Georgia
Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Offensive Lineman Jordan Brown Enters Transfer Portal
Georgia Tech had its fifth transfer portal entry of the offseason today. Offensive lineman Jordan Brown, who started the first five games of the season for the Yellow Jackets at left tackle, announced on social media today that he is entering the transfer portal. Brown transferred to Georgia Tech from Charlotte prior to the 2023 season but did not play last year.
Officially in the transfer portal as a grad transfer pic.twitter.com/6bcPideZOy
— Jordan (@jordanbrown__21) December 6, 2024
After the first five games of the season, Brown was replaced by Corey Robinson and did not play the rest of the season. Per PFF (Pro Football Focus), Brown was the lowest rated player on Georgia Tech’s offense. He played a total of 209 snaps and finished with a 40.3 offensive grade, including a 59.6 grade in pass protection and 27.9 grade in run blocking.
Brown joins quarterback Zach Pyron, wide receiver Leo Blackburn, offensive tackle Corey Robinson, and defensive tackle Horace Lockett as Yellow Jackets who have entered the transfer portal.
Blackburn is a physically gifted receiver (6’5 220 LBS) who has struggled with injuries during his time at Georgia Tech. He sustained a season-ending foot injury as a freshman in 2021, had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in 2022, and missed the 2023 season due to a knee injury. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Blackburn played 67 snaps this season and finished with a 57.8 overall grade on offense, 37th best for Georgia Tech on that side of the ball. He had one catch this season for 24 yards and a touchdown vs VMI. Hopefully Blackburn can stay healthy at his next stop and showcase his talent.
Offensive tackle Corey Robinson transferred to Georgia Tech in 2022 after redshirting his freshman season at Kansas and he started all 12 games at left tackle that season. In 2023, he appeared in 12 of Georgia Tech’s 13 games. He started in Georgia Tech’s last seven games this season, although he split time with Ethan Mackenny in the last four games. According to PFF (Pro Football Focus), Robinson has the highest pass-blocking grade in the country among offensive tackles (92.8) in 278 pass-blocking snaps. Robinson played a total of 539 snaps and finished as Georgia Tech’s 12th-highest-graded offensive player on PFF, finishing with a 69.9 overall grade (92.8 pass blocking and 59.6 run blocking). Robinson has one more year of eligibility. Georgia Tech is bringing in one of the nation’s top offensive line classes in the 2025 recruiting class.
Pyron has been at Georgia Tech since 2022 and started two games this season when Haynes King went down with an injury. He started the game against Notre Dame, going 20-36 for 269 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He went on to start the next weekend at Virginia Tech, but was benched in favor of true freshman Aaron Philo in the third quarter. Pyron went 10-22 for 76 yards in that game. The Yellow Jackets played both King and Philo in wins over Miami and NC State and Pyron played in one snap on Friday vs Georgia. He finished this season with 409 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Pyron started two games for Georgia Tech in 2022 as a true freshman, a road win vs Virginia Tech, and then a loss vs Miami the next week. Pyron played a lot in a road loss against Florida State, though he did not start the game (Zach Gibson did). Pyron got injured in the loss against Miami late in the third quarter and did not play the rest of the season. He was in a quarterback battle with King leading up to the 2023 season, but lost the battle in fall camp and spent the 2023 season as the backup. He was used a lot this season as a short-yardage runner near the goal line and finished this season with four rushing touchdowns. He finished his career at Georgia Tech with 995 yards passing, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Additional Links:
Georgia Tech Football: Three Potential Instant Impact Players From The 2025 Class
Georgia Tech Football: Brent Key Details Process in Flipping Four-Star DB Tae Harris From Clemson
Georgia Tech-Georgia Rivalary Matchup Draws Massive TV Viewership
Georgia
Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia
22 sea turtles released into the ocean at Jekyll Island
Mystic Aquarium, a Connecticut-based aquarium and animal rescue organization, released 22 sea turtles into the Ocean at Jekyll Island.
A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.
In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.
Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.
Here’s what to know.
What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?
Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.
“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”
While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.
One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.
Where are visitors staying?
The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:
- The Cloister at Sea Island
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.
Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.
What can you do in the Golden Isles?
Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:
- Biking under live oaks
- Kayaking through marsh creeks
- Horseback riding along the beach
- Watching sunsets over the water.
Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.
The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.
For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
Georgia
Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…
“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”
Key allocations in the amended budget include:
- Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
- Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
- Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
- Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
- Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.
Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”
Georgia
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.
According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’
WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:
The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.
DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)
However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.
RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout
GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.
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