# 2023 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

The 2023 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets were led by Brent Key in his first full year as Georgia Tech's head coach. They played their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
The season is notable for upsets of North Carolina and Miami, both of which were ranked 17th at the time of the game. In a back-and-forth shootout, Georgia Tech scored 22 points in the final 13 minutes to defeat the Tarheels 46-42. The North Carolina game was ranked as one of the 25 best games of the season by ESPN's Bill Connelly.
The Miami game was marked by Miami's decision to run the ball instead of taking a knee in the final 40 seconds, leading to a fumble recovered by Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech went on to drive 74 yards in four plays, and score a touchdown with 2 seconds on the clock to upset the previously undefeated Hurricanes.
Georgia Tech would finish fourth in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets ended the season with a win over UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl, their first bowl game and first winning record since 2018.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team drew an average home attendance of 36,290 in 2023.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

One Yellow Jacket was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
| Player | Position | Team | Round | Pick |
| Keion White | DE | New England Patriots | 2 | 46 |

### Transfers
#### Outgoing

| Player | Position | Destination |
| Demetrius Knight | LB | Charlotte |
| Jude Kelley | K | Chattanooga |
| Ryan King | WR | East Carolina |
| RJ Adams | OL | Lackawanna College |
| Taisun Phommachanh | QB | UMass |
| Derrik Allen | S | North Carolina |
| Paula Vaipulu | OL | North Texas |
| Nate McCollum | WR | North Carolina |
| Dylan McDuffie | RB | Kansas |
| Jeff Sims | QB | Nebraska |
| Kalani Norris | WR | Middle Tennessee |
| Zamari Walton | CB | Ole Miss |
| Jeremiah Smith | S | Unknown |
| Kenny Bennett | CB | Unknown |
| Jalen Huff | CB | Florida Atlantic |
| Grey Carroll | DE | Liberty |
| Ben Postma | TE | Unknown |
| Antonio Martin | RB | Unknown |
| Khatavian Franks | LB | Duquesne |
| K.J. Miles | DE | Temple |
| Akelo Stone | DL | Ole Miss |

#### Incoming

| Player | Position | Previous School |
| Christian Leary | WR | Alabama |
| Jordan Brown | OL | Charlotte |
| Etinosa Reuben | DL | Clemson |
| Abdul Janneh | WR | Duquesne |
| Brett Seither | TE | Georgia |
| Dominick Blaylock | WR | Georgia |
| Paul Moala | LB | Idaho |
| Omar Daniels | S | Kansas State |
| Trevion Cooley | RB | Louisville |
| Braelen Oliver | LB | Minnesota |
| Justin Brown | S | Mississippi State |
| Austin Dean | LB | Rutgers |
| Andre White Jr. | LB | Texas A&M |
| Chase Lane | WR | Texas A&M |
| Haynes King | QB | Texas A&M |
| Jackson Long | TE | South Florida |
| Eddie Kelly | DL | South Florida |

## Schedule

Georgia Tech and the ACC announced the 2023 football schedule on January 30, 2023. The 2023 season will be the conference's first season since 2004, that its scheduling format just includes one division. The new format sets Georgia Tech with three set conference opponents, while playing the remaining ten teams twice (home and away) in a four–year cycle. The Yellow Jackets three set conference opponents for the next four years are: Clemson, Louisville, and Wake Forest. As such, this is the first season since 1932 that the Yellow Jackets didn't play rival Duke.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Louisville | Mercedes-Benz StadiumAtlanta, GA (Aflac Kickoff) | ESPN | L 34–39 | 36,101 |
| September 9 | 1:00 p.m. | South Carolina State* | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ACCNX/ESPN+ | W 48–13 | 31,452 |
| September 16 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 17 Ole Miss* | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | SECN | L 23–48 | 64,150 |
| September 23 | 6:30 p.m. | at Wake Forest | Allegacy Federal Credit Union StadiumWinston-Salem, NC | The CW | W 30–16 | 32,528 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Bowling Green* | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ACCN | L 27–38 | 30,097 |
| October 7 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 17 Miami (FL) | Hard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL | ACCN | W 23–20 | 58,045 |
| October 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Boston College | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ACCN | L 23–38 | 35,656 |
| October 28 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 17 North Carolina | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ACCN | W 46–42 | 35,945 |
| November 4 | 2:00 p.m. | at Virginia | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | The CW | W 45–17 | 42,606 |
| November 11 | 12:00 p.m. | at Clemson | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (rivalry) | ABC | L 21–42 | 81,426 |
| November 18 | 8:00 p.m. | Syracuse | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ACCN | W 31–22 | 33,332 |
| November 25 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 1 Georgia* | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA (Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate) | ABC | L 23–31 | 51,447 |
| December 22 | 6:30 p.m. | vs. UCF* | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL (Gasparilla Bowl) | ESPN | W 30–17 | 30,281 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Louisville

