Georgia Tech is a program that is gaining momentum based on last year’s results and the way they approach recruiting. The Yellow Jackets signed five-star offensive tackle Josh Petty yesterday and are expected to sign four-star defensive tackle Christian Garrett, who formerly played for Georgia. On the field, however, Georgia Tech returns the bulk of one of the ACC’s best offenses and new talent and coaches on the defensive side. They have a tough schedule ahead of them, but there is still optimism that they can reach another bowl game and be a contender in the ACC.

In a recent article, ESPN analyst Bill Connelly named breakout teams and teams that could build on the successes they had in 2023, and Georgia Tech was one of those teams. Here’s what he had to say about Georgia Tech’s potential for improvement:

“Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets turned Rutgers around and earned their first bowl appearance in five years thanks to their offense. Thanks to quarterback Haynes King, 1,000-yard runner Jamal Haynes and an exciting young receiver team led by Eric Singleton Jr. and Malik Rutherford, Tech jumped from 122nd to 50th in offensive SP+, offsetting a disastrous defense (86th) and winning seven games.

As with Rutgers, Tech’s schedule will likely prevent improvement in the win department. The Jackets will play teams currently projected at No. 1 (Georgia), No. 10 (Notre Dame) and No. 12 (Florida State), and face four other teams ranked 19th through 32nd. If the defense gets going at all — and with only eight of 16 defensive linemen returning with over 300 snaps and a heavy burden on transfers for that improvement, it’s not guaranteed — Tech could continue to improve in 2024. But the win total may not reflect that.”

Earlier this month, Connelly also listed Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King as one of the key players in the race for the College Football Playoffs:

“After a frustrating and injury-plagued stint at Texas A&M, King was part of a rousing breakout performance at Georgia Tech, where he threw for 2,842 yards, rushed for 830 yards (with no sacks), moved into the top 30 in total QBR and led the Yellow Jackets to their first bowl in five years. He and Jamal Haynes form one of the most dangerous backfields in the nation, and while the Jackets themselves are by no means title contenders — King would also have to play excellent defense to help in that regard — they could change the picture in the CFP with shots against four projected top-20 opponents (according to SP+): Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami and Georgia.”

In his first season as the Yellow Jackets’ starting quarterback in 2023, King totaled 3,729 yards (2,842 passing, 737 carries) and 37 touchdowns (27 passing, 10 carries) on offense, making him one of only two Power Five Conference players with at least 2,800 passing yards, 700 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes and 10 touchdown runs in 2023, joining Heisman Trophy winner and eventual No. 2 NFL Draft pick Jayden Daniels of LSU, while becoming just the fourth Atlantic Coast Conference player since 2000 to reach those highs in a single season, joining Clemson’s Deshawn Watson (2015), Louisville’s Lamar Jackson (2016 and 2017) and Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans (2016).