Everything From Brent Key After Georgia Tech's First Practice

Georgia Tech began practice today in preparation for their 2024 season

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

It was the first day of fall camp on The Flats today and Georgia Tech was back on the practice field. The season opener against Florida State is one month away and the Yellow Jackets are starting preparations for the 2024 season. After practice today, head coach Brent Key stopped to talk with the media and here is everything that he had to say after the first full practice for Georgia Tech.

Opening Statement

"First day back out. Had to change the schedule a little bit today. Playing in week zero, starting a week early, so still some guys have classes, finals upcoming, and So I had to change the schedule a little bit, come out in the evening today, allow some of the guys to get to class, just to go get the meetings and information given to them.But really, really nothing other than that. So we'll do that for the first couple of days and then really get back to a normal routine for the rest of the way here on out. So really, it's about the challenges that we face all the time. And that's what we talk about as the game of football is all about the challenges right really when you start to build your team in January and you're going through the different phases of the year you know through the winter conditioning through spring ball you know a little bit of break time you'll come back you have summer workouts OTAs then you get into preseason camp well this is really the next challenge that we have and it really it's about the ability to embrace the challenge right be able to go out and attack that challenge every day see it as a challenge as a challenge, seeing it as an obstacle that you have to overcome and challenging the guys.

And that's really, it goes, it starts with me, the assistant coaches, support staff, players, to really attack those challenges every day. And you know, there's only one way to really to attack things, you know, that's with the right frame of mind, you know, to have the mental toughness, the discipline to do what you're supposed to do, and really work in a way so that you get what you deserve. And we talked about that last night with the team of working throughout this entire preseason camp so that when game time comes, all right, we deserve to get the outcome that we want. And, you know, when you put the right work in, you do things the right way, right? It's a lot like life. I mean, you do, you get what you deserve. You know, you've heard that saying all the time, well, you know, it's no different football. So, you know, we have goals as a team, you know, players have individual goals that everyone wants to accomplish. Well, now's the time to put the work in to be able to accomplish those goals. And, you know, as much as anything, it's to create habits. You know, we have to create habits no different than any other habit in our life. It's, you know, the routine of doing something over and over and over. You know, you guys have all heard the, you know, you talk about the 10 ,000 reps of something, you know, become perfect at it. And, you And that's what it is, you're building habits.

And that's what we're doing as a football team right now. We're instilling the toughness and the discipline we have to have as a team. We want to make sure everybody's committed to this team, committed to themselves. And that really starts individually. And really, you have to worry about yourself individually first before you can ever get better as a position as either side of the football or then as a team. So we want to embrace these challenges that we have in front of us, come out each day and have every person in the organization be able to take these things on head on and work to get better every single day. And if we can put the practice to bed, wake up the next day and be able to come up and improve from the day before, then we've done what we're supposed to do. So it's not going to be easy, nothing's easy, we don't want it easy, it's the way we want it and it's right here in front of us so I'm excited to be back out."

1. On being healthy coming into camp...

"Well you know, going into the second year You really have a full range of data on everybody. I mean, we do a lot with the sports science and we've afforded the resources to be able to implement that into our program and things we do, and we track everything, we monitor everything. And really we try to, you know, last year when you start your summer program, you don't really know what the preseason practice is gonna look like, right? You know, you see the practice schedule, you can anticipate it, but you don't have the true of what it's going to be. Well, when you go through it for a season, all right, now we have the data to back it up from last year. All right, so now as the summer got here this year, we were able to make tweaks and changes in the summer, all right, to be able to let us get here and really the last 10 weeks of summer really simulate what preseason is, so we're able to practice or train throughout the whole summer of that same same load that we'll have in preseason. So it's helped us a bunch."

2. On how much retention has helped the team...

"Yeah, you know, the beauty of summers now, these guys get so many reps and so much time together. During the summer, the retention, I was very pleased with. But when things are in the summer, you don't have pads on, a lot of it's player led. The things you have to work on are the details, the techniques, the fundamentals, it's one thing to know what to do, but to know how to do it, why you're doing it, to know those three things, you can't be successful unless you know all three of those things. Well, pretty much everybody comes in right now knowing what to do, so we're able to start a little bit faster pace and carry the more install early on."

3. On if the experience of the team helps with the way they practice...

"Well experience, I mean there's no substitution for experience. I mean that goes without saying. Guys that have played a lot of football, played a lot of football together, definitely helps. But for years and years and years we'd have teams that had a bunch of experience coming back but we'd still go back and start out at square one it's really the change in the rules about what was it five years ago that allowed the OTAs and the work in the summer and the meeting time. And that's what's allowed us to be able to start at a really different place. And as coaches, we've had to really change that in our head a little bit from the old school way we come out. It's three plays on day one, two fronts, two coverages, that sort of deal. It really is a continuation of the summer, right? The only difference is, they've got pads on, they've got helmets on, and they're more live reps."

4. On if there were any butterflies ahead of the opening day of practice...

"This is year 28 of college football for me and it was three hours two or three hours before practice and the butterflies kicked in and I was walking out of my office and on the way down here and I told AP, I said and so I don't care how long you do it it feels good to get the And have it, not in an anxious way by any means just in an all right, What's it gonna be?"

