Who will perform the best on senior night for the Yellow Jackets?
Game day is nearly hear for the Yellow Jackets who takes on Pittsburgh for a chance to get to the ACC title game. It is a big game for seniors and for Georgia Tech as a program. Let's take a look at some bold predictions for the game on Saturday.
Nov 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King runs the ball against the NC State Wolfpack during the fourth quarter at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images It is the final game for King on the Flats and at Bobby Dodd Stadium. King has always played well in big games, especially at home. You can go back to the North Carolina upset a few years ago, the Miami upset last year and handing the Hurricanes their first loss of the season, and Georgia on the road at Samford Stadium with a sick performance that ended in an eight overtime defeat. He is made for the moment, whatever the team needs, King has delivered. His stellar play has him in a Heisman conversation, and he can make his case stronger with a big primetime performance in front of the entire country on Saturday night. He has the right mindset ahead of the matchup. “Well, one, trying to make practice as hard as possible, whether it's pushing the tempo, expecting certain things from them at a certain high level. If practices are the hardest thing, if practices are harder than the game, then the game is gonna be easy, and you're just out there having fun. But like I said, just pushing those guys to the limit, whether it's practice or the way that they prepare. Walk through the same way. Then afterwards, go talk to them. Like, hey, what were you thinking here? Like, hey, did you see when I did this? I want you to know why I'm doing this. I want to push the tempo. I want people to chase the ball,” said King. “If we do that, like I said, we're gonna be in a good position to make explosive plays, get them in an end zone. Cuz now we're getting those home run blocks, stuff like that. And just to execute at a high level, if you strain yourself mentally and physically during practice, that's what's gonna happen in game, you practice how you play.” I think King will do it once again and lead his team to victory and place himself in Georgia Tech lore on Saturday night.Nov 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack wide receiver Terrell Anderson runs the ball against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Omar Daniels during the second quarter at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images / Zachary Taft-Imagn Images I know it seems unfathomable to think the Yellow Jackets will be able to get things figured out after a tough showing the past few weeks, but the energy around the team, coupled with senior night, seems to be the perfect combination for this defense to get back to the level it was playing at. My bold prediction is that the defense will play with physicality and force several turnovers against the Panthers and put their offense in opportune situations. They will be able to rattle the true freshman quarterback, Mason Heintschel and make it a long night for Pittsburgh. I believe the live tackling period this week and some of the tweaks that head coach Brent Key has implemented should pay dividends on Saturday. “We've got to shore up some tackling, right? And the only way to do that, I mean, I'm not a genius by any means, and the only way I know to get better at something is to do it. So that's what we did. We've done that before in the past. We've got a really good football team we're playing, and they're a physical team, and I thought it was indeed, and look, we didn't go the whole time. But we had situational times we did and I thought it was needed. I thought the response from our team was really good for them,” said Key.Aug 29, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back Omar Daniels ,defensive back Jy Gilmore and defensive lineman Jason Moore tackle Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Kaidon Salter in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images It is nothing like being a senior and having your final game ever at your home stadium. You play with a different edge and tend to lift your play. I think the Georgia Tech players will play just like that on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium. In this senior class, Georgia Tech has been superb at home and has rarely lost. With Saturday being a sold-out crowd, you should see the senior play at a high level with a number of big performances. Seniors who should have big games are Ahmari Harvey, Malik Rutherford, Haynes King, Clayton Powell-Lee, Jason Moore, Jamal Haynes, Eric Rivers, Akelo Stone, and Jordan Van Den Berg. They each have been critical pieces in this rebuild of the Yellow Jackets and getting them to the level they are at. The culmination of their hard work can be crystallized on Saturday, and I think they will deliver in a big way. “With those seniors, D-line Matt Alexander, tight end Josh Beetham, long snapper Will Benton, tight end JT Byrne, DB Omar Daniels, O-line Joe Fusilel, DB Jyi Gilmore, running back Daylon Gordon, linebacker Jackson Hamilton, corner Ahmari Harvey, running back Jamal Haynes, DB Ben Hollerbach, quarterback Haynes King, defensive line Jason Moore, punter Marshall Nichols, wide receiver Dean Patterson, safety Clayton Powell Lee, offensive lineman Ryan Purves, wide receiver Eric Rivers, wide receiver Malik Rutherford, offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge, tight end Brett Seither, corner Rodney Shelley defensive tackle Akelo Stone, defensive line Ronald Triplette, and defensive tackle J.J. Van Den Berg. So, you know, those guys obviously mean a lot to the program, a lot to me. I think that's what's great about the way football is,” said Key. “It's part of what's really, really good about college football. Senior class, first senior class to go to three straight bowl games since 2014, 13-3 at home over the last three years, with 10-0 over the last two years, and has an opportunity to become the first group to go undefeated at home for two straight years since 1952-1953. There's a lot that these guys have to play for. There's a lot that the team has to play for the seniors for. I expect the entire team to rally around these guys to lift them up and have our absolute best game come Saturday night. I wanted to make sure I talked about the seniors and gave them the recognition that they all deserve. I want them to know how they all mean. You know, there should be some emotional times on Saturday night when these guys are out there for their last time, so we need to take that emotion and turn it into energy and make the most of this opportunity.”Najeh Wilkins covers football and basketball for Georgia Tech Athletics at FanNation. He has experience in recruiting, hosting, play-by-play, and color commentary.
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