As we are coming up right on the beginning of the season, we here at FTRS like to take a closer look at the make-up of the roster, going through each recruiting class that makes up the roster. Today, we get started with last year’s freshman class: the 2021 class.

Ratings

Team Rank (Rivals/247/247 Composite): 48/43/47

247 Transfer Rank: 18

High School Commits

DT Zeek Biggers

Rivals: 2-star (5.2) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8074)

Biggers came on as the year progress last season, appearing in five games and finishing with nine tackles and 0.5 TFL. Moving into this season, Biggers is expected to have a “bigger” role this season.

WR Leo Blackburn

Rivals: 4-star (5.8) | 247 Sports Composite: 4-star (0.8929)

Redshirted last season and did not appear in any games. Blackburn is wearing No. 1 this season for the offense, so presumably, he will have a much bigger role this season.

WR James BlackStrain

Rivals: 4-star (5.8) | 247 Sports Composite: 4-star (0.9012)

Redshirted last season and did not appear in any games.

DB Sirad Bryant

Rivals: 3-star (5.6) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8702)

Bryant appeared in one game last year and had one tackle. I haven’t heard anything specific about Bryant as it related to his role this year.

DE Grey Carroll

Rivals: 3-star (5.6) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8601)

Redshirted last season and did not appear in any games.

DE Noah Collins

Rivals: 3-star (5.6) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8588)

Collins appeared in four games last season, hanging onto his redshirt. He finished with five tackles and a TFL last season.

DB Kaleb Edwards

Rivals: 4-star (5.8) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8842)

Edwards appeared in six games last season as a reserve and finished with 13 tackles. With the near complete overhaul in the secondary, I think Edwards will see an increased role this season.

OL Weston Franklin

Rivals: 3-star (5.7) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8784)

Franklin appeared in five games last season as a reserve OL. With Mikey Minihan graduated, Franklin is likely the frontrunner to start at center.

WR Jamal Haynes

Rivals: 3-star (5.6) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8606)

Redshirted last season and did not appear in any games. He should be in play for the slot receiver job.

OL Jakiah Leftwich

Rivals: 3-star (5.6) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8614)

Redshirted last season and did not appear in any games. Coming into this season, Leftwich is expected to compete for one of the tackle positions with Jordan Williams, Wing Green, and a few other guys.

QB Chayden Peery

Rivals: 3-star (5.6) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8688)

Redshirted last season and did not appear in any games. Peery made the decision to transfer closer to home to College of the Canyons.

TE Ben Postma

Rivals: 3-star (5.5) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8464)

Redshirted last season and did not appear in any games. The tight end room is still pretty crowded, so I don’t foresee Postma getting much playing time this season.

DE Joshua Robinson

Rivals: 3-star (5.7) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8700)

Robinson kept his redshirt last season and appeared in four games, collecting four games and one TFL.

WR Malik Rutherford

Rivals: 3-star (5.7) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8688)

Rutherford came in for Kyric McGowan at slot receiver against Pitt last season and performed admirably. He had five receptions for 62 yards and is expected to be in play for the slot receiver job this season.

P David Shanahan

Rivals: 2-star (5.4) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8134)

Shanahan was the primary punter for Georgia Tech last season and averaged 41.5 yards per punt.

LB Trenilyas Tatum

Rivals: 4-star (5.8) | 247 Sports Composite: 3-star (0.8871)

Tatum appeared in six games last season, accumulating 12 tackles. Though Ace Eley and Charlie Thomas are the more senior guys at linebacker, I expect Tatum will still see some playing time this season.

Transfers

QB Trad Beatty

Beatty came from Temple to serve as a reserve quarterback for Georgia Tech. As far as I can tell, he never appeared in a game, and then he graduated and is no longer on the roster.

K Brent Cimaglia

Cimaglia brought in a little bit of consistency at kicker last season. He went 31/33 on extra points and 11/16 on field goals. He graduated following the season.

LB Ayinde (Ace) Eley

Eley came in and immediately won a starting job at linebacker and seemed to do pretty well. He was second on the team in tackles with 88 and tacked on 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. I would be shocked if he wasn’t a starter this season.

DE Kevin Harris

Harris didn’t play last season, but he has a lot of potential and should see the field this season.

OL Kenneth Kirby

Kirby served as a reserve OL for the Yellow Jackets last season. It looks like he graduated and is no longer on the roster.

WR Kyric McGowan

McGowan may be the single best transfer brought in during the Geoff Collins era. He came in last season as Tech’s slot receiver and was probably Tech’s best receiver. He had 37 catches for 467 yards and seven touchdowns.

OL Nick Pendley

Like Kirby, Pendley came in and served as a reserve OL for the Yellow Jackets last season. Unfortunately, he is not returning after being placed on medical scholarship back in February.

DL Makius Scott

Scott did not play last season, but I suspect he will be a more noticeable presence this year.

DB Kenyatta Watson II

Watson II served on special teams last season, appearing in six games. Coming into this season, he is in contention for one of the starting cornerback spots.

DE Keion White

A lot was expected from White coming into last season, but an injury kept him sidelined for most of the season. He appeared in just four games, locking in four tackles and 0.5 TFL. Coming into this season, I have seen reports that White is in better shape than he was last season and should hopefully be closer to what we expected last season.

What are you expecting from the 2021 class this season?