Way-Too-Early College Football Week Eight Preview: Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame
Georgia Tech has one of the nation's toughest schedules in the country for the 2024 season, but one of their tougher games is going to come on October 19th when they host Notre Dame in Mercedes Benz Stadium. Notre Dame is hoping to be a contender for the College Football Playoff in 2024 and there is a good chance that they will enter this game either undefeated or with just one loss.
Historically, this is not a matchup Georgia Tech has had much success in. Notre Dame holds the all-time edge over the Yellow Jackets 30-6 and Georgia Tech has not beaten Notre Dame since winning 33-3 in South Bend in 2007. The last time these two teams met was in 2021, a game Notre Dame won 55-0.
Can Georgia Tech put itself in a position to upset the Fighting Irish in October? I don't think it should be ruled out.
Let's give a way too early look at how these two teams matchup heading into the season.
Georgia Tech Defense vs Notre Dame Offense
Notre Dame brought in Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman last year to help give them an explosive passing game and while the Fighting Irish were certainly not a terrible passing team, they came up short a few times and had to rely on their running game and powerful offensive line. This year, they got one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal, who also happens to be a dangerous running threat.
Duke transfer Riley Leonard makes his way to South Bend and hopes that he can be a game-changing piece for a team that has lacked dynamic quarterback play over the years. Leonard battled injuries last season, but he had a tremendous 2022 season. He threw for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, while also running for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns. If healthy, Leonard can be one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but that is a question mark, as is his ablity to throw downfield consistently. Leonard is going to be one of the most interesting players to watch this season and he could be the difference between Notre Dame being good and being a national title contender.
Notre Dame is also going to have replace one of the best running backs in the country, Audric Estime. Estime ran for over 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns last season and he was the best player on the Notre Dame offense. So who will replace him? Last year's backups Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price might be the early favorite. They combined for over 600 yards last season.
Wide receiver has been a position of concern for Notre Dame for the past few seasons, but they are hoping that changes this season. Clemson transfer Beaux Collins, Marshall transfer Jayden Harrison, and FIU transfer Kris Mitchell are all opening to help make the Notre Dame passing attack better. Jayden Thomas, Jaden Greathouse, and freshman Micah Gilbert are all names to know.
The offensive line is almost always strong at Notre Dame, but they are having to replace a top-five draft pick in Joe Alt and a very good player in Blake Fisher. Still, I would count on Notre Dame being fine up front with Pat Coogan, Ashton Craig, and Tosh Baker.
Something else to keep in mind about this Fighting Irish offense is that they have a new coordinator. Former LSU/Cincinnati offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is now calling plays for the Fighting Irish and last season he directed the LSU offense that had the Heisman Trophy Winner and two-first round picks at receiver.
While Notre Dame has some questions to answer on offense, the same applies for Georgia Tech on defense, where they also have a new coordinator.
New defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci is hoping to have Georgia Tech's defense turned around this season in order to help them contend in the ACC. In one season at Duke (2023), Santucci directed the ACC’s top-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 19.0 points per game, which was good for 16thnationally. The Blue Devils also ranked among the nation’s top 50 in rushing defense, passing defense, total defense, tackles for loss, third-down defense, fourth-down defense and red-zone defense. Duke allowed a total of just 10 points in a pair of wins over teams that finished the season in the top 25 – No. 20 Clemson (28-7) and No. 21 NC State (24-3) – and finished 8-5 overall after a 17-10 win over Troy in the 2023 Birmingham Bowl.
Georgia Tech's defensive line might be their biggest question mark on the defense, especially at defensive end. On the inside, Zeek Biggers, Miami/Georgia State transfer Thomas Gore, Penn State transfer Jordan van den Berg, and Horace Lockett have potential, but will Georgia Tech have enough at the edge rusher spot? USC transfer Romello Height should help, but Georgia Tech will need production from this unit.
At linebacker, Kyle Efford is looking to lead a group that includes veteran starter Trenilyas Tatum, Georgia transfer E.J. Lightsey, Louisville transfer Jackson Hamilton, and freshman Tah'j Butler.
Georgia Tech is returning a strong duo at safety with LaMiles Brooks and Clayton Powell-Lee, while Ahmari Harvey could be ready for a breakout season in 2024. The biggest question in the secondary will be who starts at corner opposite of Harvey. Tennessee transfer Warren Burrell might be the favorite on the outside while Rhode Island transfer Syeed Gibbs and Rodney Shelley might be the guys at nickel.
Georgia Tech Offense vs Notre Dame
This is going to be strength on strength. I think the coordinator matchup between Buster Faulkner and Al Golden is going to be fascinating and both of them are leading two fantastic units.
Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King was one of only two players in the nation with at least 2,700 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and five touchdown runs this season (joining LSU’s Jayden Daniels), and one of only six ACC players to achieve those numbers in a regular season since 2000. He led the ACC in touchdown passes and was fourth in passing yards. He is back for another season on The Flats and might be the best quarterback in the conference this year. One reason to buy into the Yellow Jackets is that they might have the best quarterback on the field against many of their opponents. As good as King was though, he had a problem with turnovers and that won't cut it against some of the teams on Georgia Tech's schedule, including Duke.
Jamal Haynes was such a great story last season. He made the change from wide receiver to running back during fall camp and that move paid dividends. Haynes earned all-ACC honors as a running back (third team) and was an honorable mention all-purpose performer. He led Georgia Tech with 1,059 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, and six yards per carry ranked second on the team. Those numbers ranked fifth in the ACC in rushing yards and he was tied for sixth in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns and his 6.0 yards per carry ranked third in the league. Haynes had a strong bowl performance against UCF rushing for a game-high 128 yards on 18 carries. He also had a good outing against the Georgia Bulldogs rushing for 81 yards. Haynes was the second highest-rated player on the Yellow Jackets per Pro Football Focus with a 76.9 score and looks primed for another big season in 2024. I think he is in for a huge season and is not getting the recognition he has earned.
This is going to be one of the deepest wide receiver rooms in the ACC and there are some newcomers who could bolster the group.
Eric Singleton Jr was the highest-rated player in the Yellow Jackets 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports and he looked like he might be a potential superstar last season.
Singleton Jr. ranked fourth among all freshmen nationally (true or redshirt) in 2023 with 59.5 receiving yards per game and was tied for fourth among true freshmen nationally with six touchdown receptions. His 714 receiving yards and six touchdown catches both ranked among the top 10 overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while his six TD receptions were the second-most by a freshman in Georgia Tech history. Could he have an even better season in 2024? I think it is certainly possible and the chemistry between him and King was noticeable last year.
Singleton is not the only dangerous receiver for the Yellow Jackets.
Malik Rutherford was the second-leading receiver on Georgia Tech. He caught 46 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 10. 5 yards per catch. His biggest performance came in Georgia Tech's big win over North Carolina. Rutherford caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He was a reliable player and can stretch the field with his speed and is also a player who can get the ball in a variety of ways.
Christian Leary was the fourth-leading receiver for Georgia Tech this season, catching 25 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, while also returning kickoffs.
Chase Lane had a good start to the year, but injuries cost him some time. I think he could have a really good 2024 season if he stays healthy. Duquesne transfer Abdul Janneh had six catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. He will once again provide depth for Georgia Tech next year.
Leo Blackburn is one of the most physically impressive players on the Georgia Tech roster at 6'5 220 LBS and if he is able to stay healthy this season, he could add a whole new element to the Yellow Jackets offense.
The offensive line is going to be one of the best in the ACC as well.
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.
The Notre Dame defense is primed to be one of the best in the country for another season and they added some impact transfers this offseason. Riley Leonard was not the only transfer that came over from Duke. Defensive lineman R.J. Oben was one of the best players in the transfer portal and Notre Dame was able to land him I think he is going to be a plug and play type of player for the Fighting Irish. Howard Cross is another starter to watch for Notre Dame, as is Rylie Mills. Joshua Burnham and Donovan Hinish are two other names to know.
At linebacker, Notre Dame is going to be missing last year's leading tackler JD Bertrand (picked by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2024 NFL Draft), but there is still plenty of talent. Jack Kiser was the third-leading tackler for the Fighting Irish with 62 tackles and he is back to be a leader for one of the nation's most talented defenses. Jordan Botelho, Drayk Bowen, and Jaylen Sneed are two other early names to know.
In the secondary, Notre Dame has some returning talent along with two new transfers. Jaden Mickey and Benjamin Morrison are the two guys to know at corner and the player I am sure the player everyone is familiar with in the Notre Dame secondary is safety Xavier Watts. Watts is one of the best defensive players in the country and is looking to build on his 52 tackles, seven interception season he had a year ago. Look for Arizona State transfer Jordan Clark to get the nickel spot.
Overview
On paper, Notre Dame is the more talented team and they may have the best unit in this game with their defense. I don't think they are invincible though. While Leonard is a talented dual-threat quarterback, he is inconsistent as a passer and the Notre Dame passing attack as a whole has a lot to prove. I usually trust Notre Dame to produce quality running backs and offensive lineman, but they have some questions there as well. I don't think an upset is out of the question by any means, but this is going to be one of the toughest tests for Georgia Tech in 2024.
JACKSON CAUDELL
Jackson Caudell covers Georgia Tech Athletics and the Atlanta Hawks for FanNation