What the Latest College Football Coach Rankings Get Wrong About Georgia Tech and Brent Key

Georgia Tech has been on an upward trajectory ever since Brent Key took over as the head coach. The Yellow Jackets have made a bowl game in each of Key's seasons and were close to making the ACC Championship last season, which would have given them a chance to play for a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Key has shown a level of consistency that Georgia Tech has not seen in a long time, and considering the alignment from the top down, the Yellow Jackets have a bright future.

CBS Sports did its most recent Power Rankings for head coaches in the sport of college football to determine who was the best. It is interesting to see where Georgia Tech head coach was ranked, appearing outside of the top 25 and taking the No.27 spot.

Here is what was said about Key

“Brent Key has now finished four seasons (OK, 3 2/3) at Georgia Tech, and each year has seen improvement. Last year's 9-4 mark, with a 6-2 record in the ACC, was Key's best yet, and those results saw him finish as high as 20th on our ballots. The 2026 season will be interesting, though. Not only does Key lose his veteran QB Haynes King, but offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner left for the same role at Florida and took King's backup, Aaron Philo, with him. If Key can maintain his pace despite all those changes, he's going to crack the top 25 next year.” 2025 rank: 30 (+3), High: 20, Low: 41

Why this is wrong

Brent Key Georgia Tec — Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key runs on the field before a game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Overall, Key is still climbing the ranks as a head coach and is trending up into the top 25. However, he should already be there, especially with what he has been able to do in the last few seasons. He turned around a dormant program that was losing a lot of games and made it relevant again when he took over as head coach. After going 7-6 in back-to-back seasons, Key led Georgia Tech to a 9-4 record and nearly to the ACC title game. Georgia Tech was just one game away from making that a reality.

Key has also been responsible for helping the team appear more in the spotlight and get national recognition. Georgia Tech had its highest ranking since 2009 in the AP Top 25, coming in at No.7. He also had one of the biggest wins of the season, knocking off top-10 opponent Clemson at home in Week 3 of the season. He simply wins the big games. So yes, while it is a nice boost to see Coach Key at No.27, it still doesn’t do him justice for what he has done and accomplished in a short amount of time, like having a first-round draft pick in Keylan Rutledge, ACC Player of the Year Haynes King, and having a top 25 recruiting class so far in a short amount of time.

Key is just getting started, and the ranking is too low for what he has already meant to the program in Atlanta. He is just getting started, and if he gets the Yellow Jackets to playoff contention next year after retooling the roster with new coaches and players, you will simply have to put more respect on his name.

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