Brent Key contract details

yeti92

Helluva Engineer
Messages
3,056
On the other hand, if he does not do well it may be very difficult to attract any future coaches when they see how much GT is paying.
Why would what we are paying Key now matter at all to a future coach? All that would matter is what we are willing to pay them at that future time, and I don't think we are required to pay $3m/yr to all future head coaches just because we did for this one. If Key is successful like we hope, his salary here won't be that low for very long anyway.
 
Last edited:

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
We really don't know how good of contract this is until we see the details.
The biggest positive is the bigger salary pool for assistants.

We really don't know much about the buyout except for it going to 50% in year 4. What is it in the 3 years before that?

He will be the lowest paid HC in the ACC and one of the lowest in the P5. That is both good and bad. It is good in the short term as it is likely about all we could afford and gives us a chance to start making the buyouts we have to make. On the other hand, if he does not do well it may be very difficult to attract any future coaches when they see how much GT is paying.

Ken also makes no mention of incentives, how many, what for, etc? That will be interesting to see.
Your take approaches the definition of "glass half empty". Maybe if you gave it some more thought you could find some other aspects to criticize. ;)

Seriously, although you raise some good points, I don't follow your logic about the low salary making it difficult to attract his successor.
 

Jacket05

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
688
The contract gives me more faith in Key. With the salaries of new P5 coaches he COULD have gotten more guaranteed money but instead he is putting his money where his mouth is with incentives. On top of that the lower salary allows him to build a better staff (hopefully). All of this tells me that he's more concerned about Tech succeeding than he is about getting paid.
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
The contract gives me more faith in Key. With the salaries of new P5 coaches he COULD have gotten more guaranteed money but instead he is putting his money where his mouth is with incentives. On top of that the lower salary allows him to build a better staff (hopefully). All of this tells me that he's more concerned about Tech succeeding than he is about getting paid.
I can imagine, and this is pure speculation, that the salary negotiations went something like this:

GT: Brent, we want you to build a winning team, but we've only got a pool of $10M total for you and your staff. How would you like it to be split up?

Brent: I'm willing to take a bit under market rate in order to hire good coordinators and staff. How does a $2.8/7.5 split sound?

GT: That's a little over our budget but we'll find a way to make it work.
 

Augusta_Jacket

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
8,101
Location
Augusta, Georgia
"The contract does offer Key a chance to add to his income through a variety of incentives. They include $100,000 for an eight-win season and another $100,000 for a 10-win season. If the Jackets win six regular-season games and go to a bowl game (outside of the College Football Playoff), Key will earn $50,000 and an extra $50,000 if Tech wins the bowl game.

Similarly, Key will receive $50,000 for leading Tech into the ACC title game and another $50,000 for winning it."

 

ChristoGT

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
298
Your take approaches the definition of "glass half empty". Maybe if you gave it some more thought you could find some other aspects to criticize. ;)

Seriously, although you raise some good points, I don't follow your logic about the low salary making it difficult to attract his successor.
Look, remember, we are engineers.
There are optimists that see the glass as half full.
There are pessimists that see the glass as half empty.
Then there are engineers who see the glass is twice the size it needs to be.
 

stinger 1957

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,478
I'm for continuing doing what we're doing when and if we lose a HC and that is hire someone from the coordinator/asst field. In order to do that you need someone doing the search that understands what it takes to be a good HC and knows how to read if that person qualifies, not fool proof obviously, but I watch many of the already HCs fail also at much higher prices to the schools.
 

GT33

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,183
"The contract does offer Key a chance to add to his income through a variety of incentives. They include $100,000 for an eight-win season and another $100,000 for a 10-win season. If the Jackets win six regular-season games and go to a bowl game (outside of the College Football Playoff), Key will earn $50,000 and an extra $50,000 if Tech wins the bowl game.

Similarly, Key will receive $50,000 for leading Tech into the ACC title game and another $50,000 for winning it."

I'd have offered more incentives particularly for making and winning the ACC title game & 10 wins, but this is a solid contract. You figure $100k is roughly 2k fans at 1 game, so if we win 10 or more games it would easily pay off. I hope they give the Assistants some of the incentives, too. They all should have a lot of skin in the game for winning.
 

MusicalBuzz

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
226
Since I just posted on the “Stratospheric salaries” thread, I’ll just add here that I applaud both Key and the institution for some common sense. Not that paying a football coach $3M/yr isn’t ridiculous. But at least in the current environment it’s not pandering to the outrageous. And I’m sure CBK will still have a very comfortable life and presumably all of his descendants -
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
Glass half full: These incentives are great and are just what we need in a coach's contract to drive performance!

Glass half empty: The previous coach had similar incentives in his contract.
 

roadkill

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,837
I truly hope everyone here realizes the impact that 7.5 million pool has for our program and the position that puts us in. We are not at the bottom when it comes to assistants anymore. No more excuses. Hope we make the right hires around Key. At least I am now comfortable knowing we can afford good OC and assistants.
The increased pool for assistants and staff may be the single most important part of the deal. Ken's tweet said it was a 30% increase, but it seems more than that to me based on what little I know of staff salaries. Someone remarked in the tweet's comments that the pool was only $3M when Collins was hired. That sounds about right.
 

Kennethshannon20

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
321
"The contract does offer Key a chance to add to his income through a variety of incentives. They include $100,000 for an eight-win season and another $100,000 for a 10-win season. If the Jackets win six regular-season games and go to a bowl game (outside of the College Football Playoff), Key will earn $50,000 and an extra $50,000 if Tech wins the bowl game.

Similarly, Key will receive $50,000 for leading Tech into the ACC title game and another $50,000 for winning it."

Nothing for a natty or a playoff?
 

Kennethshannon20

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
321
The increased pool for assistants and staff may be the single most important part of the deal. Ken's tweet said it was a 30% increase, but it seems more than that to me based on what little I know of staff salaries. Someone remarked in the tweet's comments that the pool was only $3M when Collins was hired. That sounds about right.
CPJ had about 3M, CGC had a little over 5.

Perspective, Bama spent just under 9M last year…
 
Top