The Most Important Notes From Georgia Tech's Brent Key In His Presser Ahead of Duke

What stood out from Key's presser on Tuesday?

Sep 19, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the sideline against the Mercer Bears in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key spoke to the media Tuesday at his weekly presser. Here are the most interesting things he said as the Yellow Jackets prep for the Blue Devils.

Early Thoughts on Duke

The Yellow Jackets face the undefeated Duke Blue Devils, who come into the Flats at 4-0. So what do they do well, and how do the Yellow Jackets pull off the win? Coach Key kept it blunt about what needs to happen and what the Blue Devils can do.

“They have the ability to pressure. You know, they have various pressure packages, blitz and whatever. But they also play man coverage. They play zone. They mix it up. They disguise things well. They support in the run game very hard. They have tendencies. They do a good job reading their tendencies on what they have. They're a well-coached team. To do one thing and look like something else, that's challenging. So we've got to have good eyes. We've got to play with good discipline. We've got to play collective team football.”

Competition

Competition remains a strong emphasis even after the bye week for the Yellow Jackets. One of the main things is that it will happen throughout the rest of the season. Coach Key didn’t provide intel on who is separating themselves yet, but I am sure we will have more answers after the bye week and snaps on the field.

“I saw a really good competition. But it's not an ending thing. It's not like it was just during the bye week. That's something that, you know, everybody on this team needs to know every position's open every single day. And guys have to compete. We have seen competition. I think you see. When you go through something like this, you start to see a separation, too, of guys that do want to compete and want to compete for Georgia Tech and then guys that want to compete for themselves. And that's been a big thing is, you know, look, everyone's got to take care of themselves first, right? But no different than the sign above the team room door that says, out of yourself and into the team, right? That's what I expect everyone to be moving forward,” said Key.

Standards

How does one get back to the standard? Another major point of emphasis from Key was upholding the Georgia Tech football team's standard. The standard won’t change, and the Yellow Jackets do things a certain way. To me, that means no player is above the team, and if you can’t uphold the standard, you won’t be seeing the field. Again, that is interpretation, but that seems like the message that is being sent.

“It's about collectively binding to the principles and the values of the organization. The standards. Standards are not changing. There's boundaries here. Boundaries don't do the job. The enforcement of boundaries do the job. There's rules. There's standards. There's a way we do things. That's whether you're in the building, on the field, away from here, socially, with your family. None of that matters. There's a way you carry yourself as a Georgia Tech football player, and that will not change.

That will not change. I owe that to this place, this place that's given me so much in my life. Everybody else that's worn the white and gold, that's what I owe them, having stand-up young men who are disciplined, tough, and play the game the right way and are accountable to each other,” said Key.

Mention of Braylon Outlaw and Guys Getting More Reps

One true freshman who has continued to stand out and make a major difference for the Yellow Jackets is Braylon Outlaw. He was the main topic of conversation in Key’s presser with how he plays and what he creates defensively. With some of the struggles defensively for the Yellow Jackets, it seems imminent that Outlaw playing time will increase for the season. A good sign for the true freshman.

“Yeah, there's a lot of guys that are playing and have to continue to play and continue to rep and continue to get better. Outlaw's one that he'll make a mistake, but he'll make a big play. You look at production of guys on the field, when you look at tackles, assists, pressure. You know, batted balls, you know, the whole gamut when it comes to defensive production in relation to the amount of plays. I mean, Outlaw's up there as high as anybody.

There's a lot of guys that played a lot more snaps than that, that the production's not there. Everybody's got their strengths and weaknesses, and we've got to continue to elevate those guys and, you know, keep their strengths and elevate their weaknesses. And we need all those guys to be ready to contribute.”

Get Better

Georgia Tech has not been a good football team this season and sits at 1-3. They have a chance to turn things around and right the ship, but it won’t begin until they get better as a football team.

"Well, you know, you can talk about motivate and lift up and this and that, or you can shut up and get better, right? The external influences in the world that everyone's around all the time, they're the ones that make things rosy or make things dark and grim, right?

Step through the doors of the building. I tell you where we're at with everything and you know. I tell you where we're at with everything, and you know. When two of the captains aren't on the field, right? It's tough for them. That's tough. Maybe not a locker room. Maybe not on the sideline, but the games going on and they're not out there. It's hard. It's hard to answer some questions.  It's not about a captain or a leader. It's about collectively binding to the principles and the values of the organization.