THE FLATS – Georgia Tech place kicker Aidan Birr (Kennedale, Texas/Kennedale H.S.) was named third-team all-America and is one of the Yellow Jackets’ six all-Atlantic Coast Conference honorees on Phil Steele College Football Preview’s 2026 preseason all-America and all-ACC teams.
In addition to Birr’s all-America recognition, he was also named first-team preseason all-ACC by Phil Steele. He’s joined on the preseason all-conference team by first-team offensive lineman Malachi Carney (Pleasant Grove, Ala./Pleasant Grove H.S.), second-team running back Justice Haynes (Alpharetta, Ga./Buford H.S.), second-team offensive lineman Ethan Mackenny (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter H.S.), third-team tight end Gavin Harris (San Antonio, Texas/Judson H.S.) and third-team linebacker E.J. Lightsey (Fitzgerald, Ga./Fitzgerald H.S.).
Birr returns for his senior season after being one of three finalists for the 2025 Lou Groza Award, which honors college football’s top kicker. He made 29-of-25 field goals and 45-of-45 extra points as a redshirt junior last season. His 25 field goals were a Georgia Tech single-season record and ranked third nationally (1.92 per game). He also ranked fifth nationally in kick scoring (9.2 ppg), en route to earning third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and Phil Steele.
Carney and Mackenny helped anchor a Georgia Tech offensive line that paved the way for the Yellow Jackets to rank among the top 25 nationally in rushing offense (21st – 197.5 ypg) and top five in fewest sacks allowed (third – 0.69 pg) in 2025. Lightsey ranked second on the team with 77 tackles in his first full season of collegiate action.
The Jackets’ remaining representatives on Phil Steele’s all-conference team are a pair of highly regarded transfers in Haynes, who rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaged 7.1 yards per carry and had six 100-yard performances in just seven games at Michigan last season, and Harris, whose 533 receiving yards at New Mexico State ranked eighth among all NCAA Division I FBS tight ends in 2025.
Georgia Tech opens the 2026 campaign on Thursday, Sept. 3 when it hosts Colorado in a nationally televised showdown. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN.
In addition to opener against Colorado, Georgia Tech’s highly anticipated seven-game home schedule at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field also includes a massive non-conference tilt against Tennessee (Sept. 5 – 7:30 p.m., ESPN) and ACC battles against defending conference champion Duke (Oct. 10) and 2025 bowl winners Louisville (Nov. 7) and Wake Forest (Nov. 21).
With one of the most attractive home schedules in school history, the only way to guarantee seats at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field in 2026 is by being a season ticket member. To become a season ticket member, click HERE.
To purchase season tickets to be donated to local heroes as part of Georgia Tech’s Military and Heroes Appreciation program, click HERE.
One limited-edition Buzz/Ramblin’ Reck bobblehead will be gifted to each season ticket account.
Georgia Tech posted a 9-4 overall record (tied for the 10th-most victories in Tech’s 133-season football history) and No. 24 final national ranking in 2025. The Jackets rose to as high as No. 7 in the national rankings and were ranked in the final 14 national polls of the season, which was their longest streak since Tech was ranked in all 16 polls in 1999.
Georgia Tech also went 6-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in ‘25, which was good for a tie for second place in the 17-team conference. The Yellow Jackets are the only ACC team that has finished in the top four of the conference standings each of the last three seasons.
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.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X, Facebook, Instagram and at www.ramblinwreck.com.
