Georgia Tech’s Smith Named to Jet Award Midseason Watch List

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech fifth-year wide receiver Rahkeem Smith (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall College H.S.) is one of 18 players on the official midseason watch list for the 2026 Jet Award, which honors the most outstanding return specialist in college football.

Smith’s 33.7-yard kickoff return average ranks third nationally and first among all Power Four conference players this season. He is the only Power Four player in the country with an average over 30 yards.

He returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the season opener versus Colorado, which was only the fifth 100-yard kickoff return in Georgia Tech history and the first in eight years. Last Saturday versus Duke, his 39-yard return with less than three minutes remaining in the game gave the Yellow Jackets possession near midfield, kickstarting a go-ahead touchdown drive that lifted the Jackets to a 28-25 win over the 23^rd-ranked Blue Devils.

Should he maintain it for the full season, Smith’s 33.7-yard average would shatter the school record of 30.0 yards per kickoff return, set by Drew Hill in 1978. Since the turn of the century, only two Georgia Tech returners (Jamal Golden in 2012 and Jahmyr Gibbs in 2021) have averaged more than 25 yards per kickoff return.

Named in honor of Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers, the 2026 Jet Award will be presented on April 8, 2027.

Smith and the Yellow Jackets (2-3, 1-1 ACC) return to action on Saturday at Virginia Tech (4-2, 1-2 ACC). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network.

Georgia Tech returns home the following Saturday (Oct. 24) for its homecoming game versus Boston College. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and remaining tickets are currently 65% off through this Saturday (Oct. 17) at 7 a.m. ET. Click HERE for the 65% Off For 65 Hours ticket offer. 

2026 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL TICKETS

Single-game tickets for Georgia Tech’s three remaining home dates this season – versus Boston College (Saturday, Oct. 24), Louisville (Saturday, Nov. 7) and Wake Forest (Saturday, Nov. 21) – start as low as $30. Tickets for the all-new Wreck Deck premium experience in the Fanning Center start at $150.

For more information and to purchase tickets today, click HERE.

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. 

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