Head Coach Brent Key Reaffirms Commitment To Georgia Tech Amid Coaching Rumors

Head coach Brent Key's name has been floating in rumor mills with head coaching vacanies popping up around college football. Some of the destinations have been Auburn, LSU, Florida. But there is one in particular that has been garnering some buzz. A team up north who let go their 12 year head coach James Franklin after a losing streak during the middle of the season. That team is no other than Penn State, who is looking for the next head man in charge to lead their program. There have even been rumors that Key would visit the Nittany Lions for an interview during the bye week. Coach Key quickly put that notion to bed on Thursday and spoke on him being linked to coaching gigs.

“Flattering, it's awesome. Yeah, people have texted me, all of you got a bunch of new friends, people think you're up for jobs and stuff. People you haven’t talked to them in five years in the profession, or texting you and calling you. What in the world are people calling me for right now? We lost the game on Saturday, I get it, yes, we gotta. Oh, Thanks, babe. Maybe I'm an idiot. It's flattering. It's flattering, but not for me, for this program. Since I came back here, since I was named the head coach here, Kelly, outside of time with my family, every waking second of my life is going towards building this program to get to the point that it is right now. So that in turn we can continue three years from now, five years from now, ten years from now, continue to elevate this place. To be in that conversation, not to be in there for two or three weeks, but to be a consistent team. Not when you lose one game, people say, the storybook's over. No, it's just beginning. I could go on and on, could say yes, no, all that crap. Slice me open and see what colors I bleed," said Key.

Coach Key is a Georgia Tech alum and was a big part of the team's success towards the end of the 90s, which had dynamic offenses and finished with four consecutive bowl appearances. He has built the Yellow Jackets identity on what he was as a player. Strong, tough, gritty, physical, resilient. Georgia Tech is the team that punches you in the mouth and makes you feel their presence when you play them. The same things Coach Key embodied. It is why they are having success this season and rank in the top in major offensive categories. It is hard to run from an identity you created and try and go to the next destination. It just doesn't feel right or authentic. Coach Key is as real and authentic as they come and why you have to appreciate his sentiment.

For now, Key just laughs and has fun with the team knowing he is not going anywhere anytime soon.

"We laugh about it. We do with the team. Flattering, great. It's awesome, guys. You hear it. Hey, guess what? I went and spoke in Birmingham on Monday. I did. Me and our deputy AD went to Birmingham, and I spoke at the touchdown or at the quarterback club. Come on, that's probably the other 50 % that I was talking about, though, right? They just kind ofare unnamed sources or rumors or those things, right? So it's flattering. Probably a good idea to ask the thing. Oh, ask my wife. Ask my daughter. Come on now. Yeah, there you go. I appreciate y'all asking it though. I appreciate y'all asking those hard jabbing questions," said Key.

With those rumors put to rest, Georgia Tech will focus on the rest of the season and finishing strong. The Yellow Jackets are 8-1 and have everything in front of them to make history and make their first College Football Playoff in team history. They've been explosive all year offensively and have had a complementary defense that has been very opportunistic. Last Saturday, was an aberration to the performance the defense has had this season. In about a week against NC State, they will get a chance to prove their worth again and make another statement.

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