Report: Georgia Tech making significant changes to the coaching staff

It has been a long season for Georgia Tech and fans have been demanding changes to the coaching staff.

This afternoon, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that defensive coordinator Jason Semore, defensive ends coach Kyle Pope, wide receiver coach Jafar Williams, and offensive line coach Allen Mogridge were dismissed. Shortly after Thamel's report, Georgia Tech announced the dissmissal of all of the coaches, as well as a statement from head coach Brent Key:

“Jason, Allen, Kyle and Jafar are good football coaches and even better men, husbands and fathers,” Key said. “These decisions are not ones that I take lightly, especially in-season. After a lot of consideration over the last several weeks, I’ve decided that it’s necessary to make these changes at this time in order to put our players in the best position to be successful these final three games of the season, and to put our program in position to meet the high expectations that we all have for Georgia Tech football moving forward.”

Here are the following coaching adjustments and re-assignments that were announced as well:

Defensive backs coach Vinnie Sunseri taking over defensive play-calling duties;
Assistant wide receivers coach DeAndre Hopkins serving as the primary wide receivers coach;
Assistant offensive line coach Brandon Torrey serving as the primary offensive line coach;
Assistant head coach/defensive line coach Jess Simpson coaching defensive ends and outside linebackers (in addition to defensive tackles);
Senior defensive analyst Jack Tyler coaching linebackers.

The Yellow Jackets also announced that their would be restructuring on the offensive coaching staff. In a statement released by the school:

"In addition to adjustments to on-field and in-game coaching responsibilities, the structure of Tech’s game-planning and other off-the-field duties are being revamped for the final three games of the season to address deficiencies on the offensive side of the ball."

Key had seemingly been resistant to in-season changes, citing timing as his reason after Saturday's loss to Louisville:

"I'm not going to say I can give you the politically correct answer. Timin is right in that, I don't want to say too many things, the wrong thing or too many things, but look, to be able to work towards putting game plans together, but also working on what this program needs, right, to put your finger on it. And look, I meet with players all the time. That's part of what we do. And that's my job. My job is to establish the culture of the team and the accountability in the team, to maintain the discipline of the team, okay? And then everyone else's job is to follow along with that, right, follow in line."

Key was also asked if he had rushed his decision making this offseason when it came to coaching hires and personnel through the transfer portal:

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"The first thing to work to change something is to dig in and figure out the root problem. Because when things like this occur, it's very easy to say. The first thing is, root problem. The first thing is, well, why? Why does this happen? And then to be put on the spot, it's very easy for somebody to just say something. Well, now that becomes the gospel. To do the due diligence and to do it the right way, you can't succumb to an easy answer. You've got to dig into this and really find out why. Because when there's a commitment to change something, you've got to get all the information.

Look, I've been meeting with players and staff. nonstop really for a long time to figure out what the issues are. A lot of times they're not just blindly in front of you. That's why I said I have a pretty good grasp of what the issues are. But that's some of it. Yeah, definitely. I'm never going to sit up here and make an excuse. I'm going to take the bullets for all of it. That's my job. That's what a head coach does. That's what a leader does. But how do things spin so 180 so quick? There's factors that go into it."

What does this mean for Georgia Tech?

Georgia Tech has struggled on the defensive side of the ball for the majority of Brent Key's tenure and when Semore was hired during the offseason, he was supposed to bring an aggressive style of defense that caused havoc and created turnovers. However, Georgia Tech ranks near the bottom in several defensive categories.

3rd-down conversion D - 95th
4th - 134th
First down - 128th
INTs - Tied for 132nd
Passing ypc - 120th
Rushing - 136th
PPG - T121st
Sacks - T113th
Total D - 124th
Turnovers gained - T123rd

Georgia Tech will be looking for its 5th defensive coordinator in as many seasons this offseason.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment has been the offensive line. Under Key, the offensive line has been a strength of the team, but this season, it has been the opposite. Georgia Tech ranks near the bottom of the ACC in rushing offense and pressures allowed. It has arguably been the biggest reason the offense has not been able to get going. Mogridge, like receivers coach Jafar Williams, was in his first season on the staff.

Pope had been on Georgia Tech staff since the 2024 season and was in his third year with the program. The Yellow Jackets continued to rank near the bottom of the conference in sacks and several pass rushing statistics.

Will these changes bring a different product to the field? The Yellow Jackets are hoping so as they close out their season with Clemson, Wake Forest, and the rivalry game against No. 1 Georgia.

Stay tuned for the latest developments.

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