawing his name from the portal and returning to Georgia Tech. Rutherford has one more year of eligibility left and will join a receiving corps that has brought in talented transfers Eric Rivers and Dean Patterson from FIU.

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— LIK (@MalikRutherford) December 22, 2024

Rutherford was the second leading receiver on Georgia Tech last season, reeling in 59 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns. For his career, Rutherford caught 133 passes for 1,459 yards and seven touchdowns. Pro Football graded Rutherford as the No. 9 offensive player for the Yellow Jackets, finishing with a 72.6 grade in 558 offensive snaps. His return is a big deal for this offense.

Last season, Patterson (6'2, 202 LBS) caught 50 passes for 685 yards and seven touchdowns for the Panthers. He also averaged 13.7 yards per catch. In four years with FIU, Patterson caught 98 passes for 1,406 yards and eight touchdowns. He joins his former teammate Eric Rivers and South Carolina transfer Debron Gatling as the transfer receivers who have committed to Georgia Tech this cycle. Pro Football Focus gave him a 74.9 grade in 679 snaps, the 6th highest on the Panthers offense.d

This season, Rivers caught 62 passes for 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 18.9 yards per catch. The thing to know about Rivers is that he possesses elite speed 247Sports rates Rivers as a four-star transfer and is the No. 12 receiver currently in the portal.

At Pro Football Focus, Rivers was the highest-graded player on Florida International last season, finishing with an 83.2 grade in 614 snaps.

Georgia Tech Transfer Portal Commitments (13)

• DB Daiquan White (Previous School- Eastern Michigan)

• DB Kelvin Hill (UAB)

• WR Debron Gatling (South Carolina)

• OL Andrew Rosinski (North Carolina)

• WR Eric Rivers (FIU)

• DL Ronald Triplette (UTSA)

• TE J.T. Byrne (Cal)

• WR Dean Patterson (FIU)

• OL Jakolby Jones

• TE Harry Lodge

• LB Cayman Spaulding

• DT Matthew Alexander

• LB Melvin Jordan