Top Storylines

• Georgia Tech returns to the postseason for the first time since 2018 when it takes on UCF in the 2023 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Friday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

• Georgia Tech is making its 46th all-time bowl appearance (16th-most in college football history) but its first since the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, where the Yellow Jackets fell to Minnesota, 34-10.

• Tech’s 25 bowl victories are good for a tie for 13th all-time, and its .556 winning percentage in bowl games (25-20) stands alone in 13th in college football history. The Jackets are in search of their first bowl win since defeating Kentucky, 33-18, at the 2016 TaxSlayer (Gator) Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla.

• The Yellow Jackets earned bowl eligibility on the strength of a 5-3 record in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Jackets tied for fourth in the 14-team ACC after being picked to finish 12th in the conference’s preseason poll.

• Georgia Tech is led offensively by r-So. QB Haynes King. King was one of just two NCAA Division I FBS players with at least 2,700 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, 600 rushing yards and five touchdown runs during the 2023 regular season, joining Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels (LSU).

• Defensively, the Jackets are led by r-Sr. DB Jaylon King. King, a third-team all-America selection by College Football Network, has intercepted four passes and recovered two fumbles for Tech in 2023. His four interceptions are tied for third in the ACC and 17th nationally, while his two fumble recoveries are good a tie for second in the conference and 17th in the nation. His six total takeaways are tied for tops in the ACC while his 12 passes defended rank third in the league.

Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2

Looking to build on the success of last year’s Competitive Drive Initiative, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech athletics are partnering once again for Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2. Initially launched on Nov. 7, CDI Turn 2 has reached its initial goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund and has a new goal of raising $3 million in new gifts to the A-T Fund by Dec. 31. Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Foundation will match eligible gifts to accelerate the impact for Tech athletics and, like last year, not only will gifts to CDI Turn 2 be matched, but so will the contributor’s benefits in the way of A-T Fund giving levels and priority points. To learn more and contribute online, visit atfund.org/turn2.

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