2024 Bowl: Early Projection Pits Georgia Tech vs UAB

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets made a triumphant return to the bowl game last season, their first since 2018 and their first win since 2016. The team's impressive performance was largely due to Brent Key's leadership in his debut season as head coach. Now with a tougher schedule for 2024, Georgia Tech hopes to return to the bowl game and possibly do better.
 
The Yellow Jackets have one of the most formidable schedules in college football this year. However, they are returning with a majority of starters from one of America’s top offenses last year. If there is improvement in defense, Georgia Tech could become one of the ACC's most dangerous teams.
 
Early projections for the 2024 season predict that Georgia Tech will face UAB at the Military Bowl. This comes after Brad Crawford from 247Sports released new bowl projections recently, another indication that college football is fast approaching. 
 
UAB hopes for better results under Trent Dilfer's second-year tenure as head coach after a disappointing debut season where they finished just 4-8. In contrast, expectations are much higher for Georgia Tech, which welcomes back Haynes King. He threw career-best numbers last fall, with the former Texas A&M signal-caller throwing an impressive total of 27 touchdowns during his initial campaign at Georgia Tech. 
 
In terms of individual performances, quarterback Haynes King had a standout previous season, being among two players nationally who achieved minimum stats, including over 35 combined yards and thirty touchdowns across passing and rushing categories (LSU's Jayden Daniels is the other). He ranks fourth in passing yards while leading the ACC in touchdown passes, making him the potentially best quarterback in the conference this year. 
 
Jamal Haynes also had an outstanding run last year when he transitioned from wide receiver to running back, which proved successful, earning him all-ACC honors as a third-team running back and an honorable mention as an all-purpose performer with over 1,000 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. We also anticipate another successful season from him in 2024.
 
Georgia Tech's wide receiver room is expected to be one of the deepest in the ACC, with some new faces who could strengthen the team even more. Eric Singleton Jr., a freshman from their 2023 recruiting class, proved his worth by ranking fourth among all freshmen nationally with nearly sixty receiving yards per game, tied for fourth place among true freshmen with six touchdown receptions. 
 
Other notable contributors include Malik Rutherford, who was the second-leading receiver last year, catching forty-six passes for over five hundred yards and three touchdowns; Christian Leary, who caught twenty-five passes for over three hundred yards and two touchdowns while returning kickoffs; and Chase Lane, who had a good start but injuries compromised his performance. He's anticipated to bounce back stronger this year if health permits. 
 
Georgia Tech’s offensive line will likely be one of the best in the ACC as well, under the leadership of head coach Key and first-year offensive line coach Geep Wade, turning it into possibly the best unit on the entire team, going from being the worst rushing team within the conference to leading the league in rushing after just one season—an impressive turnaround indeed! 
 
Given his successful stint at Duke, new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci hopes that defense can match offense's prowess, making them contenders within the ACC. He led a top-ranked scoring defense, allowing fewer than twenty points per game, which ranked sixteenth nationally.
 
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are poised for an exciting run during the upcoming college football season, aiming to not only return to bowl games but also contend for titles within the Atlantic Coast Conference, thanks to such promising prospects ahead.