Georgia Tech linebacker Kyle Efford has played his last down.
The two-time All-ACC selection announced on Tuesday that he is retiring from football due to a buildup of injuries over his career.
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"I have made the executive decision and retire myself from the game of football. This isn't how I imagine my football career coming to an end, but I'm at peace because I can say with full confidence that I gave this game everything that I had in me," Efford said during a news conference on Tuesday alongside Georgia Tech coach Brent Key.
"There's nothing left in the tank and I have no regrets in my heart."
Helluva Player 🦾 @kyle_efford https://t.co/fJtOdJTIal pic.twitter.com/3V3KvPExvo
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) October 13, 2026
Efford finishes his career in Atlanta with 250 total tackles, including 222 during a three-season stretch from 2023-25, when he became the first Yellow Jacket in 24 years to lead the team in tackles for three straight seasons. He also recorded a total of 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss.
Last week in Georgia Tech's win against Duke, after missing two games following a re-injury to his surgically repaired shoulder against Tennessee in Week 2, Efford recorded six total tackles.
Efford said the decision had been on his mind for some time. He added that he hopes his legacy is being remembered as someone who showed up as the same person every day and consistently kept getting up and going to work, regardless of the circumstances.
"Not necessarily actually retiring, but just having to consider my body. I had to start considering it," Efford said.
On the field, Efford has helped lead Georgia Tech to 30 wins, the program's first stretch of three consecutive bowl berths since 2012-12 and three-straight top-four finishes in the ACC.
"This is the epitome of a Tech man," Key said. I want y'all to know something. I didn't think I'd ever see him play another down after the Tennessee game. This man willed himself to play until his team turned the corner. Until this team got out of the rut that they were in. And I want everybody on the team to hear that. I want everybody in our extended Georgia Tech family to know that. This man felt as if he could single-handedly will us out of a rut. And he did.
Key added: "He said he's the epitome of the Techman, from one Techman to another."
Georgia Tech travels to Virginia Tech for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 17.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia Tech's Kyle Efford medically retires from football after injury battle
