The Athletic Grades Georgia Tech's Hiring Of Brent Key

What grade did the Athletic give Georgia Tech for promoting Brent Key?

Jackson Caudell | Jan 26, 2023

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Most coaching grades are given out after the school makes a hire, but some outlets are still handing theirs out now.

The Athletic's Stewart Mandel released his coaching grades today and for Georgia Tech promoting Brent Key, Mandel gave the Yellow Jackets a B, which is one of the highest grades that was given to the new coaches.

Here is what Mandel had to say about the hiring of Key:

"I’m not generally a fan of promoting the interim coach, but the Tech alum and former Saban assistant did a remarkable job last season. Geoff Collins went 7-19 in ACC play in three-plus seasons; Key stepped in and led the Jackets to a 4-3 mark. And now they can build on that momentum."

Georgia Tech interim head coach Brent Key — Georgia Tech's hiring of Brent Key has been graded as a good hire by most outlets / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The coaches ranked above Key included Colorado's Deion Sanders (A+), Wisconsin's Luke Fickell (A), Louisville's Jeff Brohm (A), Nebraska's Matt Rhule (A-), and Auburn's Huge Freeze (B+).

The Athletic is not the first major outlet to give a positive review of Georgia Tech's hiring of Key.

In November, after Key was hired, CBS Sports gave the hiring a B and here is what college football analyst Barrett Sallee had to say about the hiring:

"Key led the Yellow Jackets to a 4-4 record following Collins' dismissal. He's a Georgia Tech alum who knows the challenges that the program faces. With that said, he's a first-time head coach at a Power Five school that has to fight recruiting battles with all of the top-tier teams in the country. It might take some time". Grade: B

Here is what ESPN's Adam Rittenberg had to say about the hire and his grade:

The interim tag is off and the emotional boost some interim coaches generate will soon fade away. Key is now an ACC head coach and must navigate the inevitable learning curve for a first-timer. He also must rebrand Georgia Tech in his own way and differently from his predecessor Geoff Collins. While Key deserves credit for the success he generated, he also was part of the team's failures the past few seasons. He must learn from those and not spend too much time on branding while not ignoring it, either. Georgia Tech doesn't have the resources that many of its competitors enjoy, and Key must figure out how to distinguish the program both in recruiting and schematically."

ESPN's Andrea Adelson had this to say about Georgia Tech hiring Key:

"If there is anybody who understands what it takes to win at Georgia Tech, it is Key, a four-year starter for the Yellow Jackets from 1997 to 2000. Before he returned to Georgia Tech in 2019 as the run game coordinator/offensive line coach, he was an assistant at Alabama, learning under Nick Saban. That is a pretty good combination. Familiarity with a unique program like Georgia Tech is extremely important"

"I am not sure Georgia Tech will be in position to compete for ACC championships without significant investment in resources and facilities during this time period. However, the Yellow Jackets should be competitive in the ACC and an annual bowl team given the talent in the area and the small snippet we have seen from Key as interim coach. What will be interesting to see is how Georgia Tech navigates a new world without divisions. The Yellow Jackets arguably got the toughest permanent opponents in the new scheduling model, having to play Clemson, Louisville and Wake Forest every single year. The non-conference scheduling philosophy has not helped Georgia Tech, either, as the Jackets have continually played one of the toughest overall schedules in the country. Batt would be well-served to rethink this philosophy as Georgia Tech heads into a division-less era in the ACC."

At the end of the day, it will be up to Key to win enough games and prove that he is the right man to lead the program. He has assembled his first staff, brought in 12 transfers, and is busy getting to work on the 2024 recruiting class.

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