ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Tech linebacker Kyle Efford, a two-year team captain and two-time all-ACC selection, announced Tuesday that he is medically retiring from football after an accumulation of injuries over his career.
The fifth-year senior from Dacula finishes with 250 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 43 career games, 33 of them starts. From 2023 through 2025 he made 222 tackles and became the first Yellow Jacket in 24 years to lead the team in tackles three straight seasons.
Injuries shaped his final season. Efford reinjured his surgically repaired shoulder against Tennessee in the second game, missed the next two games and came back to make six tackles in Saturday’s 28-25 win over No. 23 Duke, including a stop for a 1-yard loss early in the fourth quarter with Tech holding a three-point lead.
In three games this fall he averaged 9.0 tackles, a pace that would rank third in the Atlantic Coast Conference if he had played enough games to qualify. His 27 tackles included a career-high-tying 13 in the opener against Colorado.
In the school’s announcement, coach Brent Key called Efford one of the best linebackers and teammates in program history. Efford said he is at peace with the decision and has nothing left to give the game.
He made the all-ACC third team in 2024 and was an honorable mention pick in 2025, and he earned a business administration degree from Georgia Tech last December. The Yellow Jackets won 30 games and reached three straight bowls during his career.
Efford will remain with the team the rest of the season as a captain and player-coach. Georgia Tech’s next home game is Oct. 24 against Boston College at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
