The last couple of years has seen Georgia Tech prioritize speed among their receivers and it has worked well under the direction of offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. The three leading receivers from last year all check in at just under 6 feet and are on the lighter side of 200. Eric Singleton, Malik Rutherford, and Chase Lane created havoc against defenses by using their quickness on screens or short underneath routes to allow them to work in open space.
A shake up is due this season on the roster, but it may end up being deeper and more experienced than the veteran group last year. Singleton transferred to Auburn just after the UGA game taking a bulk of the receiving production from last year with 754 yards and three touchdowns. Malik Rutherford returns with his 702 yards from a team-high 62 receptions and will surely be one of the starters on the outside. Chase Lane also exhausted eligibility but wasn’t targeted nearly as often as the aforementioned receivers with only 23 receptions.
While Singleton was considered the top receiver in the transfer portal this cycle, Georgia Tech may have picked up the next best option (Or better if you believe in CFB 26 ratings) in Eric Rivers from FIU who was 1st Team Conference USA last year with 1172 yards. Rivers might be a tad slower than Singleton but is a much more refined route runner and has some of the surest hands at the college level. Dean Patterson also follows Rivers from FIU who produced 685 yards for the Panthers. He and sophomore Isiah Canion should battle for the outside receiver opposite Rutherford, and both bring a more physical aspect giving a change of pace to the smaller receivers. Another returning receiver to keep and eye on is Bailey Stockton, who came on late in the season and had a solid outing against NC State while backup QB Aaron Philo was in for a hurt Haynes King.
There will be 6 additional newcomers within the position group besides Rivers and Patterson via transfer or high school recruit. Rahkeem Smith comes in from Bowling Green with an additional two years at Delaware State, and is the only other transfer with playing time. He is a versatile athlete who has been used both as a running back and receiver, and an occasional appearance at corner where he also started in high school. Smith will likely be featured as a return specialist, a role he excelled at with Bowling Green. Evan Haynes of UNC and Debron Gatling of South Carolina are both redshirt freshmen who will look to be developing depth pieces.
The three high school recruits are Cal Faulkner (No Relation to Buster), Jordan Allen, and Jamauri Brice. All three are local prospects from the Greater Atlanta Region with Cal being rated as a Top 100 in-state prospect. Cal will likely fill the need of the bigger bodied possession receiver while Brice and Allen fit a mold similar to Rutherford and Singleton. It’s going to be a deep group this year and the young freshmen will likely work on developing this year before competing for snaps.
The outlook for this group overall should be very favorable. Haynes King appears healthy once more for his sixth season overall and third year with Georgia Tech, so they’ll have battle a hardened veteran delivering the ball. The running game is always a threat and defenses won’t be able keep safeties in deep coverage allowing players like Rivers and Rutherford to spring big yardage plays.