Everything from Brent Key post practice- 8/22

Key announced Georgia Tech's starting quarterback today

Jackson Caudell | Aug 22, 2023

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

With preseason camp now over, Georgia Tech is turning its focus to Louisville and trying to start the season 1-0. Today, Georgia Tech was back on the field for the first time since Saturday's scrimmage that the Yellow Jackets were on the field.

Head coach Brent Key spoke to the media after practice today and announced the big news that Texas A&M transfer Haynes King was going to be the starting quarterback for Georgia Tech this season. Key talked about that decision and more today.

Opening Statement

"We came in on Sunday and had a couple of hours of meetings with the guys to clean up the scrimmage tape from Saturday and see some things that we needed to see and clean some things up and then we got out there today to really do a correction period from the scrimmage and what I said on Saturday is what really took place during the scrimmage.

It was good today to have a cleanup, a fundamental day on the field, and a couple of days not out there. School started yesterday so we allowed them to focus on that and get school done. We had a speaker yesterday morning and getting this new routine going of being in the mornings.

Coaches started game planning yesterday afternoon, watching film, and for the rest of the day today, we will be on to Louisville. With a player meeting tomorrow morning with the scouting reports and all of those things and the Louisville prep beginning tomorrow. I am excited to turn the page from preseason camp and improve from there and in preparation for Louisville.

I met with both quarterbacks yesterday, I met with Zach (Pyron) and Haynes (King), I met with them myself and informed them of the decision that I made as far as who the starting quarterback will be and Haynes King is going to be the starting quarterback moving into the first game vs Louisville. It is time to turn the page with that and get the team focused and prepped for Louisville. I had a chance to meet with both of those guys yesterday, with no one else, it wasn't a staff, it was myself and individual player only and talked with them in depth about where they are at, where they stand, and what they need to continue to work on and informed them of my decision and that I would be telling you guys today, that way we can move on as a full team and get ready to start playing games. I had a meeting this morning with leadership and told the leadership, yes, both Haynes and Zach were both in there, and I informed them and made sure that they understood why and why we are now moving forward.

It was a good meeting. Both quarterbacks had outstanding camps, this evaluation has been going on since January 6th. To have three quarterbacks that have started college football games on your team is a super positive to have and there are going to be points in time this year where those quarterbacks will all play but moving forward for now, Haynes King is the starter and we are moving on now."

1. On what went into the quarterback decision...

"It has been a continuing evaluation that has been going on since January 6th when all of the guys got back and had the first workout together. This has been an eight-month evaluation of everything, everything that goes into being the starting quarterback."

2. On the leadership group...

"We talk about a lot of things in there and it is a privilege to be on the leadership group and that is why those things stay in there."

3. On how to keep the backup quarterback engaged and ready...

"It is just like I tell everything else: black and white and to the point. I don't sugarcoat things, I don't believe in sugarcoating things, any message, and especially when it is about who the starting quarterback on this football team is going to be as well as when you are dealing 17, 18, 19, 20-year-olds. There is not sugarcoating, it is direct and it is why and what needs to continue to be worked on and move forward from there."

4. On the timing of the announcement...

"It was the right time. It was the right time. No decision that I have made in the program up to this time has been made quickly. They have been very thought out and looked over and done in-depth and so that myself as a head coach, I can go to sleep at night and know that I have made the right decision at this time."

5. On what gave Haynes King separation in the battle...

"We felt that he gives us the best chance to go out in game one and play the game we want to play."

6. On the scrimmage on Saturday...

"Same as I said. That was three days ago and we have moved past that and met with the guys on that and I have not even thought about that in the last couple of days."

7. On having a strategy for both quarterbacks...

"Haynes King is the starter. Make no bones about it. This is the decision and why I brought them both in face-to-face and man-to-man. I am not putting him on a short leash. I don't want the starting quarterback to go out there and feel like if he makes one mistake then he is going to get yanked. That is not the world we are living in and I am not doing that. Both guys are prepared and both guys will be prepared and we can win with both players. We can. The amount of improvement that those guys have made the entire offseason, spring ball, summer workouts, and to preseason camp has been outstanding and both guys have a very bright future.

Make no mistake about it: Zach Pyron is a heck of a quarterback. He is a heck of a quarterback and he is going to play good football at Georgia Tech."

8. On if any positions on the depth chart remain undecided...

"I would say one or two. We were actually discussing yesterday about releasing the depth chart, whenever Mike tells me that I can. It will be out early next week by the next presser."

9. On where Chase Lane and Dominick Blaylock stand after the second scrimmage...

"They are going to be right there in the mix. We all know when you play six to eight receivers in the game, four, maybe five tight ends at times, four running backs, played five before. Defensively they roll. There is going to be a lot of influx of new names out there on the field next Friday night."

10. On the running back position...

"Yeah they are back there and all full speed out there today. The nature of that position, guys get banged up, they get bumps and bruises and it will be running back by committee for sure."

11. On Myles Sims...

"He has been back full speed for the last couple of days."

12. On how he looks at practice and games differently now as a head coach as opposed to an offensive line coach...

"Even though you are an offensive line coach or the receiver coach, when you coach for 20 years, you learn to look at the big picture. My progression of what my eyes look at during a game when I was coaching offensive line is not just looking at the center or the tackle, its from the safety to the linebacker to the center. It is an expansive thing that you look at when you are coaching on the field, you have guys in the box that and you see different things. Its an overall view of what you see.

Now, in practice, you do focus on a singular position or a singular side of the football but you know, you have to know what the other side of the ball does or vice versa. You have to know what the other side of the ball is doing so if you think they are in one defensive front or one coverage or a receiver does this or a lineman or running back does that, you are not really understanding the mistake that was made so really now it has changed to an organizational type of overview or practice.

I try to everyday observe a couple of different positions individuals and I still go down and get my individual time in with the offensive line but its also good to go and get down with the defensive line or the linebackers or with the receivers and watch routes on air or individual routes with the quarterbacks and receivers.

Yeah it has changed. There is more to watch and you are also looking at people, you are looking at coaches, looking at the flow of practice, you are looking at guys running on and off the field, its every thing."

13. On if coaching in an opening game is any different than the games last year...

"I am excited but I am excited to get back in and get on the gameplan now that schedules and itineraries and those things are put to bed completely all the way past Thanksgiving so every minute of the day is planned out now for the rest of the year for everyone involved in the program from me, the coaches, the support staff, ops, training room. Now that that is all behind us I am ready to go take a shower and put on some tape and watch some Louisville film."

14. On if there is a position that has made more progress than he expected...

"We have made a lot of progress and we have made a lot of improvements. We are a better football team now than we were August 1st, we are a better football team now than we were January 1st and that is what you want, you want constant improvement. Relative to offense and defense, I know what type of team we are. Relative to our competition, I don't know yet. So, am I excited about improvement, yeah, but I have said before that there is no ceiling. There is no ceiling in improvement, there is no ceiling in getting better, there is no ceiling in the heights you are trying to go to and look that is where failure occurs. Failure happens when you have high aspirations, but I am not lowering them for anybody and I am not lowering them as a team."

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