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 6 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 39 |
| Yellow Jackets | 0 | 28 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST/4:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Indoors
* Game attendance: 36,101
* Referee: Riley Johnson
* TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
* Pregame line: Louisville –7 • O/U: 49.5
| Statistics | Louisville | Georgia Tech |
| First downs | 21 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 65–474 | 70-488 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–227 | 38–175 |
| Passing yards | 247 | 313 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–31–1 | 19–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:54 | 30:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 18/31, 247 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 7 carries, 96 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 7 receptions, 88 yards, 2 TD |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Haynes King | 19/32, 313 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Haynes King | 10 carries, 53 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Malik Rutherford | 5 receptions, 85 yards |

### at No. 17 Ole Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Yellow Jackets | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
| No. 17 Rebels | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 48 |
at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS
* Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: clear skies • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 64,150
* Referee: Daniel Gautreaux
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play) Jordan Rodgers (analyst) Cole Cubelic (sideline)
* Pregame line: Ole Miss –17 • O/U: 61.5
| Statistics | Georgia Tech | Ole Miss |
| First downs | 26 | 19 |
| Total yards | 474 | 550 |
| Passing yards | 307 | 251 |
| Rushes/yards | 47/167 | 37/299 |
| Penalties/yards | 0/0 | 5/40 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 39:17 | 20:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Haynes King | 28/41, 307 yards, 2 TD |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Jamal Haynes | 19 carries, 72 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Eric Singleton Jr. | 5 receptions, 97 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Jaxson Dart | 10/18, 251 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Jaxson Dart | 14 carries, 136 yards, 2 TD |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Jordan Watkins | 4 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD |

### Bowling Green

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bowling Green | 7 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 38 |
| Georgia Tech | 14 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NE 3 mph (4.8 km/h)
* Game attendance: 30,097
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (ACCN): Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich & Marilyn Payne
| Statistics | Bowling Green | Georgia Tech |
| First downs | 26 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 438 | 417 |
| Rushes–yards | 45–175 | 32–69 |
| Passing yards | 263 | 348 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–33–0 | 23–37–2 |
| Time of possession | 42:45 | 17:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Bowling Green | Passing | Connor Bazelak | 21/32, 263 yards, 1 TD |
| Bowling Green | Rushing | Terion Stewart | 26 carries, 138 yards, 1 TD |
| Bowling Green | Receiving | Finn Hogan | 6 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Haynes King | 23/37, 348 yards, 4 TDS, 2 INTS |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Haynes King | 10 carries, 28 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Dominick Blaylock | 7 receptions, 131 yards |

### at No. 17 Miami (FL)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Georgia Tech | 0 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| No. 17 Miami (FL) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida
* Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C)
* TV announcers (ACCN): Wes Durham (play-by-play) and Tim Hasselbeck (analyst)
| Statistics | GT | MIA |
| First downs | 12 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 53–250 | 82–454 |
| Rushes–yards | 27–99 | 46–166 |
| Passing yards | 151 | 288 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 12–26–2 | 24–36–3 |
| Time of possession | 24:34 | 35:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Haynes King | 12/26, 151 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Haynes King | 10 carries, 46 yards, TD |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Christian Leary | 1 reception, 44 yards, TD |
| Miami | Passing | Tyler Van Dyke | 24/36, 288 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Miami | Rushing | Donald Chaney Jr. | 23 carries, 103 yards |
| Miami | Receiving | Xavier Restrepo | 11 receptions, 139 yards |

