Projecting Georgia Tech's 2024 Defensive Two-Deep Depth Chart As Fall Camp Gets Underway

Can Georgia Tech see massive improvement on defense this season?

Nov 18, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Kyle Efford (44) celebrates after an interception with wide receiver Malik Rutherford (8) against the Syracuse Orange in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Tech begins practice today and the 2024 season is inching closer and closer. After appearing for media days on Monday, the Yellow Jackets are back on The Flats and ready to get to work.

One of the big question marks for Georgia Tech this season (maybe the biggest) is about its defense, which was one of the worst in the country last year. Brent Key hired a brand new staff on that side of the ball and went and got players through the transfer portal to help fix the defense. They will be tested right out of the gates with a matchup against Florida State.

With practice getting started tonight, let's take a look at how the defensive depth chart might shake out this season.

Note, this is just a projection.

End

1. Makius Scott

2. Sylvain Yondjouen

Nose

1. Zeek Biggers

2. Horace Lockett

Tackle

1. Thomas Gore

2. Jordan van den Berg

Rush

1. Romello Height

2. Kevin Harris

Georgia Tech lost a few players on the defensive line, but they added some impact transfers and also get one guy back from injury. The Yellow Jackets D-Line is being coached by former Duke and Miami defensive line coach Jess Simpson.

Georgia Tech was able to get Thomas Gore (Miami), Jordan van den Berg (Penn State), and Romello Height (USC) through the portal and they also get Sylvain Yondjouen back from injury.

Height has a chance to be Georgia Tech's highest-impact transfer on the entire team. Height is a former four-star recruit from Dublin, GA and originally enrolled at Auburn. He would end up transferring to USC for the 2022 season but had a season-ending shoulder injury. He had 21 tackles and four sacks last season for the Trojans. He brings athleticism off the edge and will be counted on to bring pass-rushing ability to the defense.

After tearing his ACL in the first game of last season vs Louisville, Yondjouen is back and ready to help the Yellow Jackets' pass rush. Yondjouen had 23 tackles and 2.5 sacks during the 2022 season and he received a 67.0 grade on PFF (Pro Football Focus) that season on 300+ snaps.

Kevin Harris is not only the leading returning pass rusher, but he is also the highest-graded defensive lineman coming back to Atlanta per PFF (Pro Football Focus). Harris played 450 snaps and finished with a 67.9 overall grade on defense as well as 27 total tackles and one sack.

The 6-foot-6, 333-pound Biggers stuffed the stat sheet with 35 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and a blocked kick from his defensive tackle position. Georgia Tech has some talent on the interior of the defensive line, but Biggers is the best of the bunch and I think he will have a really good 2024 season.

Though he only played 167 snaps, Thomas Gore was the 4th-highest graded player on Miami's defense last season according to PFF (Pro Football Focus), finishing with a 76.7 grade on defense. The best number though was his 79.2 grade on run defense, which is where Georgia Tech needs him to make the biggest impact.

His best season (according to PFF) came during his 2021 season at Georgia State. Gore played 386 snaps and finished with an excellent grade of 90.2 on defense, including an elite mark of 92.0 on run defense. Some of that might be due to playing in the Sun Belt, but it does show that Gore has the ability to be effective against the run. During the 2022 season (his last at Georgia State), Gore posted a pass-rushing grade of 89.6 in 313 pass-rushing snaps. With 13 career sacks, Gore can be an effective pass rusher from the interior, which helps bolster any defense, but also an effective run stopper. I don't know if an All-ACC type of season is on the horizon (though it would be welcomed on the defense), but there is a chance for Gore to be immediately impactful and help improve Georgia Tech's defense.

There might be some concern about his height at 6'0, but I think his production offsets those concerns.

Makius Scott has plenty of experience and he rotated between playing the edge last year and playing defensive tackle. He finished the season with 34 tackles and per PFF, played 602 total snaps, but only finished with a 56.4 grade on defense. Whether it is in a starting role or as depth, Scott will be relied upon for the Georgia Tech defense. 

