Georgia Tech snags first five-star recruit in program history

It's a huge moment for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and head coach Brent Key.

Georgia Tech has seen several great players come along — a list that includes Calvin "Megatron" Johnson and Keith Brooking among others — but this is a first for GT.

Josh Petty, a five-star offensive lineman recruit from Roswell, Georgia (just a 45-minute drive north of Atlanta) has committed to the Yellow Jackets.

He's the first five-star recruit in Georgia Tech's history. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that GT beat out the likes of Florida State, Ohio State and Tennessee for Petty's commitment.

“Coach Key is going to take this program and make them real competitors in the ACC,” Petty told On3. “He’s building a Georgia-based team and Georgia has some of the best high school talent in the country. If we can keep getting high-priority, in-state guys, Georgia Tech will be a great program in no time."

Petty praised Key's ability to have an offense focused on the run game and with him up front, he seems to think even better days are ahead for the Yellow Jackets.

"The way coach Key runs his offense and the way that he runs the ball with Georgia Tech has been incredibly impressive. It’s made a statement in the ACC," Petty said. "People know about Georgia Tech now, they know about the run game and they hear about those guys. I think this program is turning around for the better.”

At 6-foot-4, 255 pounds as a rising senior about to play his final season at Fellowship Christian School, Petty is ranked as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2025 class, per 247Sports, as well as a top-15 recruit nationally. He's also ranked as the No. 4 player from the state of Georgia.

“The chance to be a hometown hero is very big for me,” Petty said. “Originally, it didn’t mean that much to me in my recruitment and I was ready to go anywhere for the right school. But the fact that I am able to stay home and stay in-state with Georgia Tech is a blessing. Being around people who I’ve known for my whole life and being in a city that I know very well is great. I am staying around my guys, my people and my area. It’s special.”