Phil Steele Ranks Georgia Tech's Offensive Line As One of The Nation's 10 Best
If you are looking for a reason why Georgia Tech's offense saw a huge leap last season, the offensive line would be at the top of that list. Georgia Tech saw huge progress from its front five in 2023 and they would go on to lead the ACC in rushing and be one of the best offenisve lines when it came to sacks allowed. They are returning four of their five starters from last's starting offensive line and added MTSU transfer Keylan Rutledge, an all-conference guard. There is reason to belief that Georgia Tech should be just as good up front this season as they were last season.
College Football analyst Phil Steele agrees with that. Steele ranked his top ten offensive lines heading into the 2024 season and Georgia Tech came in 10th. Florida State (5th), Miami (7th), and Clemson (9th) were the schools ranked ahead of them.
In just one season, head coach Brent Key and first-year offensive line coach Geep Wade turned Georgia Tech's offensive line from its biggest weakness to perhaps the best unit on the entire team. Georgia Tech went from one of the worst rushing teams in the ACC to leading the league in rushing. It was a pretty stunning turnaround if you had watched the line in 2022 and the good news for the Yellow Jackets is that the offensive line returns four of the five starters and added an All-Conference transfer this offseason.
Our own Rohan Raman provided a nice summary of the jump that the offensive line made last season:
"In 2022, per PFF, the unit graded out with an abysmal 42.8 pass-blocking grade and a run-blocking grade of 50.8. The grades matched up with the on-field results.
The 2022 Jackets ranked in the bottom four of the ACC in passing yards, yards per game, passing yards per play, passing TDs, and offensive efficiency. On the ground, they were in the middle of the ACC in yards per carry and rushing yards per game. The combination of a struggling passing offensive and mediocre rushing offense resulted in an offense that struggled to get first downs and could not convert third downs. In short, the struggles of the offensive line were central to many of the Jackets' 2022 offensive woes.
The starting five - left tackle Ethan Mackenny, left guard Joe Fusile, center Weston Franklin, right guard Connor Scaglione, and right tackle Jordan Williams - changed the narrative in 2023. Per PFF, their 64.0 pass-blocking grade and 59.4 run-blocking grade denoted them as an average unit with a reliable baseline.
On the ground, they opened running lanes that helped the Jackets lead the ACC in rushing offense with 197.1 yards per game. Starting running back Jamal Haynes was top-five in the ACC for both yards and yards per carry. Their performance in the ground game was one of the most consistent aspects of the season for the Yellow Jackets. Even against Georgia's defensive line, they were able to open up holes and keep the backs clean. Haynes had 5.4 yards per carry in the game and based on their 2023 performance, the Jackets should be able to run against any defensive line they encounter.
When quarterback Haynes King dropped back to pass, the line was able to keep him relatively clean. Their 1.25 sacks conceded per game was second in the ACC and 20th nationally. They allowed King to throw for the second-most passing touchdowns (26) and fourth-most passing yards (2755) while racking up the second-most offensive yardage (3403) in Georgia Tech history. However, this unit was much more of a mixed bag in pass protection. King had to use his legs quite a bit to escape from pressure and the youth of the left side definitely showed at times."
I expect Georgia Tech's offensive line to be among the nation's best in 2024 and I think that will keep their offense near the top of the conference.
JACKSON CAUDELL
Jackson Caudell covers Georgia Tech Athletics and the Atlanta Hawks for FanNation