Georgia Tech projected to land its first 5-star since 2004

Georgia Tech football may be becoming more competitive with Georgia for the best in-state recruits

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are projected to land a commitment from its first five-star recruit since 2004. 247Sports projects the Yellow Jackets will add a commitment from five-star offensive tackle recruit Josh Petty.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound offensive tackle is the 14th best player in the country. Petty is the fourth-ranked recruit in Georgia and the top offensive tackle in the Peach State. The Georgia Tech recruiting target is the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation.

If Petty signs with Georgia Tech and maintains his five-star ranking as a recruit, he would be the second five-star signee in Georgia Tech school history (according to 247Sports). Georgia Tech signed five-star wide receiver Calvin Johnson in the class of 2004.

One of the Georgia Bulldogs’ top advantages over other college football programs is their lack of in-state recruiting competition. There’s no other state with as many elite recruits and so little in-state recruiting competition. However, Georgia Tech’s potential emergence on the recruiting trail would represent a significant change for Georgia.

Georgia Tech has not finished with a top 40 recruiting class since the 2020 cycle, so the Yellow Jackets may not be an imminent threat to Georgia’s consistent haul of top-three recruiting classes. However, the Yellow Jackets are making progress under head coach Brent Key and are a thorn in the side of the Bulldogs with much greater frequency these days.

For now, head coach Kirby Smart and Georgia run the Peach State. The Bulldogs have earned commitments from eight of the state’s top 30 recruits in the 2025 cycle and are projected to land several more top in-state recruits. No other program has more than two commitments from top 30 recruits in Georgia.