Report: Georgia Tech To Hire Vanderbilt Running Backs Coach Norval McKenzie

Georgia Tech is getting its new running backs coach from the SEC

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Dec 15, 2022 1:19 PM EST

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Brent Key's coaching staff at Georgia Tech is nearing completion. According to a report, Key is set to hire Vanderbilt running back's coach Norval McKenzie for the same position. The news was first reported by Russell Johnson from JacketsOnline.

I think this makes for an interesting hire for Key. It says something that McKenzie believes in Key and Georgia Tech enough to leave his alma mater for Atlanta after being there for two years as running backs coach. McKenzie knows the landscape in recruiting the state and knows what it is like to recruit at a high academic institution.

McKenzie, who is a Georgia native and Vanderbilt graduate, is taking over a position that was held by Mike Daniels until he resigned in the middle of the season and then Donald Hill-Eley became the running backs coach for the rest of the season.

McKenzie got his coaching career started at his alma mater from 2008-2010 as a grad assistant and then as the assistant recruiting coordinator. McKenzie would then move to Furman from 2011-2015 to be both running backs coach and recruiting coordinator and in 2015, he added the title of special teams coordinator to his resume.

The move up to the FBS level for him occurred in 2016 when McKenzie took the job at Arkansas State and he was there through the 2018 season.

His first power five jobs as a running backs coach would come at Louisville under former Cardinals head coach Scott Satterfield. He would leave for his alma mater in 2021 to join Clark Lea's staff and he has been there since.