Head Coach: Geoff Collins (3rd year)

2020 Record: 3-7 overall, 3-6 in ACC

Returning Starters: Offense (6) Defense (6)

Vs Georgia: Nov. 27 in Atlanta

Players to Watch: QB Jeff Sims, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Malachi Carter, DT Djimon Brooks, LB Quez Jackson, CB Tre Swilling, SS Tariq Carpenter, FS Juanyeh Thomas

On paper, it looks like another difficult year for the Yellow Jackets who need to start showing progress in Geoff Collins’ third year as head coach.

At quarterback, Jeff Sims had his ups and downs as a freshman, but the Yellow Jackets love his potential. Sims threw for 1,881 yards and 13 touchdowns, although the 13 interceptions he threw certainly qualify as an issue. The goal for Sims is simple: start completing a higher percentage of passes and limit the turnovers.

If he can do that, Georgia Tech’s offense might not be too bad. The backfield is young, but Jahmyr Gibbs made a big impact, averaging 138.2 all-purpose yards per game (460 rushing and 303 receiving) with seven touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets also return Dontae Smith (6.9 yards per carry) and Jordan Mason (82 carries for 352 yards), the latter of whom was an All-ACC player in 2019.

Up front, the Yellow Jackets are hoping Vanderbilt transfer Devin Cochran and Norfolk State transfer Kenneth Kirby will solidify an offensive line that returns three starters.

At wide receiver, Malachi Carter (20-290) is the lone starter returning.

Georgia Tech finished 14th in the ACC in total defense, so there’s nowhere to go but up.

In the hopes of helping the situation, Collins was not shy about dipping into the transfer portal, picking up defensive end Kevin Harris (Alabama), defensive end Keon White (Old Dominion), and linebacker Ayinde Eley (Maryland).

The Yellow Jackets do return four of their five starters in the secondary, including a talented pair of safeties in Tariq Carpenter and Juanyeh Thomas.

Explain where Coach Collins is, entering Year 3 of his tenure with the program.

Quinlan: "It is sort of an interesting question. He inherited a weird team that had some major holes due to a variety of factors. The biggest issues were the lines of scrimmage where they had offensive linemen built for a very specific system (Paul Johnson's option) that didn't translate well, and then on the defensive side, they had basically just two players with real game experience on the defensive line. Digging out of that, along with having to completely rebuild the quarterback room from square one, led to some subpar to mediocre results. The roster has turned over heading into year three, and the talent level is improving. The expectations for 2021 will be a bowl game and more competitive performances against the three bigger names on the schedule: Clemson, UGA, and Notre Dame. Obviously, the Bulldogs and the Tigers have beaten them like an FCS team since Collins arrived, so they need to be competitive in those games again."

Obviously, there were defensive issues last year. How will the coaches go about trying to correct those issues, and can they get that done?

Quinlan: "There were some pretty big injury and covid issues on the defensive side of the ball last year. The starting defensive line heading into August camp played zero games together. The starting nose tackle, TK Chimedza, played no games. Antonneous Clayton battled multiple issues and had to walk away from the team in November, and the best all-around defensive end, Sylvain Yondjouen, played two games early in the year. Tech's top safety, Tariq Carpenter, had two serious injuries that he played through, but he was a shell of himself for almost the entire season.

"Heading into 2021, they have those four players all healthy, plus they've added Keion White from Old Dominion and Ace Eley from Maryland at defensive end and linebacker respectively, to bolster the defense. They have more talent on the defensive line, especially at the end spot where they are now three-deep, due to the quick development required of freshmen like Jared Ivey and Kyle Kennard, who were thrown into the fire in 2020.

"The defense is probably among the oldest in college football, with the most returning guys, and with Collins being a defensive coach there are very high expectations for the unit this season."

Quarterback Jeff Sims showed flashes as a true freshman. What kind of improvements are expected from him?

