THE FLATS – Georgia Tech LB Kyle Efford (Dacula, Ga./Dacula H.S.), QB Haynes King (Longview, Texas/Longview H.S.), WR Malik Rutherford (Miami, Fla./ Champagnat Catholic) and OG Keylan Rutledge (Royston, Ga./Franklin County H.S.) will join head coach Brent Key in representing Georgia Tech at the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff on Wednesday, July 23 in Charlotte, N.C.
In his first full season as the starting linebacker, Efford established himself as one of the nation’s best. He was named third-team all-ACC despite only seeing action in 10 games due to a midseason injury. Despite that, Efford led Georgia Tech in tackles for the second-straight season with 64 (6.4 per game) while also leading team with 3.0 sacks and tied for third on the squad with 5.5 tackles for loss. He averaged 7.4 tackles per game over first seven contests of the season before sustaining injury that forced him to miss the next two regular-season games.
One of the nation’s top returning quarterbacks, King completed an ACC and school-record 72.9% of his attempts (196-of-269) for 2,114 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, while throwing just two interceptions (down from 16 the previous year). A true dual threat, King also ran 125 times for 587 yards and 11 touchdowns, giving him 2,701 yards of total offense and 25 touchdowns responsible for in 11 contests. He became the first NCAA Division I player in at least the last 69 years (since 1956) with 2,000 passing yards, 10 touchdown passes, a 70% completion percentage and two or fewer interceptions in a season despite missing two games and being limited in three more due to a midseason injury.
Rutherford is coming off another stellar season at wide receiver, earning honorable-mention all-ACC after playing in all 13 games and leading Georgia Tech with 62 receptions, the sixth-most in single-season school history and the most by a Yellow Jacket since Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson’s 76 receptions in 2006. His 62 catches in 2024 upped his career total to 136, which are also the sixth-most in Tech history and the most since Johnson’s 178 from 2004-06. He racked up 702 receiving yards, adding another 87 on the ground for a total of 789 yards of offense in his redshirt junior campaign.
Rutledge was named a first-team all-American and first-team all-ACC last season after starting all 13 games at right guard, becoming Georgia Tech’s first first-team all-American since Pressley Harvin III in 2020, and the first non-specialist to earn first-team all-America recognition for the Yellow Jackets since OL Shaq Mason in 2014. He returns for his senior season on The Flats after leading a GT offensive line that finished third nationally in fewest sacks allowed (0.69/game) and paved the way for the Jackets to rank 30th nationally in rushing offense (187.0 ypg). He was recently named a preseason second-team all-American by Phil Steele in anticipation of the 2025 season.
ACC Network will broadcast live from the ACC Football Kickoff beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday, July 23.
2025 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS
2025 Georgia Tech football season, mini-plan and single-game tickets are on sale now.
Season tickets include the best seats for the Yellow Jackets’ six-game slate at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field, which features Atlantic Coast Conference showdowns versus Clemson, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech season ticket members also have elevated seating priority for tickets purchased for the 2025 edition of “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” versus archrival Georgia, set for Nov. 28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Tech’s 2025 mini-plan includes tickets to the home opener versus Gardner-Webb, Hall of Fame Weekend against Virginia Tech and Senior Day versus Pitt. Mini-plans offer a better value than purchasing seats at single-game prices without the commitment of a full season ticket.
For more information and to purchase 2025 Georgia Tech football tickets today, visit ramblinwreck.com/footballtickets.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
