Former Georgia Tech Star Calvin Johnson Heaps Praise On Head Coach Brent Key & The Yellow Jackets

Head coach Brent Key has been the face of the Georgia Tech program since he took over as interim coach in 2022. He would be named the permanent head coach in 2023, and he has continued to deliver success to the flats, bringing the Yellow Jackets back-to-back winning seasons since 2013 and 2014 last season. This year, they are

People are continuing to take notice with head coach Brent Key being linked to several head coaching jobs like Penn State, Auburn, and Florida. He dispelled those rumors last Thursday during a bye week, but remains at the forefront of conversations. On Thursday, Georgia Tech legend Calvin Johnson had high remarks for key and compared him to NFL head coach Dan Campbell.

“We were talking about Dan man, and they fortunately have a great head coach in Brent Key that brings that same level of authenticity that they were talking about with Dan, and that grit. He brings all the same qualities and traits that as a player you want to see in your head coach. It will make you want to run through a wall for them. That is what he brings to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets,” said Calvin Johnson.

Here is the clip, and he also talked about Haynes King.

I asked Calvin Johnson about @GeorgiaTechFB. He had high praise for coach Brent Key, who he comps to a guy he knows well:

Dan Campbell.

"That same authenticity....all the traits you wanna see in your head coach that you want to emulate and you want run through a wall for." pic.twitter.com/gmkzsjUppR
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) November 13, 2025

In the press conference today, I asked Key what it meant to be compared to Dan and what the former Georgia Tech hall of famer had to say about him.

“Really? That's awesome. That's cool. I don't know Dan personally. He's somebody for the last three years I have watched. Obviously, knowing guys on the staff up there, how they do things. I mean, he does it the right way. The physicality they play with as a team, the authenticity, the transparency that he shows to the players, that's a hell of a compliment. I'm not trying to emulate anybody; I'm trying to be myself and the best version of that every day. The fact that there are similarities, think is really, really cool,” said Key.

“They've (Detroit) had a lot of success. They do things the right way. They play the game the right way. Everybody considers them a very risky coach during the game. You see things and hear things and talk and whatnot. Risk are all calculated. We're not just going flipping the chip on the table and let it spin. We're not doing that. They're calculated, but how do you prepare for them, how you practice, how you do those things as a board, that's a hell of a compliment.”

Coach Key has continued to be thrust into the national spotlight and has handled it well. He is not only respected in his inner circles but also by his program, players, administration, and former alumni who have helped shape the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. It says a lot when they also see what Key has done in just three seasons and the trajectory the program is on. The scary part is that Coach Key is just getting started and has not even reached the tip of the mountain yet. The Yellow Jackets have three final games of the season, and a lot to play for in 2025.

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