Quinlan: "Sims has to read defenses better and hold onto the football. Like many freshman quarterbacks, he had some major turnover issues both with fumbles (he led the NCAA in 2020) and interceptions (3rd in the NCAA in 2020). Those turnovers killed drives and put the defense in bad situations, so just cutting down on that will be huge for the offense. Tech also wants to see him use his legs more when things break down instead of holding the ball.

"During spring ball, he showed better command of the offense, and his reads improved. They added a really useful weapon to the offense to help him out in former Northwestern receiver Kyric McGowan. McGowan will be the starting slot receiver; he runs the ball like a running back but has the receiving skills of an outside receiver and a bigger body. They haven't had that type of weapon at the receiver spot, with Jahmyr Gibbs doing a lot of those things from the running back position instead. Now Sims has two weapons like that, so that will take pressure off him.

"I also think the offensive line should be a lot better. They added former Vanderbilt standout Devin Cochran at left tackle, and the core of the line returns from 2020. They still have to figure out the left guard spot, but they have some decent options there as well."

Coach Collins was very active as it pertains to the transfer portal. Who are some players there you expected to make an impact?

Quinlan: "They added Cochran at left tackle, Keion White at defensive end, Kyric McGowan at slot, and Ace Eley at weakside linebacker. I expect all of them to start. They added Makius Scott, a freshman defensive tackle from South Carolina, who had a really strong spring and will be in the rotation; they added Kenyatta Watson II as a nickel/corner from Texas, and both of them should be rotation guys as well. One really interesting guy they added is Kenneth Kirby from Norfolk State as an offensive lineman. He could slide in at right tackle, and he was a guy—despite being at an FCS school—who was on draft boards for the 2021 NFL Draft. He just opted to come to Tech to work with Brent Key, to see if he could improve his stock.

With all of that said, the biggest addition for Tech fans is placekicker Brent Cimaglia from Tennessee. Tech had the worst kicking in the P5 the last two years, and it was almost impossible for them to kick a field goal last year. So if he's okay, that will be a huge upgrade."

What's your take on how the team will fare this year?

Quinlan: "Collins bought a lot of goodwill via his online presence and outreach to the fan base, but two three-win seasons is unacceptable at a school in the ACC Coastal, where they're not exactly playing insane competition every week. The team is much better from a talent standpoint, and they really used 2020 to get some younger players key reps to build for the future. The team motto this offseason is W.I.N., so it's clear Collins knows how important it is to show some momentum for recruiting, which will be how he makes it or doesn't at Tech.

"Looking at the schedule, they have three really hard games at Clemson week three, at Notre Dame, and then at Georgia in November to close out the regular season. The UNC game in Mercedes Benz Stadium will be a swing game in terms of whether they're in the mix in the ACC Coastal or not. The Coastal is full of mediocre-to-average teams again, so if they can just play well in league play, they should be a 5-7 win team. Anything less than that, and Collins will be under pressure to make staff changes and will lose some momentum in recruiting."

• How much is quarterback Jeff Sims expected to improve: He certainly has room to grow. Sims was just a freshman last year, and as a first-year player was susceptible to rookie mistakes. That said, Sims showed he has the potential to be an impact player with his ability to throw and run the football. He just needs to cut down on the errors.

• Will the offensive line be better? Fans would hope. Part of the issue is the fact most of the players also played in the triple option, and that blocking scheme is obviously much different than what Georgia Tech is doing now.

• Will the defense be better? That’s probably the biggest question. Georgia Tech finished 14th in the ACC in total defense, also allowing 5.86 yards per play. Opponents converted 46.7 of third downs against them.

• Who will Georgia Tech’s best offensive weapon be? We’ve talked already about Sims, but the player expected to have the biggest impact is the sophomore running back Jahmyr Gibbs. As a freshman, Gibbs rushed 89 times for 460 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also the leading returning receiver after catching 24 passes for 303 yards and three scores.

• Will special teams be improved? The Yellow Jackets graduated Ray Guy Award-winning punter Pressley Harvin III and will turn to David Shannon out of Ireland. Place kicker would seem to be the biggest question, however. Georgia Tech attempted just eight field goals last year, converting three.