### at Clemson (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Georgia Tech | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Clemson | 0 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
at Memorial Stadium • Clemson, SC
* Date: November 11, 2023
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: NE @ 9 mph (14 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 81,426
* Referee: Stuart Mullins
* TV announcers (ABC): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
* Sources:
Game information :
First quarter
(6:36) Georgia Tech – Haynes King 4 yard rush, Aidan Birr kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 2:12; Georgia Tech 7–0)
Second quarter
(11:45) Clemson – Beaux Collins 5 yard pass from Cade Klubnik, Johnathan Weitz kick, (Drive: 18 plays, 75 yards, 9:51; Tied 7–7)
(7:17) Clemson – Tyler Brown 3 yard pass from Klubnik, Weitz kick, (Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 3:12; Clemson 14–7)
(1:09) Clemson – Will Shipley 32 yard rush, Weitz kick, (Drive: 9 plays, 92 yards, 4:10; Clemson 21–7)
Third quarter
(7:05) Clemson – Jake Briningstool 5 yard pass from Klubnik, Weitz kick, (Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 3:33; Clemson 28–7)
Fourth quarter
(14:22) Clemson – Josh Sapp 13 yard pass from Klubnik, Weitz kick, (Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 0:33; Clemson 35–7)
(12:46) Clemson – Shelton Lewis 46 yard interception return, Weitz kick, (Drive: 1 play, 46 yards, 1:36; Clemson 42–7)
(10:11) Georgia Tech – Donte Smith 32 yard pass from King, Birr kick, (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:35; Clemson 42–12)
(1:49) Georgia Tech – Dylan Leonard 4 yard pass from King, Birr kick, (Drive: 14 plays, 67 yards, 4:12; Clemson 42–21)
Top passers
CLEM – Cade Klubnik: 23–34, 205 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
GT – Haynes King: 13–31, 129 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
Top rushers
CLEM – Phil Mafah: 17 rushes, 96 yards
GT – Jamal Haynes: 15 rushes, 104 yards
Top Receiving
CLEM – Beaux Collins: 5 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD
GT – Donte Smith: 2 receptions 30 yards, 1 TD :

### Syracuse

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 3 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 22 |
| Yellow Jackets | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |

### No. 1 Georgia (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Georgia | 7 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
| Georgia Tech | 10 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
at Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 51,447
* TV: ABC
| Statistics | UGA | GT |
| First downs | 24 | 22 |
| Total yards | 437 | 363 |
| Rushing yards | 262 | 205 |
| Passing yards | 175 | 158 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 13-20 | 11-21 |
| Time of possession | 29:15 | 30:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia | Passing | Carson Beck | 13/20, 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Georgia | Rushing | Kendall Milton | 18 carries, 156 yards, 2 TD |
| Georgia | Receiving | Dominic Lovett | 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Haynes King | 11/20, 158 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Jamal Haynes | 15 carries, 81 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Eric Singleton, Jr. | 4 receptions, 96 yards |

### vs. UCF (Gasparilla Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Georgia Tech | 0 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| UCF | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida
* Date: Friday, December 22, 2023
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: 6 mph (9.7 km/h) NE
* Game attendance: 30,281
* Referee: Cravonne Barrett
* TV announcers (ESPN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Tim Hasselbeck (analyst), and Taylor Tannebaum (sideline)
* Box score
Game information :
First Quarter
UCF: Javon Baker 23-yard touchdown pass from John Rhys Plumlee (Colton Boomer Kick), 13:37
UCF: Kobe Hudson 17-yard touchdown pass from John Rhys Plumlee (Colton Boomer Kick), 6:26
Second Quarter
GT: Aidan Birr 36-yard field goal, 14:17
UCF: Colton Boomer 27-yard field goal, 8:23
GT: Haynes King 5-yard touchdown run (Aidan Birr Kick), 4:23
GT: Malik Rutherford 41-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King (Aidan Birr Kick), 0:56
Third Quarter
GT: Aidan Birr 29-yard field goal, 12:07
Fourth Quarter
GT: Dontae Smith 1-yard touchdown run (Aidan Birr Kick), 13:37
GT: Aidan Birr 38-yard field goal, 4:52
Win Probability
GT 33.4%
Line
GT +4.5
Over/Under
64.5 :
| Statistics | GT | UCF |
| First downs | 21 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 69–371 | 69–424 |
| Rushes–yards | 53–284 | 34–169 |
| Passing yards | 87 | 255 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 7–13–1 | 17–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 33:30 | 26:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Haynes King | 7/13, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Jamal Haynes | 18 carries, 128 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Malik Rutherford | 2 receptions, 40 yards, 1 TD |
| UCF | Passing | John Rhys Plumlee | 16/29, 198 yards, 2 TD |
| UCF | Rushing | RJ Harvey | 15 carries, 120 yards |
| UCF | Receiving | Javon Baker | 9 receptions, 173 yards, 1 TD |