Georgia Tech has Done a Good Job of Filling Needs So Far in the Transfer Portal
It is still a bit early in the process, but I think Georgia Tech has done a nice job of taking care of some of the holes on the team via the transfer portal.
A good thing for the Yellow Jackets is that they have not had a big need to add a lot of players in the portal. Georgia Tech has the fewest among to transfers enter the portal this year and had key guys such as Eric Singleton Jr, Jamal Haynes, Malik Rutherford, and others declare that they were staying at Georgia Tech. The offensive line is only having to replace one starter as well.
When the regular season finale against Georgia ended, you could get a sense of what they needed to do in the transfer portal. With two tight ends leaving, it was clear that Georgia Tech needed to add some more experience to the room. Paul Moala, Andre White Jr, and Braelen Oliver are out of eligibility and while Trenilyas Tatum and Kyle Efford are going to be back, they could have used some more experience at the position. Cornerback Kenan Johnson was the highest-graded defensive player for the Yellow Jackets on PFF (Pro Football Focus) entered the transfer portal and Myles Sims is out of eligibility. Cornerback was going to be a need for Georgia Tech with those two departures.
They have gotten a guy at each of these positions and each player has upside.
Tennessee transfer Warren Burrell committed to Georgia Tech
From his bio at Tennessee Athletics:
"Experienced cornerback who had a career year in 2021 as one of the Vols’ starters before missing the majority of the 2022 season with an upper body injury … Played in 40 games with 22 starts, all at cornerback, and has two years of eligibility remaining … Accumulated 89 total tackles, has nine PBUs, one interception and a fumble recovery to his credit … Plays with the SEC graduate patch after earning his degree in Dec. 2022."
Burrell was an SEC-level starter before he got hurt and if he can stay healthy, this could be a huge get for Georgia Tech. They could look to keep adding at this position as well.
At linebacker, Georgia Tech went and got a player from another ACC school.
Louisville linebacker transfer Jackson Hamilton announced on social media yesterday afternoon that he was going to be transferring to Georgia Tech. Hamilton played his high school football in the state of Georgia at Blessed Trinity Catholic and now will be coming back to try and compete for a linebacker spot at Georgia Tech next season. Hamilton has two years of eligibility left.
Hamilton played three years for the Cardinals from 2021-2023 and in his three seasons, he totaled 17 tackles and one pass deflection. At 6'1 220 LBS, he will bring athleticism to the position and I am anxious to see how he will fit in the defense next year.
Transfer linebacker Jackson Hamilton
Yale transfer tight end Jackson Hawes announced yesterday that he is going to be transferring to Georgia Tech. Hawes was a second-team All-Conference tight end for Yale this season and last season. For his career, the 6'5 255 LBS tight end caught 35 passes for 375 yards and six touchdowns.
These were arguably the three biggest positions of need for Georgia Tech when the transfer portal and Brent Key and his staff have done a good job of filling those needs. There is still work to do though. I think the defensive line could still be added too with the loss of Kyle Kennard to the portal.
It has been a good start for Brent Key and his staff in the portal and I am anxious to see how they close things out.
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