Georgia Tech Football: CBS Sports Hands Out Grades For Brent Key And Every Second-Year Head Coach

Ever since taking over as the interim head coach in 2022 and then as the full time head coach starting in 2023, Brent Key has done a number of good things for the Yellow Jackets. He has made a habit of pulling upsets over ranked teams, guided Georgia Tech to back-to-back bowl appearances (including a win in 2023), and brought in one of the programs highest ranked recruiting classes ever. It has not all been perfect though. While Key has gotten plenty of ranked wins, Georgia Tech has lacked consistency and has lost games to opponents it should not have. That is going to be one of the most important things for the 2025 season if Georgia Tech wants to get to a higher level.

Key was one of several coaches hired in the 2023 coaching carousel, along with Deion Sanders, Hugh Freeze, and Luke Fickell. Recently, CBS Sports college football analyst Tom Fornelli gave out grades to every second-year head coach and gave Key a B-, which was the fourth highest grade among all of the second-year head coaches:

"Key's record includes his 4-4 mark as interim in 2022. This is an interesting case because Key's been remarkably consistent. The Yellow Jackets have gone 7-6 in each of his two full seasons with a 5-3 record in the ACC. They've also scored huge upsets over the best teams on their schedule. The problem is they've lost games they shouldn't, too. If Key figures out how to win both the big and little games, it's a program that will be flirting with ACC titles and playoff bids."

The second year coaches who received a higher grade than Key were Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham (A), Sanders (B+), and Louisville's Jeff Brohm (A-).

I would have given Key a B or B+ given the situation that he took over after Geoff Collins was fired, but a B- is not totally unfair. The ability to win games consistently could be the difference in the Yellow Jackets being a surprise contender in the ACC or just winning 7-8 games. When you look at the schedule for the Yellow Jackets, they are going to face two teams that will start the year ranked (Clemson and Georgia), but there is a scenario where they are the only ranked teams they face all season. When talking about teams that can contend in the ACC, Georgia Tech does not have to play Miami (who they have made a habit of beating anyway), SMU, Louisville, Florida State, or North Carolina, five of the seven teams at the top of the odds to win the conference for next year. It is a favorable schedule for Brent Key and Georgia Tech, but they will have to show they can manage it from week-to-week. If they can, there is a path for Georgia Tech to be one of the biggest surprise teams in the country and be in contention for an ACC Championship Bid.

Related Links