Another big piece was added to Georgia Tech's 2025 recruiting class on Saturday as Cardinal Hayes (N.Y.) defensive lineman Blake Belin committed to the Jackets.
Belin picked Georgia Tech over 11 total offers, including a final four at Saturday's commitment ceremony that also included Duke, Syracuse and Virginia. Other ACC schools Boston College and Wake Forest extended offers as well as Buffalo, Minnesota and West Virginia among others.
Belin said he was impressed from top to bottom with the Georgia Tech program and the way he was recruited by the coaches. He also said the relationship he developed with Tyler Santucci and Jess Simpson all the way back when they were recruiting him at Duke played a factor in his decision.
"The people made GT the top school because they (Coaches Santucci and Simpson) were recruiting me at Duke. They're like a family over there and I want to be a part of it," said Belin. "The location is great. All my family is in the ATL. The program is great led by Coach Key. He knows what he's doing."
Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci and defensive line coach Jess Simpson were the two primary recruiters for Belin during the process.
Belin is ranked as a three-star (5.5) prospect by Rivals and stands at 6-foot-2 while weighing 270-plus pounds. He said he's been ready to get the commitment done for a while now and happy to have a little less stress on him for the rest of his senior season as well as have the support of his family, teammates and coaches to celebrate with him at Saturday's commitment ceremony.
"I'm very excited to have this stress off. It's been a long time and a lot has been going on in life so it's just good," said Belin. "It feels great to have everyone behind me today, knowing they love and support me. Teammates and family mean the world. I'm a family-first man."
With his commitment, Georgia Tech now has four players in the class on the defensive front, including fellow defensive tackle Christian Garrett (4-star, 5.8) and defensive ends Andre Fuller Jr. (four-star, 5.8) and Derry Norris Jr. (3-star, 5.7). Carrington Coombs (3-star, 5.7) also is in the class as a hybrid outside linebacker/rush end prospect.
Belin's announcement follows the decommitment on Friday of defensive tackle Kam Cullins (3-star, 5.6) from North Cobb as the Jackets work to finalize their class with early signing day approaching in December and several defensive line targets still on the board, whether uncommitted or as flip candidates.
Georgia Tech currently sits at No. 25 in the Rivals team rankings for the 2025 class with 22 commitments and has the third highest-ranked class in the ACC, only trailing Miami and SMU.