I walked into the office Tuesday morning with a fresh and optimistic mind going into the new year. My outfit was pretty ordinary, outside of my brand new Georgia Tech collared shirt I got for Christmas.

In recent years, it’s been somewhat of a chore to rep the gold and blue. It’s especially worse when you go out to a restaurant or bar wearing Tech gear and getting, “Boo you’re a Tech fan, they suck.”

And honestly, I get it. Outside of the glory of the Orange Bowl win nearly a decade ago, things have been a downward spiral for us Tech fans. From a coach that didn’t want to leave the triple option offense, to another coach that cared more about Waffle House than wins and losses, we couldn’t seem to catch a break.

In fact, I was there in 2019 when Virginia Tech beat the brakes off of us in Bobby Dodd Stadium 45-0. It was the last game that I attended in person, and I had more fun partying at the Theta Chi frat house than I did watching the game. That game to me was an all time low moment, and it made me ashamed to root for the team that I love.

But ladies and gentlemen, after years of painful losses and constant regression, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets may finally be on the right track.

This season was a turning point for the Jackets, with a lot of hype coming in for new head coach Brent Key. Key had taken over as the interim head coach after the firing of notorious Waffle House lover, Geoff Collins. The former offensive line coach did well in his interim stint, going 4-4 after Collins couldn’t manage more than three wins in any of his previous seasons.

Still, with notable head coaching figures such as Deion Sanders available, Tech decided to keep the in-house guy and former alumnus – ironically enough, the same guy that Collins brought back to Tech.

The season had a bit of a rocky start, with the loss to Bowling Green stinging a bit more than the rest. A 2-3 start to the season had many doubting Tech’s progress, including myself.

But then, on the glorious Saturday of Oct. 7, the miracle in Miami happened. For those who don’t know, Miami could have simply taken a knee and ran out the clock, causing Tech to lose. But a costly fumble allowed Tech to get the ball back with Haynes King throwing a touchdown to Christian Leary to win it.

It’s often called one of the most remarkable wins in college football history, and it proved to be a turning point for the season. At 3-3, the positive momentum was there for Tech to make their first bowl game since 2018. For reference, I was a senior in high school at that point.

After trading wins and losses with the ACC, Tech finally got their bowl eligibility berth with a win over Syracuse – a huge moment for Key and company. The team had generated positive momentum and had a chip on their shoulder going into the all-important rivalry game against Georgia, aka “Clean Old-Fashioned Hate.”

I had some optimism that it wouldn’t be a 40-point blowout like in years past and I thought Tech would put up a fight against the reigning national champs. Not only did Tech put up a fight, but they went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs, losing by just eight points.

For a team that went from being at the bottom of the barrel in the ACC, to keeping it competitive with the reigning champions is an amazing feeling as a fan. It was also the first indicator to me that Georgia was not the same team in years past, but I digress.

Fast forward to Dec. 19, and the Gasparilla Bowl is on. Finally, Tech is bowling for the first time in years. And right away… we’re down 14-0 in the first quarter.

A buddy of mine I was watching the game with said, “Welp we’re done, we gave it a good try.” I told him, “We’re not out of it yet, this team has gone too far.”

Then in the second quarter and onward, Tech showed the world who they are by going up 30-3 in a three-quarter span to win their first bowl game since the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl over Kentucky.

The final record for the Jackets this year was 7-6 – a mediocre record by a lot of standards. 

But the record doesn’t reflect who this team is. This team is one that showed heart and one that became better as the year progressed. It is a drastic adjustment from the Collins and late Johnson days, and it gave me and other long time fans a reason to be excited for the future.

Pairing that with some of our future prospects that we received from high school as well as the transfer portal recipients, and we have the makings of being a top-five team in the ACC.

That may sound laughable now – and it may be one of those hot takes that may come back to bite me – but watch out for those Yellow Jackets next season. 

After a strong ending to the 2023 season, we’re on the rise in 2024.