5. On the adjustment of being able to have more coaches be hands on during practice...

"Yeah, you know, it can be a major advantage or it can be a major disadvantage. It really can. It's all how you go about it. We spent a lot of time talking through this, what we wanted to do. We've got a few guys that aren't necessarily part of the 10, what's it called, recruitable coaches now that have 30, 40 years of experience. So those are guys that have a wealth of knowledge, a wealth of ability to get out on the field. But some of the younger guys that have two years into it, three years into it, the role really doesn't change for them. Now does it allow them to say something to somebody on the field? Yeah, it does. Now you're not sitting there quiet and You can't say anything, but as far as those guys' roles, we're not changing their roles. I mean, some guys are, you know, you know, analysts and they work with a lot of the breakdowns and scouting reports. They help put practice together. They're not ready to coach yet, right? So I'm not just gonna have everybody go out there and say, oh, it's, you know, everybody's trying to go out there and be, you know, Vince Lombardi. And we're not trying to do that. So it's very detailed of what each person does. Everybody has a job to do. It's up to each individual coach to do that job and as long as everyone stays in their box and does what they're supposed to do, we have a chance to have success and take advantage of it. But as soon as somebody gets out of their lane and starts trying to coach somebody else, and now you've got one kid or a freshman for that matter, you've got three different things coming at him from three different people and it's all different. You're not going to progress that way. We're not going to have 20 -25 guys out here running around coaching and telling guys what to do. It's not going to be a lot different than it really has ever been."

6. On his thoughts about the depth at running back...

"Yeah, I mean, running back is a position that you always want to have more. Okay, because it doesn't take much at that position, just the durability of those guys. One cramp here, one ankle here, one helmet comes off now, so you're down to your third, fourth guy. So you got to have guys, I think in a perfect world, you always want to have five guys that you can count on. They're reliable to be able to get in there and get reps. And if something happens to games, five guys that can be able to get in there and carry the football, and number one thing is, hold on to football, right? And I don't care whether we have three backs or we have 13 backs, right? If they're gonna be on the field, they gotta hold on to football, right? And that's really a challenge for these young guys that come in, it's the ball security, because the game's faster, the guys are bigger, they're stronger, they get you quicker and you can't get away with the things you did when you were in high school. So that's the big point, emphasis with those guys."

7. On the opportunity to play in Ireland against Florida State...

"No, it's a great opportunity. It's a great opportunity for Georgia Tech for people to see the GT on a worldwide stage, You know, to have college game day to be there, to open up the college football season. So many eyes on, and look, you know, yeah, we can talk about so many eyes on the football team, but it's not just about that. It's so much bigger than that. And that's the reason we made the decision to play in the game, because it's an opportunity for people to see Georgia Tech, you know, to see what the Georgia Tech brand is, to see who we are. And on top of that, to be able to play in the country in Ireland, that, you know, in the So just the mentality of the people there, the blue collar, the hard working, they're good people, very welcoming, a lot of similarities in who they are as people. To really the DNA of this football team, the blue collar kind of scrap fight, claw, a lot of pride and where you're from, see a lot of similarities. So it's a great opportunity for us to go over there and play."

8. On Sylvain Yondjouen being back out there...

"Yeah, full go, full go, took all the reps, and it was good to see. I think at times he's, didn't know if he's a big guy or wanted to slim down and be a smaller guy. I mean, I don't care if he's 260 like he is right now or 230 like he's been before. I mean, I don't think he has an ounce of fat on him. But he looks, The speed and the twitch that he showed out there today along with the size that added the girth that he has now. I think he's 260, 265 pounds now. So excited to have him back out there, adds a ton to the defensive line, come a long way since the spring when we're fighting to get two groups out there. So it's really good to see him back out. And plus his leadership. He's played a lot of football, he's very well respected by all teammates, uh, doesn't say a lot, right? But when he does, people listen."

9. On the spring transfer additions on the defensive line...

"Yeah, you know, the ones, the line of scrimmage guys, you know, it'll be a few days before we can tell a lot, uh, as far as true contact and the ability to, to play at the line of scrimmage. But from what I've saw out there today, from what I've seen this summer, Romello has really good speed. He's strong, he's got great length, really good takeoff. Really looking forward to him being able to help us generate pass rush and improving that area. JJ, again, I think he's probably the strongest guy, pound for pound, total weight from squats, cleans, 700 pound squat guy, close to 400 pound clean, just phenomenal strength that he has, but he's also got good athletic ability and everybody really enjoys being around him. So they brought a lot of value, Thomas out there. Again, another guy's played a lot of football in the defensive line. So we really helped ourselves there. And then some of the depth we brought in on the back end with Zach, Jayden and those guys right away, they stepped in this summer and didn't look like it was the first day. So excited for those guys to be able to add some of the depth in the back end, create competition. The more competition you have, the less complacency you're going to have. And we really believe in that. The more guys we can get to play football with force this year, the better off we're going to be.

10. On the tight end position...

"Yeah, we have numbers to start and we're going to use tight ends. We use tight ends in a lot of different ways. It's a very stressed position because it's not just lining up with the line of scrimmage and blocking the defensive end. I mean, we've got a lot of motions, a lot of different things we do with those guys. They're smart kids, fortunate to bring some guys in that have experience in playing big games, and they know what it's supposed to look like. They know the work ethic that it takes to be a championship team. And then Brett not being out there in the spring time having surgery. And it was one of those things where he had the decision to make after the season to have the surgery and it was a risky choice for him. Wanting to be 100 % if he had the surgery that he was gonna be able to come back. And he wanted to be a part of the team and wanted to be here. And if he could be more than 100, it would be, but it was 100 % successful. And he's been a different since he's been like, just been full go adds a lot of value. Not just that tight end room, but as a leader on the team, he's speaking up. He's vocal. He's not afraid to speak his mind, which is important, especially in this day and age for a young person to speak up about what's right. And he's done it all summer. He's got, we added to leadership for what he's done. So What in the springtime was a very thin position, I think it's going to be a strength force again this year"