CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2021 Georgia Tech

3–⁠9 (2–⁠6 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Geoff Collins.

Schedule and results

Georgia Tech in 2021, game by game: lost vs. Northern Illinois 21–22; won vs. Kennesaw State 45–17; lost at No. 6 Clemson 8–14; won vs. No. 21 North Carolina 45–22; lost vs. Pittsburgh 21–52; won at Duke 31–27; lost at Virginia 40–48; lost vs. Virginia Tech 17–26; lost at Miami 30–33; lost vs. Boston College 30–41; lost at No. 6 Notre Dame 0–55; lost vs. No. 1 Georgia 0–45+28−55Lost 21–22 vs. Northern Illinois-1Northern Illino…Won 45–17 vs. Kennesaw State+28Kennesaw StateLost 8–14 at No. 6 Clemson-6No. 6 ClemsonWon 45–22 vs. No. 21 North Carolina+23No. 21 North CarolinaLost 21–52 vs. Pittsburgh-31PittsburghWon 31–27 at Duke+4DukeLost 40–48 at Virginia-8VirginiaLost 17–26 vs. Virginia Tech-9Virginia TechLost 30–33 at Miami-3MiamiLost 30–41 vs. Boston College-11Boston CollegeLost 0–55 at No. 6 Notre Dame-55No. 6 Notre DameLost 0–45 vs. No. 1 Georgia-45No. 1 Georgia
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 4vsNorthern IllinoisL 21–⁠2265%
Sep 11vsKennesaw StateW 45–⁠1762%
Sep 18at6ClemsonL 8–⁠1416%
Sep 25vs21North CarolinaW 45–⁠2228%
Oct 2vsPittsburghL 21–⁠5246%
Oct 9atDukeW 31–⁠2744%
Oct 23atVirginiaL 40–⁠4835%
Oct 30vsVirginia TechL 17–⁠2655%
Nov 6atMiamiL 30–⁠3329%
Nov 13vsBoston CollegeL 30–⁠4148%
Nov 20at6Notre DameL 0–⁠5510%
Nov 27vs1GeorgiaL 0–⁠4511%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Georgia 45–⁠0; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 116th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 125 on file).

Record
3–⁠9
Conference
2–⁠6 tied for 11th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
288–⁠402
Coach
Geoff Collins
Elo
1401 −39 this season
SP+ rating
-6.7 No. 96 of 130; offense No. 83, defense No. 103
SRS
−1.4 No. 77 of 130 in FBS
Returning
83% of last season’s EPA, No. 52 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 47 roster talent No. 32 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Dave Patenaude
Defensive coordinators
Andrew Thacker and Nathan Burton
Offense
Pro spread
Defense
Multiple

How good, play by play

  • Offense107th of 130
  • Defense118th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted99th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted110th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0439%1.31107th of 130
Defense0.2849%1.25118th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.09 off
0.22 def		41% off
46% def		—99th off
110th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.0own 2917% allowed
Defense4.2own 2913% caused

CORE rating -13.4, 107th of 130 (offense -4.9, defense 8.5).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsJeff Sims QB1,468 yds
Passing touchdownsJeff Sims QB12 TD
Rushing yardsJahmyr Gibbs RB746 yds
Rushing touchdownsDontae Smith RB4 TD
Receiving yardsMalachi Carter WR494 yds
Receiving touchdownsKyric McGowan WR7 TD
TacklesQuez Jackson LB102 tkl
SacksJordan Domineck LB3.5 sacks
InterceptionsCharlie Thomas LB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2021 class

James BlackStrain WR★★★★No. 305
Leo Blackburn TE★★★★No. 341
Trenilyas Tatum LB★★★★No. 388
Kaleb Edwards S★★★No. 428
Weston Franklin OL★★★No. 480

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2021 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.871
Receivers43.50.880
Offensive line23.00.874
Defensive line43.00.853
Linebackers14.00.891
Defensive backs23.00.881
Athletes and specialists23.00.841
Whole class163.20.868

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2022

The 2022 draft
Rd 7Tariq Carpenter ILBGreen Bay Packers

Roster 131

The 2021 roster

131 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 66 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 10

The 2021 portal
Keion White WDE★★★from Old Dominion
Ayinde Eley ILB★★★from Maryland
Kenyatta Watson II CB★★★from Texas
Kevin Harris II OLB★★★from Alabama
Makius Scott SDE★★★from South Carolina
Nick Pendley OG★★★from Mississippi State
Brent Cimaglia K★★★from Tennessee
Kyric McGowan WR★★★from Northwestern
Trad Beatty QB★★★from Temple
Kenneth Kirby OTfrom Norfolk State

Transfers out 19

Ahmarean Brown WR★★★to South Carolina
James Graham QB★★★to Georgia Southern
Justice Dingle SDE★★★to Kentucky
Tucker Gleason QB★★★to Toledo
Antwan Owens DL★★★to Jackson State
Avery Showell S★★★no new school on file
Chico Bennett Jr. DE★★★to Virginia
Chris Martin DL★★★no new school on file
Cornelius Evans LB★★★no new school on file
Emmanuel Johnson DL★★★to Coastal Carolina
Harrison Jump OT★★★no new school on file
Jaquan Henderson DE★★★no new school on file

And 7 more, lower-rated or unrated.

2021 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Pittsburgh7–⁠111–⁠313
Wake Forest7–⁠211–⁠315
Clemson6–⁠210–⁠314
NC State6–⁠29–⁠320
Miami5–⁠37–⁠5
Virginia4–⁠46–⁠6
Virginia Tech4–⁠46–⁠7
Louisville4–⁠46–⁠7
Florida State4–⁠45–⁠7
North Carolina4–⁠56–⁠7
Boston College2–⁠66–⁠6
Syracuse2–⁠65–⁠7
Georgia Tech2–⁠63–⁠9
Duke0–⁠83–⁠9

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.