ACC Coaches Talk Anonymously About Georgia Tech Football Entering the 2024 Season

ACC Coaches have a lot of respect for the Georgia Tech program under Brent Key heading into 2024

Nov 25, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key on the field against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, Georgia Tech had an impressive turnaround from what the program had been doing under former head coach Geoff Collins. Brent Key led the Yellow Jackets to a 7-6 record, their first bowl appearance since 2018, and their first bowl win since 2016. Georgia Tech had one of the top offenses in the ACC and return most of that unit for the 2024 season. Although they have a tough schedule ahead of them (nothing new), this team could make noise in the ACC this season and not many people are talking about them.

It seems that after what he was able to do last year, Key and his program have earned the respect of coaches around the ACC. Athlon Sports recently released an article detailing anonymous quotes from coaches in the ACC talking about each member school. Here is what was said about Georgia Tech:

“Brent [Key] did one of the best jobs in the entire FBS last season; he doesn’t get enough credit for bringing back the program’s tough identity and fighting through without the resources you get at their competitors."

"They’ve figured out what works, who they are, and they embrace physical football like they did under [former head coach] Paul [Johnson]."

"Probably the best thing you can say about them is that a few guys other coaches in the league thought would jump in the portal didn’t. That’s how you really turn things around, if you can keep those breakout young guys and build off of them."

"They’re not an elite-ceiling program like FSU or Clemson, but they’re back on track to be competitive.”

Key has shown the ability to get the most out of his teams while at Georgia Tech and dating back to when he was the interim head coach, Key has pulled off upsets before as the underdog and looking at the schedule, he is going to have to do that multiple times this year. His team has the chance to make noise and could be the most underrated team in the ACC- maybe the country- in 2024.

On a recent episode of the Late Kick, Josh Pate called the Yellow Jackets one of the nation's most underrated teams going into the year:

"Georgia Tech I could also call a little bit underrated. The difference with Georgia Tech is the schedule is pretty stiff, I am not going to lie and they have Georgia every year. They were 7-5 last year and their win total is at 5.5, I think due in large part to how tough it is. Haynes King is still there, that is their quarterback, their offense is top ten in returning production this year, a deep wide receiver room. The defense was bad last year, 123rd in yards allowed last year I believe, but they overhauled their defensive staff, they overhauled their roster on the defensive side. They are the inverse of Nebraska in the sense that if I get C+ or B- defensive play, that should be good to get over 5.5 wins"

Georgia Tech is by no means a perfect team, but the progress they have made under Key and the amount of talent they return this season are not getting talked about nearly enough. It might not take long for the Yellow Jackets to make their presence felt this season. They have a nationally televised game on ESPN against Florida State in week zero and the entire country will be watching. It could be an opportunity to show why they are one of the nation's most underrated teams going into 2024.