Georgia Tech Professional Athletes

Harrison Butker didn't need a regular-season stage to remind everyone he's one of the most dangerous legs in professional football.

The Georgia Tech alum and Kansas City Chiefs kicker drilled a 69-yard field goal on the final play of the first half during a Week 2 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a kick that would have shattered the NFL's official regular-season record had it come in a game that counts. It didn't, and Butker knows it. But the football world noticed anyway.

The current official NFL record for longest field goal in a regular-season game stands at 66 yards. Butker cleared that by three yards — and came just one yard shy of tying Jaguars kicker Cam Little's 70-yard preseason bomb from a year prior, which itself sits outside the record books for the same reason. Bragging rights and bar-argument fodder are the spoils here, not a place in the record books.

The moment wasn't entirely gilded for Butker. Later in that same Buccaneers game, he missed a point-after attempt, and Kansas City dropped the contest by a single point — a result that will sting precisely because of how close the margin was and how routine PATs are supposed to be. The long ball giveth; the short kick taketh away.

Butker also appeared in an earlier preseason matchup against Seattle, connecting on three field goals as the Chiefs and Seahawks played to a 9-9 tie. Consistency from distance, as always, is his calling card — the near-record kick was a flourish, not an anomaly.

The Context

For Georgia Tech fans, Butker remains the program's most prominent NFL name — a homegrown Atlanta product who walked out of The Flats and straight into a dynasty. The 69-yarder is the kind of moment that travels: it generated national coverage across CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, and Yahoo Sports within hours of the snap. Whether or not the NFL counts it, Butker's leg has now been discussed in the same breath as the longest kicks in professional football history.

No other Yellow Jacket alumni generated notable headlines during the August 23–29 window, though Georgia Tech continues to have one of the deeper NFL alumni rosters in the ACC, with players spread across more than a dozen teams — from Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit to Darren Waller in Carolina.

This week belonged to Butker, unambiguously. And if preseason kicks don't count, someone should tell the internet.

Waller Is Official in Carolina

The headline writes itself: Darren Waller, the most decorated tight end to come out of Georgia Tech, is a Carolina Panther. The signing became official this week after the Panthers waived two players to clear roster space, making room for a pass-catcher who has twice eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in a single season and earned Pro Bowl recognition along the way.

Waller's path to Carolina is a story of reinvention. After a standout run with the Las Vegas Raiders — where he emerged as one of the premier tight ends in football — injuries and roster turnover complicated his trajectory. Now, ahead of the 2026 season, he lands on a Panthers squad eager to inject a new positional dimension into its offense. According to The Sporting News, Carolina signed Waller specifically to create versatility at tight end, a role the 6-foot-6 pass-catcher is uniquely equipped to fill. For a Panthers offense searching for identity, a healthy and motivated Waller is a genuine difference-maker.

For Georgia Tech fans, the signing lands differently than a routine transaction. Waller is the program's most prominent NFL tight end, and watching him suit up alongside fellow Yellow Jacket Tre Swilling — the Panthers' cornerback — gives Tech alumni a reason to circle Carolina's schedule.

Biggers Making Noise in Miami

Across the league, defensive tackle Zeek Biggers is turning heads during Miami Dolphins camp. The Georgia Tech product has been singled out for stepping up during the preseason stretch that included joint practices with the New York Giants — a high-stakes environment where interior linemen can make or break their roster cases. According to Yahoo Sports, optimism is building around the Dolphins' future, and Biggers is part of that conversation.

Biggers, a physically imposing presence along Miami's defensive front, is competing for a meaningful role in a Dolphins defensive scheme that values versatility and push up the middle. His preseason momentum is exactly the kind of under-the-radar story that Tech fans should be tracking.

The Broader Yellow Jacket Footprint

Beyond Waller and Biggers, the Georgia Tech diaspora across the NFL remains wide. Jahmyr Gibbs is entering his third year as Detroit's starting backfield weapon. Shaq Mason anchors the Houston Texans' offensive line. Harrison Butker — perhaps the most consistent kicker in football — is back with Kansas City for another Super Bowl chase. Jordan Mason brings his physical running style to Minnesota, and Keion White continues developing as a pass rusher in San Francisco.

No week better illustrates how deeply Georgia Tech has embedded itself in the modern NFL than this one: from a Pro Bowl tight end reshaping a struggling franchise's offense to a defensive tackle earning buzz in South Florida, the Yellow Jackets are everywhere — and the 2026 season is still weeks away.

Georgia Tech Alumni Report: NFL | Aug. 9–15, 2026

Darren Waller Keeps His Comeback Rolling — This Time in Carolina

Darren Waller isn't done yet. The former Pro Bowl tight end has agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers, marking the latest chapter in one of the NFL's more winding career stories. A year after coming out of retirement to suit up for the Miami Dolphins, the Georgia Tech product is now heading to Charlotte, where he'll look to provide the Panthers a veteran presence at a position group that's been in flux.

Waller's return from retirement with Miami was always viewed as a test — could he still produce at a high level after stepping away from the game? The fact that Carolina is now betting on him in free agency suggests the answer, at least to one front office, is yes. He joins a Panthers team that has been in rebuilding mode, and a dependable receiving tight end could be a genuine asset for whatever offensive system they're developing around their young core.

For Georgia Tech fans, Waller remains the program's most high-profile NFL presence — a player who was once among the best at his position and who, despite the career detours, clearly still has believers around the league.

Jordan Mason: A "Hidden Gem" in Minnesota

Meanwhile, across the country in Minnesota, another Yellow Jacket is drawing some quiet attention. Running back Jordan Mason has been flagged as one of the Vikings' under-the-radar contributors heading into the 2026 season, with Yahoo Sports listing him among the team's "secret superstars" — players who could prove crucial to a Minnesota squad trying to claw its way back to the playoffs after last year's absence.

Mason doesn't arrive in Minnesota with Waller's résumé or national profile, but the Vikings are clearly counting on him to contribute in a meaningful way in their backfield. With the team still navigating its quarterback situation, a reliable ground game could be central to their identity — which puts Mason in a potentially pivotal role.

The Broader Tech Footprint

Beyond Waller and Mason, Georgia Tech's NFL footprint remains impressively wide in 2026. Harrison Butker continues as one of the league's premier kickers with the Chiefs. Shaq Mason anchors the Texans' interior offensive line at guard. Keion White and Pressley Harvin III are making their cases on the West Coast with the 49ers. And Tre Swilling — now a teammate of Waller's — holds down the Panthers' secondary at cornerback.

It's a deep and varied group, spread across both conferences and all phases of the game. But this week, all eyes are on Waller. At a stage in his career where most players have long since walked away, he's still finding takers — and still giving Georgia Tech something to talk about.