The player that I am most excited about at this position going into the Fall is redshirt sophomore, Horace Lockett. Like Biggers, Lockett (6'6 341 LBS) has the size you want in a run-stuffing defensive tackle and he started to show flashes last season of being able to take a step up and man a starting position. He finished last season with 22 tackles and per PFF, he played 270 snaps and finished with a 62.6 grade. Georgia Tech needs Lockett to take a step forward this season. 

One young player that I liked coming out of high school was redshirt freshman Shymeik Jones and with those players transferring, Jones could be in line to be a key depth piece on the defensive line. At 6'5 283 LBS, he has more athleticism than other players at his size and can add something to this defensive line. Keep an eye on Jones this season. 

At 6'3 310 LBS, van den Berg gives them size and new defensive line coach Jess Simpson will look to make him into an all-around threat in the middle of the defense. Look for him to compete for playing time immediately. 

Jacob Cruz was one of the most athletic recruits of the 2022 class for Georgia Tech and he has a chance to get some playing time as well.

Three other names to know are Josh Robinson and a pair of freshmen, Jordan Boyd and Amontrae Bradford.

Linebacker

1. Kyle Efford

2. Trenilyas Tatum

1. E.J. Lightsey

2. Jackson Hamilton

Georgia Tech has one potential All-ACC player at linebacker and also brought in two new transfers who have a chance to see the field right away.

The top returning player for the Yellow Jackets at linebacker is last year's leading tackler Kyle Efford. Efford really came on towards the end of the season and I think he is in for a huge 2024 season. fford took over a starting spot in the final seven games last season and finished with 81 tackles, one sack, and an interception. Efford finished as the 7th highest-graded player on the defense per PFF (Pro Football Focus), totaling 375 snaps and finishing with a solid 69.2 grade. The way Efford came on down the stretch for Georgia Tech should give fans optimism that this position will be better in 2024. 

Who will start alongside Efford though? It could be one of the incoming transfers, Jackson Hamilton (Louisville) or E.J. Lightsey (Georgia).

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 this year. 

Last season, Hamilton graded out well on PFF (Pro Football Focus), but it was a small sample size. He played 55 snaps and had a 69.1 defensive grade, with a high mark of 81.1 in run defense. Again, it is a limited sample, but there is some proof that Hamilton has a big step he can take as a linebacker. 

Lightsey was a signing day addition for the Yellow Jackets in December and he hopes to be one of the missing pieces on the defense. Now, Lightsey is going to have to show that he can stay healthy. he was not able to do that last season and did not play in a game for the Bulldogs. In 2022, he played 19 total snaps and finished with a 66.8 grade on defense and a good mark on tackling.

Trenilyas Tatum, who started multiple games this past season, has 81 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble so far in his career. Could he be a starter or provide depth? Either way, having a player with his experience is huge for a defense looking to improve.

Tah'j Butler is a freshman that I could see getting playing time.

Cornerback

1. Ahmari Harvey

2. Rodney Shelly

1. Warren Burrell

2. Zachary Tobe

Nickel

1. Syeed Gibbs

2. Omar Daniels

Free Safety

1. Clayton Powell-Lee

2. Jayden Davis

Strong Safety

1. LaMiles Brooks

2. Taye Seymore

If Georgia Tech was able to hit on some transfers at the cornerback position, this could be an effective secondary. Harvey started to emerge last season and both Powell-Lee and Brooks bring experience and leadership.

Harvey is one of the most intriguing names to watch on the defense,  as he flashed his potential in 2023, seeing action in ten games and starting five of them at cornerback. He finished second on the team in interceptions with two and only trailed Jaylon King’s four. Harvey also added 25 tackles, a PBU, and a forced fumble. It was a season of milestones for Harvey as he recorded his first career start in the season opener against Louisville, and his first career interception in Georgia Tech’s upset win against Miami. I think he is going to have a big year in 2024.

Who is going to start opposite of him though?

One of the transfers that Georgia Tech took this offseason was Tennessee transfer Warren Burrell, a guy who has plenty of experience and also had a good spring game performance.

