Everything From Brent Key At Georgia Tech's Pro Day

Brent Key spoke after the Yellow Jackets pro day today

Jackson Caudell | Mar 17, 2023

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It was a big day at Georgia Tech today, with seven former Yellow Jackets working out in front of scouts from every team at their pro day. Guys like Keion White, Charlie Thomas, and E.J. Jenkins got a chance to show out and each of them had good workouts.

Georgia Tech interim head coach Brent Key — Brent Key spoke after Georgia Tech's pro day yesterday / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Afterward, Tech head coach Brent Key briefly spoke to the media and here is everything that he had to say.

Opening Statement:

"A lot of firsts as a head coach, my first one of these, It was great to see our guys out here today, I think we had seven guys out here running and working out, they have been preparing for the last couple of months for this time and it's exciting to really see the future of what we want here and to be able to develop our players the right way and when it comes to the development of a player, it starts with what these guys are doing for us. They are scouting them as professionals and in recruiting, we scout players for ourselves in college and that is the name of the game. You gotta identify them.

First comes identification and then you have to evaluate them and then you have to find out how to recruit them and you know finally the signing and acquisition of a player and then the development of them. There is not a lot difference between what they do and what we do when it comes to recruiting and evaluating high school players. It will all circle back around with the development of your program with a player and how they end up here.

Again, I am excited for these guys and glad to be out here with them and our coaches are able to be out here and be around the personnel from the NFL and I look forward to seeing where these guys end up going and hope for the best."

1. On what it would mean to make Georgia Tech pro days a must-stop for scouts...

"That is exactly what you want and what you want for your players. That is what you want... talk about the development of some guys and really it comes down to what they put on tape and that is what they look at when they get the invites to the combine and those things. How do they play, how do they play when they are banged up and tired and people are beat up on the team and play through the pain and play through the injury. Happy for those for having that opportunity and happy for Georgia Tech to be able to have those guys as a part of our family.

2. On what he tells scouts about Keion White...

"Whether it is Keion White or any of the other guys, I tell them the same thing and make sure that we are transparent. We want to make sure we are transparent when we talk about our players because there is a trust that is built over time with these guys that are out here whether it is scouts or coaches, we have been around them for a long time and they know who they can trust and who they can't trust and build that with them.

I talked with them this morning and with the staff about it, we have to be upfront and honest with these guys because that is where the respect comes from. Through the honesty that you can have with a player to coach or a coach to scout or a coach to coach in that regard.

So it is important for us to be transparent and open with these guys and thankfully these guys have given us nothing but positive things to say about them."

3. On how he thinks guys like Keion and Charlie Thomas project to the next level...

"The projections are really left up to you guys. I am not really in the role of being able to project those guys. I know what they did for us. I know their size and ability traits and how they factor into the NFL but it is really up to each individual teams to see how they project. That is really where the NFL is so different. It is slotted by rounds so someone's ability might not necessarily equate with being in whatever round they think it might be.

But at the end of the day, it is what you are able to do when you get there. Make the team, get in a camp, and create some longevity for themselves in the NFL and get to that second contract."

4. On if there is any commonality between all of the players participating...

"When you are talking about anyone that has an opportunity to play in the NFL and especially those that do, there is a toughness about them and you have to have an elite level of physical and mental toughness to be able to sustain. They go into camp with 90 players on the team and they cut the roster down to 53, so to be able to sustain through the offseason and the training camp so to be able to sustain through the grind of getting there, and the biggest thing those guys have is the stuff up here.

Now, everyone is going to slot height, weight, speed, size, and ability. There are a lot of guys that have had that and they are one and done or a quick out in the NFL because they did not have the characteristics that you have to have."

5. On E.J. Jenkins...

"The projection part is not for me to decide but again... he was productive for us as a receiver. I think when you look at someone like E.J., you can't just say well his size makes him look like a tight end, I mean he has had a lot of production as a receiver and there are a lot of big receivers in the NFL that are productive and there are tight ends that are smaller than him that do well in the NFL. That is up to each individual team and roster."

6. On his favorite draft story as a coach...

"There are a lot of great memories. It is a special time for these kids. Whether it is a position you coach or your side of the ball, the position you went against everyday, the position you recruited, it is good to see it come full circle for those guys from the evaluation and recruiting process and then really to this part of it, the evaluation part of it and the selection part of it.

I would not wanna shortchange any of those guys, but there are a lot of good ones. I know a certain really skinny quarterback out of Jacksonville, FL that wound up doing pretty good for himself on draft night. It is just phone calls from the green room with guys when they are getting ready to go out there, calls with their parents and calling my wife, getting their hair ready to go and get dressed up. The guys that maybe nobody recruited and you were their only offer, high draft pick, it goes on and on.

It is a wonderful story that those guys are able to share when that day does come or it could even be when they are a free agent selection on Sunday. It is an exciting time for them and then it is time to get to work and then it is even more exciting when you are able to see what they can do when they get there.

7. On Keion's most outstanding attribute that he contributed on the field...

"He has a unique blend of speed and power for that size and I have no clue what any times were out there but I don't need a stopwatch to see that is a big man running and looking good doing it but then you turn on the tape and see what he did as the season went on when people were banged up and hurt and he really really elevated his game at that point time, especially knowing the kind of practices that were taking place here with the physicality and the good on good and the challenging that was taking place but to see that out of him as the season went on and being able to use that as a measuring stick for our guys and show them that there is a right way to do things and look what happens when you do it this way, you're not going to get worn down or beat down, just look at him at that time."

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