How Georgia Tech coach Brent Key transformed the Yellow Jackets after win against Florida State swept the nation

It didn’t take long for Georgia Tech to break into the top 10. The biggest statement of the 2024 college football season. With a Week 0 24-21 win against No. 10 Florida State on Saturday, the Yellow Jackets have a claim to be “back” after spending years off the national radar.

It’s another accomplishment added to coach Brent Key’s rapidly growing list of accomplishments in his second full season as coach at Georgia Tech. Key took over as interim coach during the worst stretch in program history — the Yellow Jackets had three consecutive three-win seasons under Geoff Collins before he was fired four games into the 2022 season — and turned things around with a 4-4 record.

That led to him getting the job on a permanent basis, a move that immediately paid off for Georgia Tech as he led it to a 7-6 mark, its first winning campaign since 2018. Now, the Yellow Jackets (1-0, 1-0 ACC) are close to returning to the AP Top 25 after a nearly nine-year drought.

Saturday’s win against Florida State (0-1, 0-1) broke the 15 match losing streak against top-10 teams. It was also Georgia Tech’s 10th straight win as an underdog since 2022, all of which have come under Key.

With the path Key has led Georgia Tech on, it won’t be considered an underdog for long. Here’s how Key has brought Georgia Tech back to the forefront of college football’s consciousness.

Change in mindset

Key sent a message during his on-field interview with ESPN following the win against Florida State in Dublin, Ireland:

“Drive the ball!”

Running the ball is nothing new for Georgia Tech fans, who grew up watching triple option teams coached by Paul Johnson. But Key’s approach is entirely different.

The Yellow Jackets no longer rely on misdirection and presnap movement to get the ground game going. They’re just as happy to throw the ball straight through the middle of the opposing defensive line, sometimes even switching to a read option look to get their mobile quarterback some action.

This new approach to Georgia Tech’s longstanding tradition underscores Key’s emphasis on physicality. Key, a former offensive lineman and longtime offensive line coach at Georgia Tech, understands that games are won — and lost — in the trenches.

If the win against Florida State is any indicationThe Jackets are building things the right way. The Seminoles entered Week 0 with a perceived advantage on both lines. FSU’s defensive line was considered by some to be the best in the country, while its offensive line returned three starters, two of whom were preseason first-team All-ACC selections.

That esteemed defensive line didn’t have a single sack, and produced one half-tackle for loss.

Georgia Tech’s defense had seven tackles for loss, two of which came from defensive linemen, and one sack came courtesy of edge rusher Kevin Harris.

Offensively, Tech averaged 5.3 yards per carry while Florida State averaged 3.2 yards, as its offensive line created plenty of running lanes. 58 of Florida State’s 98 net yards rushing came on its opening drive. It didn’t take long for Georgia Tech to completely flip the script.

Finding the right quarterback

That was the next big step Haynes King took when he signed with Texas A&M.

An in-state, four-star recruit who played and won state championships at the highest alignment of Texas high school football. Representing the Aggies in the Elite 11 Finals and the Under Armour All-American Game alongside the nation’s most prolific prospects.

And for a moment, it looked like he would live up to the expectations that were placed on him. He won Texas A&M’s starting job as a redshirt freshman in 2021. Then a fractured foot after one full game cut his year short.

He returned to the top of the depth chart in 2022, but was benched in favor of Max Johnson after a Week 2 loss to Appalachian State. He got a chance to start again when Johnson was injured. Then he suffered a shoulder injury and freshman Connor Weigman took over the position he still holds today.

King, who was already reluctant to transfer, saw the writing on the wall and entered the portal. There, he chose to play for a Georgia Tech team that was beginning its first full year under Key.

King found his perfect match. He embraced Georgia Tech’s physicality and used his 6-foot-3 frame for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns while appearing in all 13 games in 2023. He also threw for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns, making him one of just two power conference quarterbacks to have at least 2,800 yards passing and 700 yards rushing.

The other? LSU starter and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.

He capped off that terrific 2023 season with a win against UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl, Georgia Tech’s first postseason win since 2016. With the win against Florida State in the rearview mirror, King has now led Georgia Tech to wins against three AP-ranked teams.

Yellow Jackets win in recruitment drive

Key’s success so far hasn’t been limited to just the field. He’s turned Georgia Tech’s resurgence into some real advantages in the recruiting process.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the Yellow Jackets signed the nation’s No. 33 recruiting class in 2024, their highest ranked since 2020. The 2025 class, ranked No. 19 in the nation, is already blowing it out of the water.

Georgia Tech defeated teams such as Florida State, Ohio State, and Tennessee to win the title. Five-star offensive lineman Josh PettyThe player from Roswell, Georgia is the first five-star player to commit to the Jackets in the modern recruiting era, and he is also the crown jewel in a stellar in-state recruitment for Georgia Tech.

On Monday morning, two days after beating Florida State, four-star in-state defensive lineman Christian Garrett joined the team. Garrett plays at Prince Avenue Christian School just down the road from Georgia’s campus and is a former Bulldogs commit.

All seven of Georgia Tech’s highest-rated committed players, and 11 of its top 12, played high school football in the state of Georgia. Four of them have at least a four-star grade.

With a few spots still open, Georgia Tech is getting close to landing a top-25 recruiting class for the first time since 2007. Consistent performances against teams like Florida State could push it even higher.