2026 Tennessee football opponent preview: Georgia Tech

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Tennessee’s non-conference schedule this season features a rarity for the Volunteers, and frankly all of college football these days. Josh Heupel’s year-six team will open with Furman in week one, but then will travel to Atlanta to play a true non-conference road game against Georgia Tech.

It will be a true early test for a couple of teams that have plenty of questions entering 2026, both rebuilding and reloading at key positions. The game will be played on Georgia Tech’s campus at Bobby Dodd Stadium after some chatter of the matchup moving to Mercedes-Benz. For either George MacIntyre or Faizon Brandon, the game will serve as their first true road start of their career.

Georgia Tech was a legitimate College Football Playoff threat for the first ten weeks of the regular season in 2025. They were able to take advantage of a soft ACC schedule early, jumping out to an 8-0 start. Things fell apart from there, however.

Tech dropped a road game to N.C. State, nearly lost to a bad Boston College team, then lost two home games (Pitt, Georgia) to close the year. The Haynes King era came to a close in the Pop Tarts Bowl with a last-second loss to BYU in Orlando.

First look: 2026 Georgia Tech

Billy Connelly’s SP+ Rankings: 43rd overall — No. 53 offense — No. 51 defense.

The Yellow Jackets rank near the bottom of the ACC, returning just 49 percent of production from last year’s team. That’s an increasingly irrelevant stat around college football these days, but notable nonetheless, making Georgia Tech a wildcard entering 2026.

Digging a little deeper, the offense was hit the hardest. Georgia Tech will return only three players that logged 200 snaps last season. On top of all of that, Brent Key had to replace both his offensive and defensive coordinators after both left for new opportunities. That’s quite a bit of new around the program, but it’s increasingly becoming the norm around the sport.

A new era — and a familiar last name — at quarterback for Georgia Tech

Fernando Mendoza took college football by storm last season, leading Indiana to a shocking national title and becoming in the No. pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. What many didn’t know is that his little brother was actually serving as his backup.

Alberto Mendoza saw time with the national champions last year in mop-up duty and made the most of it. He went 18 of 24 passing, tossing five touchdowns and throwing for 286 yards. Mendoza added 190 rushing yards on just 13 carries. Despite that, Curt Cignetti wasn’t quite ready to hand him the keys to the car. The Hoosiers instead added Josh Hoover from TCU, which prompted the younger Mendoza to look elsewhere.

Georgia Tech, fresh off of three big seasons with a similar player in Haynes King, seems like a really nice fit. Their offense centered King, relying on his legs in a tough, power approach. Mendoza can offer some of that same feel, maybe even with a little more upside as a passer in time.

Mendoza has no time to get his feet wet, though. He’ll be thrown into action quickly, facing Colorado and Tennessee in big-time non-conference matchups to begin his time as a starting quarterback.

A high-profile addition to the backfield

Georgia Tech made another big splash in the transfer portal to add to the backfield, grabbing former 5-star prospect Justice Haynes. After starting his career at Alabama, Haynes went to Michigan and appeared to be emerging as a true star. Haynes averaged over seven yards per carry before an injury ended up ending his season.

Haynes ran 121 times for 857 yards and ten touchdowns. The 5-11, 210 pound back now returns closer to home in Atlanta with the Yellow Jackets, joining senior Malachi Hosley (697 yards, 7 TDs in 2025) in the backfield. Brent Key has established a physical culture at Georgia Tech, and the Mendoza-Haynes-Hosley trio will lead the way carrying the rock in 2026.

Major questions elsewhere…

Georgia Tech has to replace production at receiver as well. Key added receivers Javien Plummer (Cal) and Isaiah Fuhrmann (Elon), along with remaking their entire tight end room.

The Yellow Jackets have experience returning at both tackle positions up front, but will have to replace three interior starters — including first round guard Keylan Rutledge. Starting center Harrison Moore leaves another big void up front after leaving for Florida, along with quarterback Aaron Philo and former offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. Tech’s physical brand will need to find some new war-daddies to keep the chains moving in 2026.

Mendoza and Haynes are exciting players, but the supporting cast around them bring plenty of uncertainty to the new-look offense this fall.

New faces and former elite prospects on defense

Jason Semore, the former linebackers coach during the 2022 season, returns to Georgia Tech as defensive coordinator. He comes back after stops at Marshall and Southern Miss, gaining FBS experience running the full defensive look.

Semore will lean on returning starters EJ Lightsey and Kyle Efford in the teeth of the defense at linebacker. Beyond that, it’s a little murky. He’s hoping to get the most out of former top 100 overall prospect Noah Carter on the edge, who transferred in from Alabama. The 6-5, 245 pound pass rusher was a huge pull of of the transfer portal, joining former 5-star prospect Jaylen Mbakwe at cornerback.

Georgia Tech added some size up front with Colorado nose Tawfiq Thomas and UConn defensive tackle Vincent Carroll-Jackson.

Georgia Tech’s 2026 win total projection

Over/Under 6.5 wins, according to multiple sportsbooks. This puts the Yellow Jackets middle of the pack in the ACC.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos