Georgia Tech Football: Three Potential Breakout Players on Defense for 2022

Who could be the potential breakout players on the Georgia Tech defense in 2022?

Georgia Tech is hoping for a major rebound in 2022 on the defensive side of the ball. The Yellow Jackets were among the nation's worst in most major defensive statistics and if this team has any hope of improving upon their three win total, some players are going to have to step up. 

This offseason, there have been staff changes on the defensive end and Georgia Tech has brought in seven defensive transfers as well, most of them in the secondary. 

So which players are ready to step up and have a breakout season on defense for Georgia Tech? Here are my choices. 

Keion White- Defensive End

Georgia Tech Defensive End Keion White / 247 Sports

After transferring over from Old Dominion after the 2020 season, Keion White was rated as one of the best pass rushers in the transfer portal and he chose to come play at Georgia Tech.

However, injuries kept White from seeing the field in the first eight games of last season and he was not able to make the impact that he wanted. In his last season at Old Dominion, White was a second team All-Conference USA and had 19 tackles for loss, which ranked amongst the top ten nationally. 

Tech had one of the worst pass rushes in the ACC and the country last season and if that is to improve, I think White will have to have a big breakout season. 

Kyle Kennard- Defensive End

Kennard is the likely starter at defensive end opposite of White and he is going to have to improve on his numbers from last year, when he finished with two sacks and 15 tackles. 

Kennard has the athletic talent to get the job done. He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and has been seeing more and more game action during his two season in Atlanta. 

Consistency has not been Kennard's strength and that is the number one thing he is going to have to change. If he can, this pass rush will be better for it. 

Kenyatta Watson- Defensive Back

Georgia Tech has a host of defensive backs to replace and there is going to be plenty of competition in fall camp. Zamari Walton is locked into one spot at cornerback, but a guy that I think could be pushing for some serious time this fall is Texas transfer Kenyatta Watson. 

Watson saw action in only six games this past season as a backup and was relegated to mostly a special teams role. He was a highly rated prospect coming out of high school and he flashed that talent at times while he was playing for the Longhorns. 

At 6-1 185 LBS, Watson has the physical ability and athleticism to be an impact player at corner. The Yellow Jackets had a bad passing defense and there is going to be a lot of competition to earn a starting job and improve the secondary. Keep an eye on him this season

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