What is the top thing that Georgia Tech's offense must improve upon in 2023?

Georgia Tech's offense has a lot to improve upon this season

Jackson Caudell | Jul 20, 2023

What is the top thing that Georgia Tech's offense must improve upon in 2023? /

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Looking ahead to this season, the Georgia Tech offense has a lot that they need to improve upon from last season. The Yellow Jackets were 124th in scoring offense, 90th in rushing, 108th in pass defense, and 114th in total offense. The offensive line gave up a lot of pressure and sacks and allowed the opposing defense to create negative plays in the backfield. Those are humbling numbers, but the good thing is that head coach Brent Key has invested a lot in the offensive coaching staff and added some critical pieces to the offense via the transfer portal.

There is clearly more than one thing that this offense needs to improve upon, but if you ask me, I think that getting more explosive in the passing game is the thing they need to show a lot of growth in this year.

When looking at some advanced stats, they don't paint a pretty picture. Georgia Tech was 126th in total passing EPA (expected points added), 121st in EPA per passing play, and 119th in passing success rate. , they don't paint a pretty picture. Georgia Tech was 126th in total passing EPA (expected points added), 121st in EPA per passing play, and 119th in passing success rate. Georgia Tech was 126th in total passing EPA (expected points added), 121st in EPA per passing play, and 119th in passing success rate.

So what has Georgia Tech done to address these problems?

Well for starters, Key got rid of Chip Long as the offensive coordinator and brought in Buster Faulkner to call plays. Faulkner had been a quality control assistant for the past few seasons at Georgia and has offensive coordinator experience at places like Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee State. I think that Faulkner is going to be a big upgrade over Long in helping create explosive plays with his play calling and design and he showed that a little bit in the spring game. There were various different personnel groupings on the field for Georgia Tech and that is something that has been missing.

Faulkner isn't the biggest reason for the potential growth on that side of the ball. The new personnel that the Yellow Jackets have has the potential to be a good group and one that is getting a little bit underrated.

I think that this receiver room has a chance to be able to create big plays and that was evident in the spring game. Malik Rutherford has blazing speed and he looked to be a favorite target for the quarterbacks and he could lead the team in targets this season.

💨💨 @MalikRutherford #GTSpring pic.twitter.com/53eqUi7iD4
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) April 15, 2023

Rutherford finished the spring game with seven catches for 154 yards, including a 64-yard catch. He was great after the catch and found a way to make guys miss. The highlight of the day for Rutherford came when he reversed his field and scored a touchdown while making plenty of defenders miss.

Nate McCollum was the only consistent receiver on Georgia Tech last season that could create plays down the field, but the speed that the Yellow Jackets have brought in is noticeable, and not just with Rutherford. Alabama transfer Christian Leary was known as a speedster through high school and while he was not able to bring that to the Crimson Tide, he was featured plenty in the spring game.

Will Christian Leary be a breakout player for Georgia Tech this season? / Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Leary is a former four-star recruit from Orlando, FL and he has spent the last two seasons with Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide. Leary decided to transfer after this past season and initially, it appeared that he was going to transfer home and play for UCF, which is heading to the Big 12 this season. Key was able to flip Leary from UCF and it was quite the pull for the Yellow Jackets head coach.

Leary was well thought of as a recruit and here is what 247Sports recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins wrote in 2020 about Leary:

"Has the looks of a true slot receiver given short stature. Thick trunk. One of the fastest prospects in the class of 2021. Posted a school-record 10.5 in the 100-meter dash as a junior. Speed allows him to take the top off a defense. Capable of creating separation while working across the field. Uses sharp cuts to weave in and out of traffic once the ball is in his hands. Might be on the smaller side, but runs hard in-between the tackles. Took plenty of direct snaps in high school, which frequently moved the chains. Serviceable hands, but limited catch radius. Not the most spirited blocker. Ability to get deep faster than most is a unique trait in an era where almost everyone is trying to air it out on offense. Has the tools to develop into a multi-year starter and a weapon at the Power 5 level if he buys into the process. Potential is there to play on Sundays."

Ivins projected Leary as a day-three pick in the NFL Draft and compared him to Marquise Goodwin, one of the fastest receivers in the NFL at the time.

Here is what 247Sports writer Charles Power wrote about Leary. He also projected Leary to be a day-three pick in the NFL Draft and compared him to former UMass and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Andy Isabella:

"Shorter in stature with a thick, developed lower body. Has added around ten pounds of mass from his sophomore to junior years of high school One of the faster wide receivers on the track in the 2021 cycle and posted some sensational times in the 100 meters early in the spring prior to his senior season. Helped Edgewater to a state title berth as a junior. Productive as a receiver and direct-snap run threat. Transfers his high-level top-end speed to the football field. Pulls away from defenders with ease once in the open field with a long, explosive stride. Dangerous in several facets and a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. Skilled in the open field, whether it's in catch and run situations, as a rusher or return man. Also has the play strength to run with some power. Shows ability to locate and track the ball as a downfield target. Looks like a multi-purpose, versatile offensive weapon at the next level. Will need to continue adding to his skill set as a route-runner as he runs a fairly limited route tree to this point- even more important for a shorter wide receiver. Projects as a Power Five starter with the upside to develop into a NFL Draft selection."

The other receiver that can help make this offense more explosive is D.J. Moore, who was another standout in the spring.

TO. THE. HOUSE@zach_pyron_05 ➡️ @DjmooreII pic.twitter.com/7UFl7TcwU1
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) April 15, 2023

Georgia Tech has nowhere to go but up this season, but the passing game explosiveness is going to be a huge thing I am looking for this season. The new wide receiver group has potential, but the results have to be there for the offense.

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