Georgia Tech returns to the gridiron on Saturday when they travel on the road to face the Pittsburgh Panthers. Today, we take a look at three players you need to keep an eye on in the game on Saturday for Georgia Tech. 

1. Dalen Penson 

One of the biggest questions I asked head coach Brent Key this week was able Dalen Penson and the amount of targets he gets in a game. When I went to look at the film, defenses are playing him way off and giving at least 10 yards of cushion to the wide receiver.

That sets up easy plays like slants, digs, inward-breaking routes, corners, and screens as routes the Yellow Jackets can dial up for him. One of his best attributes is his ability after the catch and the yards after the catch. We have seen it on several plays this season. Now, he needs to get the ball more, especially earlier in games. After setting a career-high with 88 receiving yards vs. Boston College, it is now time to feed No.7 the ball more and let him go to work. Will offensive coordinator George Godsey begin to call up more plays for Penson? 

“Dalen is one of my favorite players on this football team, and just a great kid, great family, um, you know, I mean, he comes up every day, coach, I want to play both ways. I can't play both ways. Let's keep working right here, right? Let's keep developing because he is- I mean, this guy, he's played receiver now for about six months. Yeah. So he's still developing. There are a lot of things he's still learning at the receiver position. Um, he wants to play everything. He wants to return every punt, every kick, play corner, kick the ball. 

“Been super impressed with him. He's one of those guys when I'm talking in terms of the true core, you know, that young to middle-aged guys in the program, the core guys, and DP is one of them. He is one of them. Love that kid, love what he's done, love how he's uh grown at the receiver role and would love to see him continue to grow in that role. So I'll make sure we get some first-down slants and hits to him and let him roll,” said Key. 

2.  Trae Stevenson 

We could look back next year and look at these final five games as the coming-out party for the true freshman cornerback. Trae Stevenson has the potential to take a big leap and is expected to have a big role moving forward for the Yellow Jackets. Where he stands out is his sticky pass coverage and an ability to be able to stay in position and make plays on the ball.

The Yellow Jackets have had a whole lot of that this year. Jonas Duclona looked the best last week in coverage, but if Stevenson can come on and make the plays, he should be a cornerstone moving forward. This next stretch will solidify a potential starting role in 2026 for the standout cornerback. 

“He missed a lot of time early. He missed a lot of games you know early on. He was starting for Mercer. And that week guess what? He gets hurt. These are legitimate injuries too, now. Like these are not like bullcrap things you see. Um, it was the same thing he kind of struggled with in in the spring, right? So now he's out a good bit of time.

When you're a freshman, and you're out that time, you can't just throw them right back in the fire. You want to build those reps back up, but he has. He's going to play a lot of football now. Uh, to me, it's not necessarily who starts the game; it's who gets in there and plays the best. Um, you know, as we've played more guys over the last three to four weeks um, to continue to accelerate their growth and development. 

I could say if he had not had that stretch in there, you know, I would be hard-pressed to say he wouldn't be a starting corner right now. I've been really, really pleased with Trae. He's one of those core freshmen that we have that I think is going to be a really good player.

3. Tawfiq Thomas 

I know Georgia Tech fans are happy to see the big man returning on the defensive line, especially after all of the gaping holes that were opened up last time out and the struggles the Yellow Jackets had defending the run.

Thomas has put together a stellar season and is currently third on the team with 36 tackles. Thomas is also ranked second on the team with 2.5 sacks. He is the Yellow Jackets' best run defender and has an elite score going against the run, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). Thomas has a 90.5 run defense grade, which is elite and could get him more NFL looks at the next level, especially if he continues his stellar play. You can fully expect him to have a big game and make an impact for the Yellow Jackets against the Pittsburgh Panthers.