He played in 40 games and registered 22 starts. Over the course of his career, he has accumulated 89 total tackles, nine PBUs, one interception, and a fumble recovery. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Burrell played 1, 647 snaps during his career in Knoxville, with 823 of those snaps coming in 2021. His best season from a PFF grading perspective came last season. He finished with a 68.0 overall grade on defense, a 67.3 in run defense, a very good 82.0 tackling grade, and a 67.2 grade in coverage. In all of his seasons with the Volunteers, Burrell graded out well as a tackler and that is going to be huge, as tackling was a big issue for Georgia Tech last season at every position. 

Gibbs is a transfer that Georgia Tech took from Rhode Island and I think he could also play the Nickel spot. Gibbs totaled 52 tackles, three tackles for loss, six pass breakups, and three interceptions last season and he has three years of eligibility remaining.

Zachary Tobe was a late addition to the roster from Illinois, but I think he could make an impact this season.

Tobe had 25 tackles and five pass deflections this season.

According to PFF, Tobe was the 15th-highest graded player on the Illinois defense, finishing with a 65.6 grade, including an 83.7 grade in run defense and a 73.9 tackling grade, which is really good for a defensive back. He had a 62.1 grade in coverage. Based on the grades, Tobe will be a solid tackler at the position, with the upside to improve in coverage.

Rodney Shelley is a player who I think could play either Nickel or Cornerback, as well as being a returner for the team. Shelley saw action in 12 regular season games and made his first career start against UGA on November 1st. In 2023, he finished with 16 tackles, a PBU, and a blocked kick. He saw more action as the season wore on and had an impressive game against Syracuse tallying five tackles in the bowl-clinching win.

Omar Daniels transferred over to Georgia Tech from Kansas State and he will be in the mix for the Nickel spot this season. Last season he appeared in nine games for the Yellow Jackets as a reserve defensive back. He made his first tackle in the season opener vs Louisville. He finished with three tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass defensed.

Powell-Lee is one of Georgia Tech's highest-graded returning players on defense according to PFF (Pro Football Focus). Last season, he finished with a 74.2 grade on defense on 698 snaps and he has only been improving since he got on the field in 2022. He was the second leading tackler on Georgia Tech last season, finishing with 71 tackles, two pass deflections, and one interception. In 2022, Powell-Lee finished the year with 46 tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception. He played well in a win against Virginia Tech, totaling six tackles and an interception in the game and he was named the ACC defensive back of the week after that performance. 

LaMiles Brooks is back for another season on The Flats and he will look to form one of the top safety duos in the ACC with Powell-Lee. Brooks finished with 67 tackles, six pass deflections, and one interception last year. His interception against Miami last year was one of the key points in the turnaround of the game. Brooks finished last season with a 53.7 grade on 659 snaps according to PFF. In 2022, Brooks finished as the highest-graded player on Georgia Tech last according to PFF (Pro Football Focus) and his coverage grade of 86.8 was good for 21st in the country and fourth in the ACC. He finished as the 23rd highest-graded safety in the country according to PFF that season.

During the spring, Brooks talked about what motivated him to come back for another season:

"Absolutely, you know last year it was more of a down season a few more injuries occurred then I would have liked, production wasn't where I would have liked it as well so you know kind of motivated for sure but embracing what happened last year, kind of accepting it for what it was or what it is, and then coming in and making this season strictly about this season, kind of not trying to look back or compare anything to last season"

Sophomore Taye Seymore got playing time last year, primarily on special teams, but he could play a crucial role on this year's team and see the field more. He finished last season with five tackles, including two against No. 1 Georgia. 

The Yellow Jackets added one safety through the transfer portal this offseason. Cincinnati transfer Jayden Davis played his high school ball in Georgia and will be looking to make noise this year. As a recruit, the 247Sports Composite rated Davis as a three-star prospect, the No. 494 prospect in the country, the No. 47 safety in the country, and the No. 52 player in the state of Georgia.