ESPN Analyst Talks Burning Question Facing Georgia Tech Ahead Of 2023

Connelly wants to see if Georgia Tech can sustain success under Key

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
May 26, 2023 3:31 PM EDT

In this story:

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech might be entering their first full season with Brent Key as the head coach of the program, but Yellow Jacket fans got to see how the team might look under during the eight games where he was the interim head coach after the firing of Geoff Collins. Key gets to be the head coach of his alma mater and try to lead them back to winning, but if he can do so might be the biggest question the Yellow Jackets are going to face this season according to ESPN's Bill Connelly.

Connelly started his ACC preview for ESPN today and was breaking down the former ACC Coastal (RIP) teams. In revealing his burning questions, this is what Connelly had to say about Georgia Tech and Key:

"In his first three seasons succeeding option wizard Paul Johnson (whose 11 Tech teams averaged an SP+ ranking of 36.5), Geoff Collins went just 9-25 with an average ranking of 100.7. The school gave him a fourth year, and Collins made a ton of staff changes, but the early results were dire. Collins was predictably let go after three early losses by a combined 110-20.

That Brent Key went 4-4 the rest of the way as interim was instantly impressive. A former guard for George O'Leary's awesome late-'90s Tech teams (and an O'Leary assistant for over a decade), Key was one of Collins' first hires at Tech. If you've got a guy with a Tech friendly résumé, and he brings your first taste of .500 in a while, you're going to consider him for the head-coaching job. (That's doubly true if you aren't flush with cash at the moment.) Tech did just that, making Key's hire permanent.

Here's my concern: When Key took over, Georgia Tech ranked 103rd in SP+. They finished the year 102nd. Their four wins came by a combined 13 points, their four losses by a combined 76. The team obviously fought really hard for Key, but it's hard to definitively say their improvement was necessarily impressive enough to earn him the job over other candidates.

Regardless, he got the job. And this year's roster isn't going to look much like last year's, at least on offense, where they've averaged a 91.3 ranking in offensive SP+ the past four years. Key brought in Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King, Louisville running back Trevion Cooley and seven receivers and tight ends from the transfer portal and handed the offensive reins to coordinator Buster Faulkner, who has spent 11 years as a coordinator, plus three as a quality control guy at Georgia. There's still not a ton of proven talent here, but hey, the bar's low.

It's easier to see potential for growth on defense, at least if Kevin Sherrer turns out to be a strong hire. Sherrer takes over as DC after spending the past two seasons coaching New York Giants linebackers. He was Nick Saban's director of player development at the start of the past decade, and he logged stops at Mark Richt's Georgia and Jeremy Pruitt's Tennessee. He inherits a defense that was pretty good against the pass, albeit with two stars -- corner Zamari Walton and pass rusher Keion White -- who are now gone. Overall experience levels are good, though, and safety LaMiles Brooks is an absolute keeper. Key plumped up the linebacking corps with four transfers, too, including a major potential playmaker in Texas A&M's Andre White Jr."

Those are fair questions. I think that Key doing that with a coaching staff that was not his own was impressive and now he has his own hires in there and I am of the belief that Faulkner will be a big improvement over Chip Long (though that bar is not high). The opening game vs Louisville is going to be fascinating because of all of the new faces on this Georgia Tech team and coaching staff and it is going to give a first glimpse of what the first full season of the Brent Key era could look like.

Connelly also named linebacker Andre White Jr as one of his favorite players in the ACC ahead of this season:

"Generally, averaging havoc plays (TFLs, passes defended, forced fumbles) on more than 1.5% of your snaps is pretty good. In seven games with A&M last year, White averaged 3.0%. Give him a starring role and watch him post star-level numbers."

Georgia Tech kicks off the 2023 season vs Louisville on Friday, Sept. 1

Facebook: All Yellow Jackets

Twitter: @AllYellowJacket

Follow Jackson on Twitter: @jacksoncaudell

Follow Madison on Twitter: @Madison_Meyers7

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @kistner__

See all of the latest Tech News at AllYellowJackets.com

Check out the Georgia Tech Homepage

Listen to the Goal Line Stand Podcast for the best Georgia Tech and national college football coverage!

Three-star defensive end Amontrae Bradford sets official visit for Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech gets slight bump in lates SP+ rankings on ESPN

Georgia Tech Baseball will retain head coach Danny Hall, fire pitching coach Danny Borrell