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Analyst Gives Brent Key Highest Grade Among First-Year Head Coaches

Originally posted on FanNation All Yellow Jackets
By Jackson Caudell | Last updated 1/3/24

It is hard to call Brent Key's first season at Georgia Tech anything other than a success. Key guided the team to a 7-6 record, its first bowl appearance since 2018, and its first bowl victory since 2016. The Yellow Jackets had one of the best offenses in the ACC, Haynes King developed into a really solid quarterback, and the offensive line saw one of the biggest turnarounds in the country. He pulled off two massive wins against Miami and North Carolina and gave No. 1 Georgia a tougher game than most thought he could.

Nothing was perfect. The defense will need to be fixed in a big way and there were a couple of head-scratching losses to Bowling Green and Boston College.

None of those things prevented one analyst at On3Sports from giving Key the highest grade among first-year head coaches.

Jesse Simonton gave grades to every first-year head coach in 2023 and Key was the only coach that got an A. Key earned a higher grade than coaches like Luke Fickell (Wisconsin), Deion Sanders (Colorado), and Jeff Brohm (Louisville).

Here is what Simonton had to say about the job that Key did this season:

"Key was the lone 2022 interim head coach to earn a promotion after going 4-4 upon taking over for Geoff Collins, and his in first full season in charge of his alma mater, Key elevated the program back to competency this fall.

The Yellow Jackets capped a 7-6 year with a resounding win over USF in the Gasparilla Bowl. The Bees lost to a pair of Top 25 SEC teams (Ole Miss and Georgia), but they upset Miami and North Carolina en route to a 5-3 finish in ACC play — the program’s best showing since Paul Johnson’s final season in 2018.

Key’s offensive coordinator hire Buster Faulkner and QB transfer Haynes King (ACC-leading 27 touchdown passes) helped ignite a major offensive turnaround (14-point per game scoring improvement). "

With 10 starters returning on offense, as well as prominent depth players, Georgia Tech can build on the success that they had this season, but it won't be easy. The schedule remains difficult and the defense has to be much, much better. The opportunity is there, but there is still work to be done.

Nonetheless, Georgia Tech had a successful first season under Key and he seems to be building something in Atlanta.

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Yellow Jackets and was syndicated with permission.

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