As Georgia Tech gears up for the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the program faces a season-ending chapter colored by coaching changes and a steady trickle of players entering the transfer portal. The most prominent development: offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner is taking the OC reins at Florida, leaving Tech to chart an offense in transition as it heads toward postseason play. Also leaving are QBs Coach AJ Erdely, RBs Coach Norval McKenzie, and WRs Coach Trent McKnight.

   Head coach Brent Key has framed the moment as a test of resilience and leadership from within. “We’re leaning on the guys who’ve been in the trenches with us all year,” Key said after a recent practice. “Tough decisions are part of the game, but our standard doesn’t waver. We’ll adjust, and we’ll compete.”

   Faulkner’s departure adds a layer of complexity to Tech’s game plan. The offense will be run by a combination of internal coordinators and veteran assistants while coaches navigate installing or refining schemes in a bowl-setting timeframe.

   Among the transfer portal departures are key contributors across the lineup, including backup quarterback Aaron Philo, center Tana Alo-Tupuola, and offensive lineman Peyton Joseph, whose exits leave questions about continuity and experience as Tech shifts toward the next chapter.

   The transfer wave isn’t unique to Tech, but the Jackets are determined to channel it into a constructive arc. Recruiting and development staff are intensifying efforts to identify players who can fit Tech’s culture and systems, while current assistants focus on instilling discipline, technique, and leadership in bowl week and beyond.

  Tech will be without key defensive players with Clayton Powell-Lee, Brayden Manley and Savion Riley all out for the game. On offense, WR Isiah Canion and RB Chad Alexander are both listed as doubtful. But, the positive is this will give younger players a chance to get some valuable experience.

   Fans and alumni will watch closely as Tech recalibrates with a smaller veteran core. In the meantime, the locker room remains focused on finishing strong in the season’s final chapters and laying the groundwork for a more cohesive, competitive 2026 program. Whether the Jackets can transform the churn into momentum will unfold in the weeks ahead, but the resolve on campus remains evident: the quest for a stable, championship-caliber identity continues.

   The regional landscape around the Pop-Tarts Bowl week remains a mix of optimism and caution. Alumni and supporters are eager to see how Tech translates the off-season churn into tangible on-field progress, particularly against a disciplined opponent in BYU that will pose a meaningful test of Tech’s evolving identity.

   As kickoff approaches, the Jackets’ locker room carries a sense of resolve. 

  Aside from UGA, the Cougars will be the most potent opponent the Yellow Jackets have faced all season. Kennesaw State is one local team that had a great season of over achieving marred by a bad showing in a bowl game. Tech could be in a similar situation with all of the inner turmoil.