Georgia Tech Football: Ranking the Defensive Lines Tech Will Face in 2022

Which opponent on Georgia Tech's schedule has the best defensive line?

While Georgia Tech Football has a big question mark on their defensive line, some opponents on their schedule do not. The Yellow Jackets will be facing some players that are likely to hear their names called very early in the 2023 NFL Draft next April. 

Facing so many good defensive lines means that Georgia Tech is going to have to make a big improvement on their offensive line. Four transfers have been brought in to help fix what was a poor unit last fall and they are going to have to make a quick impact considering who is on Georgia Tech's schedule. 

So who has the best defensive line on the Yellow Jackets' schedule? Who has the worst? I rank them below. 

Georgia Tech Opposing Defensive Line Rankings

11. Duke

The Blue Devils gave up nearly 40 points per game last season and had one of the worst pass rushes in the country. So naturally, they find themselves at the bottom of the defensive line rankings. 

DeWayne Carter and R.J. Oben are coming back and the Blue Devils top-rated recruit in the 2022 class, Vincent Anthony Jr, hopes to see the field early. There is not much depth on this unit and much improvement is hard to envision. 

10 Virginia

The Cavaliers ranked beyond the 100s in most defensive categories and will have to show they are better up front to improve. 

Defensive tackle Aaron Faumui is going to be the leader of this unit, along with Jahmeer Carter. If the defensive line can be better against the run (they were 123rd last year), the defense as a whole is bound to take a jump. 

9. Virginia Tech

The Hokies are going to have a couple of strong foundational pieces on their defensive line ahead of the 2022 season, but some new faces are going to have to emerge for this line to be better.

I think that TyJuan Garbutt is in for a breakout season. The 6-1 250 LBS pass rusher is the most talented edge player on the Hokies defense and he has shown flashes of being a big-time player. New head coach Brent Pry will have Virginia Tech's defense back to playing well in a short amount of time. 

Virginia Tech Defensive End TyJuan Garbutt / Ryan Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

8. North Carolina

As well as the Tar Heels have recruited on the defensive line under Mack Brown, being ranked this low is unacceptable. However, if some of those guys start to live up to their lofty recruiting rankings, this could be a really defensive line. 

Myles Murphy and Raymond Vohasek form a decent duo inside and Chris Collins is the other projected starter up front. The guy to watch will be five-star recruit, Travis Shaw. Shaw was one of the best high school players in the country and at 6-5 310 LBS, he has the size that North Carolina needs upfront. 

7. UCF

The Knights are going to be missing Big Kat Bryant on their defensive line, but they return enough impact players to make this a good defensive line. 

Tre'mon Morris-Brash had five sacks last season and hopes to improve on that number. Guys like Josh Celliscar, Keenan Hester, and Ricky Barber give UCF one of the best defensive lines in the AAC. 

6. Ole Miss

There is going to be a familiar face for Georgia Tech fans on the Rebels defensive line this fall. Jordan Ivey transferred to Ole Miss and is likely to be a key contributor for Ole Miss this fall. Despite losing their best pass rusher Sam Williams, Ole Miss will be able to get after the quarterback in 2022. 

Ivey is not the only good player on the Rebel's defensive line though. Cedric Johnson is ready for a breakout season and K.D. Hill is going to man the nose tackle position. Add in senior defensive end Tavius Robinson and Ole Miss could be much improved on their defensive line. 

5. Florida State

Despite losing ACC defensive player of the year Jermaine Johnson to the NFL, expect a good defensive line to still be in Tallahassee this fall. 

There are going to be a lot of eyes on Albany transfer Jared Verse, who was one of the top players in this year's transfer portal. The interior duo of Fabien Lovett and Robert Cooper is one of the ACC's best and Derrick McLendon II is going to be one of the other starting ends. 

4. Miami

Surprisingly, Miami's defensive line was not a strength of the team in 2021. The Hurricanes have been known for putting out strong pass rushers most years but took a step back last season. I think they are going to be getting back to normal this season. 

Sophomore defensive tackle Leonard Taylor is ready for a big leap in year two and so is defensive end, Jahfari Harvey. Miami brought in five transfers on the defensive line this offseason and guys like Ahkeem Mesidor from West Virginia and Jacob Lichtenstein from USC will hope to get Miami back to a formidable front four. 

Miami Defensive End Jahfari Harvey / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

3. Pitt

The reigning ACC champs are bringing back the majority of their defensive line for the 2022 season and the Panthers have multiple potential All-ACC selections upfront. 

The line is led by Calijah Kancey, who had 33 tackles and seven sacks last season. Habakkuk Baldonado is another presence on the edge and Deslin Alexandre is another guy to watch. This is going to be a very good unit for the Panthers and one of the ACC's best. 

2. Georgia 

The Bulldogs are still going to have one of the best defensive lines in the country despite losing guys like Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt to the first round of the NFL Draft. 

Jalen Carter might have been the best player on the defensive line last year and looks like a sure bet to be a top-five pick next April. Tramel Walthour and Zion Logue are going to be likely starters next to Carter, but one name to watch is five-star freshman Mykel Williams. Williams has freakish talent and is a potential superstar. 

1. Clemson

Clemson Defensive Tackle Bryan Bresee :: Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Clemson Tigers are going to have the best defensive line in the nation in 2022. There are multiple guys up front for them that could be first-round picks and I think they are going to dominate most opponents they play. 

Superstar defensive tackle Bryan Bresee is back from injury and he will be alongside Myles Murphy, Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, and K.J. Henry. That is a loaded group up front that is just unfair. It is safe to say that Georgia Tech will have its hands full in its first game of the season. 

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