Georgia Tech Football: Brent Key Makes Stop To Check In On A Pair of Top 2026 Targets

January is an important month when it comes to college football recruiting. Coaches are out on the road visiting high schools, and prospects, and continuing to build relationships. Georgia Tech is no different when it comes to that and today, Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key was on the road At Fellowship Christian High School visiting a pair of 2026 prospects, QB/DB Jonathan Granby and running back CJ Givers:

Thank you @CoachBrentKeyGT for coming by today!! @FCS_Recruiting @PaladinsFCS @corypeoples @KinslerLatish @CoachCotman21 @CodyCollinsGT pic.twitter.com/e2FTfIjJGA
— Jonathan Granby (@JonathanGranby) January 17, 2025

Our own Najeh Wilkins got a chance to talk with Givers about Georgia Tech:

"The pursuit is on for one of the top running backs in the Peach State. 2026 RB CJ Givers put together another impressive season for Fellowship Christian running back. Givers led the Paladins to the quarterfinals of the playoffs before going out with an injury that set him out of the semifinals in a close loss to eventual private state champions Hebron Christian.

Nonetheless, Givers finished the season with 1,403 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. He finished with a total of 1,831 all-purpose yards. I think what is most impressive about his season was his ability to get more production with fewer reps. Givers averaged 9.3 yards per carry.

"I would rate it probably an eight because we came up a little bit short. I got injured in the quarterfinals so I wasn’t able to play. I had a lot fewer carries than my sophomore year but about the same amount of yards so that just shows how much my production went up from sophomore year to junior year. That was a big focus of mine, my yards per carry and I averaged 9.3 yards per carry this year so that was a huge thing for me. That was a huge accomplishment for me. I just wanted to be an all-around back. I might have got fewer carries this year but I was on the field more. All the backs you see getting paid in the NFL and that are successful in college are three-down backs. They can do it all. It was a big thing for me and I felt like I was able to show that during my junior season."

So what led to more production with fewer reps for Givers this season? Film study. The difference was taking a deeper look than before and understanding what was happening on the field simultaneously as the play was happening. Givers explains it best.

“Honestly I feel like it is all in film study. If you keep studying film, it will slow the game down for you. You will see things you have never seen before. During my sophomore year I watched film, but I didn’t really study the film that much. Now that I am studying way more in my junior year, I was able to see a hole that I might not have been able to see last year because I watched film,” said Givers. “I can pick up tendencies on defenses with certain plays by watching film. If this hole closes up, I know where my back cut is. Things like that help me become a more efficient back and film study helps a lot with that.”

Something that Georgia Tech fans will love about Givers and his game is his home run ability. When you watch his film you see how quickly he can get to the second level and make you pay. He’s looking to score each time he touches it. Givers is not just good in spurts of the game or winds down as the fourth quarter comes. He is gets stronger and faster and torches defense when it matters the most.

“It’s probably the home run play. I am the type of back to get three or four yards and then break a 15 or 20-yarder. I want to get better as the game goes on. You want to be able to have the conditioning to keep going and to have the burst you had in the first quarter in the fourth quarter. I believe I am really good at that home run talent in the fourth quarter,” said Givers. Track is a huge thing. The conditioning that we get from track practices is the best that you can get. You are just running. It might suck during it but after you are like I feel good. I feel productive. Let’s go. You’re in the best shape. During the summer we have our summer workouts, and we do sprints as a whole team. I work out with Dustin Moore and do some explosive and speed work with him as well.

So what is coming up next for CJ? He is still mapping out his spring schedule and his visits in March but he is hearing the most from these schools that want him on campus.

“I’ve heard from Georgia Tech, NC State, Indiana, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

The Yellow Jackets have yet to land a commitment in the 2026 class. They are hoping to build off of the momentum they have on the field and from signing one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory.

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