There are now officially 99 days until the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets kickoff their 2025 college football season against the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday, Aug. 29. So begins the countdown, and we start a series showcasing some of the best players to wear each number for the team throughout history.
We start at No. 99, where we see one of the best defensive players to ever suit up for the Yellow Jackets in Pat Swilling.
Swilling arrived at the Flats in 1982, where he became an instant contributor for the Yellow Jackets and a critical part of a defense that was dubbed the "Black Watch" defense, that was among the best in college football, which in it's peak in 1985, held their opponents to just 10.7 points per game.
During that 1985 campaign, Swilling set the NCAA record for sacks in a single game, claiming seven against the NC State Wolfpack. Also during that 1985 season, Swilling would break the single season sack record with 15, all while being named an All-ACC selection, but more importantly, and All-American.
At the time of his graduation, Swilling held the record for the most sacks in a career in school history, with 23, and tackles for loss, with 37. Both marks still ranks fourth all time in school history.
Swilling would be named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Swilling got drafted in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, where he would win the Defensive Player of the Year in 1989, recording 17 sacks. His 107.5 career sacks place him at No.45 all time in NFL history.