Solid #39

Georgia Tech

ACC · 2026 preseason baseline

Projection

61.7

SP+ preseason

+5.9

Returning prod.

58%

Recruiting

73%

2026 season · live grade · as of 2026-09-08

The 2026 season, so far.

D FloorD

Tracking short of the projection.

Current SP+ +1.7 · SP+ rank #66 · updates weekly in season

Projection (frozen)

61.7

Playing like

52.4

Δ

−9.3

Δ grade

D

The live grade measures current in-season SP+ (Bill Connelly, via CFBD) against Georgia Tech's frozen August projection of 61.7 — the same number that set the 2026 tier. Same mapping (score = 50 + SP+ × (50/35)) and the same A–F Δ bands as the 2025 grade below. It recomputes each week as SP+ updates; the projection and tier do not. Early in the season, in-season SP+ still leans heavily on its preseason priors, so most live grades start near C and drift as results accumulate.

2026 portal cycle

Inside a standard deviation of zero.

+0.74z

talent-weighted z-score

applied: +0.15 pts

Top gains

  • 4★ EDGENoah Carter from Alabama
  • 4★ RBJustice Haynes from Michigan
  • 4★ WRJaylen Mbakwe from Alabama

Top losses

  • 4★ CBTroy Stevenson IV
  • 4★ WRIsiah Canion to Georgia
  • 3★ QBAaron Philo to Florida

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2026 portal cycle. See the full portal leaderboard →

2025 season · final grade

The 2025 season, graded.

C CeilingC

On the projection.

Realized SP+ +9.3 · SP+ rank #35

Projection

60.1

Realized

63.3

Δ

+3.1

Δ grade

C

Ceiling SECONDARY

C

Projection vs realized

Realized 63.3 Projection 60.1

The yellow tick is Georgia Tech's August 13, 2025 preseason SP+ rating (+7.1) — the last preseason release before Week 1, from Bill Connelly / ESPN. The dark bar is the final 2025 SP+ (Connelly, post-championship). Both mapped to the 0–100 scale by score = 50 + SP+ × (50/35), clamped [1, 99]. The gap between them is Δ: +3.1. Δ banded A through F gives the letter grade.

What the grade means

A C means Georgia Tech finished within a narrow band of the projection (Δ +3.1, band −6 to +8). The season the projection described.

Ceiling grade: C · secondary lens · 8% of upside headroom used. Δ divided by the room Georgia Tech had to rise from projection 60.1 toward 100. A projection-90 team has 10 points of upside room, a projection-50 team has 50.

The letter grade always records the same relationship: realized minus projection, banded A through F. A team can sit in the Elite tier and still receive a D. LSU in 2025 is that case.

Read the methodology →

Offense (2025)

32.5

SP+ offensive rating

Defense (2025)

24.9

SP+ defensive rating (lower = better)

Nat'l SP+ rank

#35

Final 2025 SP+ ranking

2025 portal cycle (context)

Net negative on talent-weighted flow.

−1.60z

talent-weighted z-score

Top gains

  • 4★ WREric Rivers from Florida International
  • 4★ DLAkelo Stone from Ole Miss
  • 3★ EDGERonald Triplette from UTSA

Top losses

  • 4★ EDGERomello Height to Texas Tech
  • 4★ WREric Singleton Jr. to Auburn
  • 4★ RBTrey Cooley to Hudson Valley

Portal moves are weighted by recruiting stars, position (QB and skill positions weighted higher), and eligibility. Withdrawn entrants are excluded. The z-score is normalized across teams appearing in the 2025 portal cycle (context).

Returning production (2025): 81% of prior-year PPA back on the field (Bill Connelly's percentPPA metric via CFBD). This is a narrative reference — the 2025 grade itself is Δ vs preseason SP+ only.