Brent Key talks Georgia Tech's wide receiver room and getting more explosive on offense

Key spoke to the media on Tuesday at the ACC kickoff

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Jul 25, 2023 3:52 PM EDT

In this story:

The number one thing I learned about Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key at this year's ACC Media Days: he really does not care for questions regarding the expectations he has for his team.

"Another expectation question. Have we not said it? My expectations are not defined by wins and losses and production. My expectations are defined by our guys going out and playing as hard as they possibly can. So expectations are hard"

That was the beginning of Key's response to a question about the expectations he has for the new-look wide receiver room that Georgia Tech has and how the offense can get more explosive. While the Yellow Jackets head coach might not want to put expectations on a group, he did say there is a chance that this could be an improved position due to the different skillsets that were brought in:

"Now, to talk about the receivers, they're young. They're inexperienced. They're green now. They are. Do they have a chance to make a massive improvement because of some ability and skill sets that we've brought in? Yeah, I think so. But I don't know that. They've been running around without pads on all summer. I mean, yeah, running 10.2 is great. That's world-class. But put pads on; can you still do it? I don't know. I don't.

We hope there's improvement there because in college football now, the easiest way to be explosive is through the receiver room. That's the way college football is. I mean, to have one guy that can take a bubble pass or one guy that can take a five-yard hitch or stop route and be able to turn it into a 40-, 50-, 60-yard gain, you have the ability to beat somebody one-on-one. I have high hopes. I have hopes that we improve. Just like every other position.

I think we have some talent influx there that's going to allow us to be more explosive, yeah. Do I think we have a play caller on offense that knows how to get the ball in those guys' hands different ways? Yeah. Now, how it all works out will remain to be seen, and hopefully our expectations are all met come September 1st."

Brent Key took the stage on Tuesday at the ACC Media Days
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The wide receiver room for Georgia Tech has completely flipped this offseason.

Gone are Nate McCollum, Kalani Norris, and Ryan King to the transfer portal, and E.J Jenkins and Malachi Carter are now in the NFL. Malik Rutherford, D.J. Moore, and Avery Boyd were players that returned and had standout springs.

Key brought in a new wide receivers coach in Josh Crawford and four new players in the transfer portal to add to the team. Dominick Blaylock (Georgia), Abdul Janneh (Duquesne), Christian Leary (Alabama), and Chase Lane (Texas A&M) all bring different skill sets to the team and all are going to be battling for playing time.

Georgia Tech ranked near the bottom of the country in passing and passing explosiveness. Identifying their playmakers and finding ways to get the ball in their hands needs to be a top priority for the coaching staff leading up to the season.

Georgia Tech vs Louisville kicks off on Sept. 1st at 7:30 on ESPN.

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