The 2024 college football season is sure to be an exciting one, and that precedent was already set in Week Zero when the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset the Florida State Seminoles. This brings something bigger to light, which is that the Yellow Jackets are a team not to overlook this season, but to consider as future ACC champions.

The Yellow Jackets have shown they are a team capable of winning the conference, starting with the head coach position. Brent Key has completely changed the culture at Georgia Tech. Their win over Florida State was their first win against a top-10 team since 2015, they are coming off their first winning season since 2018 in 2023, and are set for the future after signing a top-35 recruit in 2024. Key is changing the narrative around Georgia Tech, and that is reflected in the way the team plays.

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Haynes King transferred last season after spending the first three seasons of his career at Texas A&M. He rushed for 2,834 yards and 27 touchdowns but 16 interceptions for the Yellow Jackets last season. While his stats weren’t particularly impressive against the Seminoles, with 11 completions on 16 attempts for 146 yards and no touchdowns, he still made big plays when needed. This was evident on the final drive when they faced a third-and-seven in their own territory and King completed a 16-yard pass to Jamal Haynes to secure the win.

The increase in offensive output from 2023 has now carried over into 2024, with wide receivers Eric Singleton, Malik Rutherford and Christian Leary cementing their status as the stars of the offense. Where the offense has really been able to dominate is the running game, led by Jamal Haynes, who averaged six yards per carry with 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns last season. The physical offensive line is also a cornerstone and plays an important role. Haynes will play a major key role in this championship run, and that was demonstrated in the game with 75 yards on 11 attempts and two touchdowns.

The defense is also championship-caliber. After being very weak in 2023, they have made the necessary changes to get better. The Yellow Jackets were able to adapt on the fly after looking lost on the opening drive of the game. The run defense is physical up front. After allowing 58 yards on the ground on the opening drive, they adjusted and allowed just 40 yards the rest of the game. Overall, after allowing a 75-yard touchdown drive over seven plays to start the game, they then allowed just 216 yards over 51 plays, an average of 36 yards per drive. That adjustment was critical and embodied the championship mentality of closing the game out, staying strong up front, and causing trouble for the rest of the game.

New defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci brings a 4-2-5 formation with him. Up front are Makius Scott, Kevin Harris and Zeek Biggers, and two outstanding linebackers return in Kyle Efford and Trenilyas Tatum.

This Georgia Tech team has the foundation for a championship and the ACC is wide open. Florida State has shown obvious weaknesses and lacks a stable quarterback in DJ Uiagalelei. Clemson has some issues to overcome with Dabo Swinney on the hot seat and has yet to acquire talent at weak positions due to its inability to utilize the transfer portal. Duke lost Riley Leonard to the transfer portal and the offensive line lacks the talent to be a truly dominant force. For Louisville, there are major issues at quarterback with Tyler Shough struggling to stay on the field. For UNC, Max Johnson comes in to replace Drake Maye, but he’s behind a young offensive line with little proven talent other than transfer Zach Greenberg.

Given the questions among the top contenders and the fact that Georgia Tech has shown overall consistency across the board, this presents the Yellow Jackets with the perfect opportunity to win the ACC Championship in 2024.